Permanent Fatal Error

The following is a tricky statement -- Jack Endino's Permanent Fatal Error, is a great Seattle-sounding record. See, to those unfamiliar with Endino's body of work, it's possible to assume that he's just some other fooler trying to mine the great grunge gold rush of 1991. But for those who don't recognize Endino's name from the back of your Nirvana and Soundgarden CDs, he's been there from the beginning, as a member of Skin Yard and as the producer of the aforementioned bands' debut releases for Sub Pop: Bleach and Screaming Life. After a 13-year break between solo albums (his last was 1992's Endino's Earthworm), Endino finally got the itch to return from behind the boards and get behind the mic, along with help of Barrett Martin (ex-drummer for Screaming Trees), Rob Skinner (ex-bassist for Coffin Break), Josh Sinder, and Alex Sibbald (the drums/bass combo for the Accused circa the early '90s), among others. But whereas most automatically associate Seattle's "Sub Pop era" with slow-paced Sabbath rock, Endino's latest is full of hardcore-like speedy tempos, as evidenced by the album opener "Count Me Out" and "Elusive." Other highlights include a pair of Wellwater Conspiracy-esque instrumentals ("Van Allen Wrench" and "Flight of the Wax Tadpole"), as well as several melodic tracks ("Bringing Me Down," etc.), on which Endino's voice sounds comparable to Scott Weiland. Forget all those third-rate grunge ripoffs you hear on the radio. Permanent Fatal Error is the real deal. ~ Greg Prato|