THE ST. PIERRE SNAKE INVASION

Caprice Enchanté SELF-RELEASED

Erratic West Country noise-rakers get a little over-enthused

Like fellow Bristolians Phoxjaw, there’s definitely a sense that The St. Pierre Snake Invasion are hurtling towards an exciting destination. Caprice

Enchanté is more awkward and less straightforward than previous material but somehow more accessible, their garage-y roots making way for pushy, punchy post-hardcore vibes and gluey grunge melodies. As a cohesive album, though, it’s bit of a mixed bag. The sneering vocals, rending riffs and foxes-at-the-bins percussion often work superbly, but occasionally over-confidence tips the band towards rash decisions, like the sporadic nu metal yap puncturing Carrol A. Deering. Finetuning issues aside, however, TSPSI remain an undeniably exuberant prospect, and it’s easy to envisage cuts like Braindead sending bodies flying at gigs across the country.

FOR FANS OF: Refused, Retox, The Icarus Line