Industrial instigators
3TEETH return with
EndEx, another collection of angry, jagged diatribes that denounce all that's wrong with the world while providing a soundtrack to an inevitable end. Techno-paranoia, capitalist destruction, a planet on the brink of implosion -- things aren't looking bright for anyone, if you ask
Alexis Mincolla and company. Yet, as with every other one of their albums, this impending doom never sounded so good. A skull-caving assault that edges their heaviness even further into the swirling abyss of nihilism and biting social commentary, this fourth dose of brutalization also continues a melodic evolution last heard on 2019's excellent
Metawar: as their songcraft improves album to album, so does the impact of the message. From the monstrous opener "Xenogenesis," a roiling stomper that builds dread in widescreen, cinematic fashion,
3TEETH prove once again that they are masters of "'90s-industrial-but-make-it-scarier" across a satisfying set that is their most accessible to date. Striking an ideal balance between brute force and catchy hooks -- like spiritual predecessors
NIN,
Skinny Puppy,
Ministry, and
Front Line Assembly -- the songs on
EndEx obliterate both eardrums and their intended targets, while lodging them in your brain long after the moment has passed. The stadium-romping "Slum Planet," towering riff-fest "Merchant of the Void," and heavy metal rocker "What's Left" (with famed video game composer
Mick Gordon) provide familiar doses of classic
3TEETH, just as the band expands their reach with songs like the near-metalcore "Acme Death Machine," the lurching
Metallica-gone-industrial "Plutonomicon," and the atmospheric, vocal-pushing "Higher Than Death" and "Drift." Additional highlights include the nu-metal banger "Paralyze," a pummeling attack that features rap duo
Ho99o9, and "ALI3N," a rabid, frothing freak-out that's peppered with chaotic synth stabs and electronic noise. It's unlike anything they've done before. For fans keeping track,
3TEETH provide yet another cover of a beloved pop tune that's been twisted to their liking, this time with an appropriately menacing take on "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by
Tears for Fears. Holding nothing back,
EndEx is unflinching in its direct attack on society's ills and destruction at our own hands. As overconsumption -- both in terms of materialism and natural resources -- threatens to claim us all,
3TEETH harness that frustration and helplessness, creating cathartic sonic therapy for anyone at their wit's end wondering if the planet will still be spinning decades from now. Thrilling and depressing, it's another wake-up call for those who aren't listening. ~ Neil Z. Yeung