Pulling Teeth Paranoid Delusions | Paradise Illusions

Over the last few years, Baltimore's Pulling Teeth have made a name for themselves with their brand of absolutely piercing thrashy hardcore. From an instrumentation perspective, Vicious Skin and Martyr Immortal represented the intersection of '90s hardcore a la Integrity and Ringworm with Slayer, while vocalist Mike Riley's nasally attack gave them a uniquely pissed off edge. Fast forward to 2009 and Pulling Teeth has evolved into a completely different beast. All of the influences that made these guys so successful in the past still play integral roles, but one listen is all it takes to realize that Paranoid Delusions | Paradise Illusions is a far cry from a predictable hardcore record. With the aid of slower song structures, weighty riffs, and a sprinkling of eerie Moog lines, the album delivers a sound that is just as depressed and hopeless as it is pissed off. Pulling Teeth effortlessly moves between thrashy outbursts and doomy dirges, somehow managing to tie together the polar opposites in songwriting with common thematic elements. "Ritual" displays just that by beginning with a slow, murky intro before launching into a midsection of metallic riffing and dive-bombing lead guitar work. The track ultimately culminates in a gloomy passage filled with layers of peculiar noise that has more in common with Zoroaster than with the rest of the Deathwish catalog. "Bloodwolves" displays the same sonic versatility, as its bouts of driving drumming and frantic soloing decay into a trance-like repetition of a slow, solemn riff. Their new songwriting direction may be less accessible, but having the balls to pursue such an unconventional route will earn these guys plenty of praise from the hardcore community. It might pass over the heads of a few expecting the predictable hardcore staples, but Pulling Teeth has managed to secure a distinctive sound while still utilizing many of their best qualities. And that rules. But there's a catch. Even though they've put together something impressively unique, this release isn't entirely representative of their potential. At five tracks, it's already on the light side, but when one considers the fact that nearly half of the record consists of the nearly ten minute long, spoken word-heavy "Paradise Illusions," it suddenly doesn't offer much in the way of substance. Stellar artwork and slick packaging add another positive into the mix, but Paranoid Delusions | Paradise Illusions still feels like it was a premature release that got away before the rest of the album was written. The blend of Slayer, Integrity, and depressing dirges is an exceptional feat, but quantity still counts for something these days. Bottom Line: Pulling Teeth's Paranoid Delusions | Paradise Illusions is an immense step forward in terms of songwriting ingenuity and continuity for a hardcore record. But it also skimps on deliverable content to the point where listeners might be scratching their heads in confusion. Nevertheless, Pulling Teeth make yet another argument for their place in the upper echelon of modern hardcore.