Double Life

Milwaukee’s Double Life blasts out on its second release like a foundry smokestack on the south side of town. Produced by legendary brutal knob twister Steve Albini, III Song EP pulls no punches in the modern metal dept. Bassist Eric Bulgrin sounds like he’s wrestling a boa constrictor, John Conhartoski literally beats the crap out of his drums and vocalist Brian Smith sings like Eddie Vedder with a penis. But there’s something different about Double Life that separates it from the rest of the Metalfest bands—an underlying feeling of a sense of metal history, the good, the bad and the ugly, like Slipknot playing with Iron Maiden. Maybe guitarist Dave Deau heard Blue Cheer when he was in the womb. Whatever, it’s there as timeless as ever and it goes to 11. One of the best things here is that there are only three songs, which is either sufficient or not enough, depending on crunch-rock tolerance.