"Meathole" belongs to a rare category of Snares releases: an album that is some of his hardest and most violent work, and yet also among his most focused, layered, and atmospheric. The only other album to fit this description would be the near-masterpiece "Doll Doll Doll".
The mangled breaks and basslines on "Meathole" possess an insistency, groove and production polish missing from albums like "Higgins Ultra Low Track Glue Funk Hits 1972-2006" and "Winnipeg is a Frozen S***hole". The beats are much more frequently panned, and the mixing of the album is much more three dimensional. Some of the sounds on here are actually comparable to Lustmord. For once, I would place his production abilities at the level of Aphex Twin and the like, while still being far below such masters as Autechre and Cevin Key. "Meathole" is also one the darkest Snares albums, second only to the murderous pedophilia of "Doll Doll Doll" and the haunted strangeness of "Winter in the Belly of a Snake".
The first two tracks are pure, violent drill & bass with heavy sampling and ambience, but, as the other reviewer mentioned, faster than usual, and a lot more claustrophobic. Funk continues his experimentation with manipulating samples to the point where they actually contribute melodic content to the songs.
The album really gets interesting with the standout third track, "Contain". It features an odd, warbling voice intoning "You can live in my coffee cup... I'll feed you flies if you do", as well as a screaming vocalist whose heavily processed voice adds a lot to the song. It also introduces Aaron Funk's eerie, horror-soundtrack-inspired melodic sense to the album in the form of a few string melodies.
"Aamelotasis" uses a sampled live drum set to create complex jazz patterns. Certain beats are punctuation by bubbling, partially distorted melodic stabs. The sense of dread and urgency continues. "Des Plaines" takes the feel of the previous song and makes it a lot more spacious and threatening, resulting in a track that is largely ambient. The middle section features an amazing violin line. "Sinthasomphone" is likely the fastest track yet. Alien drones rise in volume as it progresses, eventually providing a mysterious and yet hopeless conclusion. "Aaperture" is a strange break from the intensity, composed of flamenco guitars and whistling synths, creating a melancholy, nostalgic feel, before progressing back into more drill & bass.
The sense of dread that pervades the album not only returns but most definitely reaches a peak in the more-hardcore-than-thou finale, "Szycag". Over the course of 9 minutes, this song builds into a wall of pure distortion. Words can't really describe it, it must be heard to be believed.
For those looking to try out Venetian Snares, "Meathole" is a great place to start, as it contains both his hardcore side as well as his impressive melodic sensibilities. It feels as if it was a true labor of love, like only a few other albums in Aaron Funk's huge discography (15+ albums). It could even be called his best, although "Huge Chrome Cylinder Box Unfolding", "Doll Doll Doll", "Winter in the Belly of a Snake" and "My Downfall (Original Soundtrack)" give it serious competition. Highly recommended.
Let's be brief... there are other Amazon reviews that describe the whole album song by song and how well done everything is. If you have any doubts, look up Szycag on Youtube and turn it up!
This incredible journey through noise and the mind of Aaron Funk is worth every penny!
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