What you�ve got with City of Dis are eight chaotic songs that cram as much Black Flag, Black Sabbath, Slayer, John Coltrane, Jesus Lizard, Gang Green, and lord knows what else into them. The songs are overflowing with influences, styles, and noise. The Mass can shift direction without warning, rhyme, or reason, and they take full advantage of that skill. I�d say City of Dis was made by and for people with a severe case of ADD. But that�s not a fair assessment. It�s challenging music and deserves (or demands) your full attention. In the end, it may be the greatest thing you�ve ever heard. Or, if you�re like me, you may simply wind up confused, trying to figure out exactly what the hell you just heard.

Their plundering of different genres and the sheer power of their playing are a joy to hear. Vocalist and saxophonist Matt Waters mimics the traditional lead guitarist's roll, displaying a versatile range of nimble genre-hopping solos and riffs. The rest of the band match this with dexterous brutality, showing their ability to suddenly switch between moods and tempos, from abrupt, jackknife shudders to snaking, muscular rhythms and full-on thrash assaults. Each song is crammed with an excess of activity, brimful of detail, but at the same time possessed of a gut-level, visceral energy. The Mass make explicit the implicit overlaps between hardcore, metal and math-rock, but just as you think you have them sussed, they make a sudden switch towards shuffling jazz or tense, pared-back ensemble playing. The sense of urgency and focus that they bring to bear on their eclectic influences puts them in a field of their own.

This album is challenging in the same sort of way as picking up a William Burroughs book or watching a David Cronenburg movie is. Quite simply put this is the stuff of nightmares and I love it. Any thoughts of linear song structure are thrown straight out the window on this. Everything builds up to a critical mass with the instrumentation, one second overloading and the next virtually imploding in on itself. City of Dis is the sort of album that you will keep on coming back to just to check and see if you really didn�t dream the whole thing up. An intriguing and hypnotising listen for those that can take it.

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