Though their origins lay in Florida's vibrant hardcore scene, Miami's Cavity had obviously caught wind of some of the metallic mayhem taking place a little further to the north, in the death metal Mecca of Tampa, when developing their sound. How else to explain the curiously hybrid style of sludgecore that permeated their earliest recordings, earned them rave reviews from both punk and metal magazines (how unusual is that?), and then got them signed by renowned artist Pushead (of Metallica, the Misfits and others' cover art fame) to his Bacteria Sour label? 1996's Drowning was the immediate result of this partnership, and, although it qualified as Cavity's first CD release, the music within had actually been assembled from various pre-recorded 7" singles, unreleased tracks, and the previous year's, vinyl-only Human Abjection LP. And yet, such is the chaotic, but unmistakable nature of Cavity's corrosive sonic maelstrom (largely descended from latter day, Black Sabbath-obsessed Black Flag), that Drowning almost sounds like a proper album. Musical gut-punches all, Marginal Man Blues, Crawling and Chloride conduct inexorable assaults on the senses, and even the unaccompanied bass rumbles preceding lengthy excursions like The Saver and Leech are but decoys for searing combinations of doom-slow grinds and hardcore-fast riffs that follow. Not to be outdone, vocalist Rene Barge shows a reckless disregard for his vocal chords as he shudders and heaves his way through shriek after agonized shriek, and by the time we arrive at the disturbing spoken word piece and deafening feedback cacophony of Drowning (which kicks off Human Abjection's original eight songs) there's simply nowhere left to hide from the devastation. More primal sludge-riffs and guttural expulsions transform additional standouts Burning My Eyes and Inside My Spine (Part 2) into horrifying downward spirals, and make a 43-second speedcore freak-out like O.T.D. seem like a relaxing break somehow! Anyway, enough already, you get the picture, Drowning overwhelmingly proves that you don't have to be a masochist to enjoy Cavity's brand of punishment, but it helps. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi

1		The Saver
2		Marginal Man Blues
3		Butterscotch
4		Leech
5		Crawling
6		Perseverance
7		Drowning
8		Burning My Eyes
9		Chase
10		O.T.D.
11		Chloride
12		Inside My Spine, Pt. 2
13		Slug

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