Fresh Breath - EP

First off, those expecting to hear U.S. Maple are in for a rude awakening. It's true this pre-Maple outfit contained guitarist Mark Shippy and vocalist Al Johnson, but the sound is completely opposite. Shippy's guitar playing consists of a chunky distortion that paraphrases statements made by his influences. For instance, the opening track, "I Prefer 'Nitwit,'" has many overtones of Jesus Lizard guitarist Duane Denison's atonal string lashings. Other numbers, such as "Tomato Kisser," demonstrate Shippy's Motörhead fascination as he combines that band's sludge with his own angular guitar riffing. As for Johnson's vocals, he is still finding the harsh whisper he would come to demonstrate so well in U.S. Maple. Here, however, he can sound like everything from In Utero-era Kurt Cobain via some shredded throat howls ("Fresh Breath") to a lobotomized zombie ("Really Pointy?").