A solo project from Canadian artist Doug Harrison (Fen), the bizarrely named Slug Comparison has graced these pages before, earning effusive reviews for 2017’s 11b and 2015’s self-titled album. Rather more introspective than Fen, Slug Comparison has its own unique character, and it is with no small amount of excitement that I greeted the arrival of A Battle To The End Fought On The Edge Of A Knife. Released in May this year, it is the third full-length effort from Slug Comparison, and it finds Doug (joined by drummer Flavio Cirillo) further evolving his always bewitching sound.
The album kicks off with the brisk Wish To Adapt, which throws elements of the much-missed Fugazi into the mix, the nimble guitars and dub-influenced basslines really capturing the attention as Doug worries whether he’s repeating himself (rest assure, he’s not).
Following so electrifying an opening, Doug wisely keeps the pace taut with the stabbing brilliance of March Through The Forest, which takes elements of early QOTSA and throws them in a blender with Porcupine Tree and Depeche Mode. The resulting track – fast paced, melodic, and beautifully produced so that each instrument is rendered with exceptional clarity – is an absolute gem and a perfect example of Slug Comparison’s unique power. Keeping things heavy, Game Of Repression surfs in on a monumental riff, although it’s juxtaposed with a calmer, more melodic verse. Doug’s voice, always impressive, really soars here, and the greater space allowed in the verse lets us fully appreciate the strength of his vocals here.
Following a trio of absolute monster cuts, Doug slows the pace for the gorgeous Undead Plots – a meandering progressive piece which benefits no end from the stunning, harmonised vocals that dominate the track. It may just be one of the finest pieces to which Doug has yet put his name and its haunting, melancholy melody will stay with you long after the record has reached its conclusion.
Following the introspective beauty of Undead Plots, Doug rings the changes once again, this time adding just a touch of Alice in Chains grind to proceedings on epic rocker Outta The Jam, which has a dynamic, grungy pulse to it. In any sane world, this would be charting all over the damn shop – it’s crunchy, addictive, and delivered with immense passion and power. As it is, people will have to find it for themselves, but trust me when I say the endeavour will be more than repaid.
It’s followed by the title track and one of the album’s most surprising pieces. A whimsical prog-pop number with odd, minor-key shifts and aspects of Faith No More and Folk Implosion shot through its funky pulse, it may be musically abstract, but it perfectly captures the myriad influences that sit beneath the surface of Doug’s endlessly fascinating song writing. Next, we return to the darkness with the doom-laden Too much Love, which combines an airy, grunge-infused verse with a towering riff chorus that does much to recall early Headswim. With Doug’s ever-excellent vocals to the fore, it’s a potent blend of hard rock and heavy drama, and it serves as another highlight on an album that consistently swerves to avoid the roadblock of listener expectations.
The surprises keep on coming. In creating a list of what might be coming next, ska probably wouldn’t be high up there and yet, in the upstroked guitars of its verse, Metal Roots Came Twisting has that influence, albeit with a suitably heavy chorus waiting in the wings. With its direct, autobiographical lyrics, it’s another engaging track that keeps the album flowing swiftly forward. It’s back to gentle prog pop on Played For A Centipede, which addresses the hopes of the burgeoning artist, forever locked in a struggle with the crushing inevitability of real life threatening to intrude upon your dreams. The album takes a turn for the heavier on Of Being Apart, which captures the same melodic might that made Keith Caputo’s early solo endeavours so mesmerising, before Hamsters In A Tub wraps this diverse and utterly brilliant album to a close. With a twisting post-metal riff, a nod to Primus, and a seething vocal, it provides the record with a potent full stop, leaving you wanting to listen all over again.
Slug Comparison is a project that does not appear often but, when it does, it is always with astounding results. A Battle To The End Fought On The Edge Of A Knife is a musically diverse, lyrically fascinating examination of the life of a musician, struggling against societal pressures, familial expectations, and age, to nurture the flickering flame of the creative dream. Over the course of some fifty minutes, the album takes us through all the self-doubt, denial, and defiance of the artist and the soundtrack shifts accordingly – the result being another mini-masterpiece delivered under the Slug Comparison banner. 10/10
