Texas Platters

Cardinale

31:13 (Arclight)

It's so much more than just a name. Austin newbie metalheads Cardinale, spawn of Sea of Thousand, crank their debut in Tia Carrera style: one track, undulating between agro thrash and lulling near-poetry. And it must be said: Twist one up and park your butt. If the mind-space isn't right, the music will crash down like a teetering tower of empty PBR cans. More structured than Earth and heavier than Sleep, the fourpiece sets up slow and easy, rain falling on a tin roof. Then the lightning hits, extolling the strength of cacophony over peace. Herein lies the one fault of Cardinale: the guitars hit somewhere between Isis and Acid Mothers Temple, the drums trip in color, but the voice – D. Finner's throat is pure death metal. His guitar whips through the flail with speed and insurrection, but there's a time and place for all things Drano. Ultimately, Cardinale beckons instrumental, and the majority of this 31-minute track is a scary, voiceless ride on a rickety roller coaster. This might be stoner, but it ain't no jam.