There has never been anything subtle about the bands Ezekiel Ox has fronted in the past, from Full Scale to Mammal, and there is certainly no restraint on the debut album from his new project, The Nerve.
The title track from Audiodacity gives a pretty clear insight into the motivations of the band, also featuring Cog's Lucius Borich, Pre-Shrunk's Davarj Thomas and the European-based “guitar virtuoso” Glenn Proudfoot. It includes the lyric, “As you spruik your Jesus, tell him I'm coming for his mantel”. Ox has certainly never been backward in coming forward and neither is this album.
Audiodacity starts brazenly and brashly with Again. The signature Ox snarl is replaced by a violent scream, complete with the same massive guitar solo which is evident on almost all of the album's tracks.
Highlights include Witness, Down There and The Insight, which are a classic Ox funk and heavy rock combination, allowing him to spit out his political views in a hard-hitting, fast-paced and antagonistic style with just enough verbal swagger.
Audiodacity will be an easy listen for fans of Mammal and Pre-Shrunk but Cog fans may find the aggression confronting, unless they're won over by Ox's political persuasion.
The album is solid and with the calibre of musician on offer you would expect nothing less. Time will tell if this is yet another short-lived project for the charismatic frontman or whether the line-up boasts the Holy Grail of combinations he seems to be eternally searching for.
