HomeMusicReview: Curl Up and Die Curl Up and Die “Unfortunately were Not Robots” (Revelation Records)Unfortunately, our vocals suck. While Curl Up and Die’s (CUAD) is one letter short of C.H.U.D.’s, that doesnt make up for a real lost cause. Cool guitar and drumming make up this predominantly trash/noise/metal band, with just enough hardcore for it to qualify as a Revelation release. Singer Mike Minnick is one step away from awful, making quality songs almost unbearable. He has no reach, no tempo, and zero vocal talent, which sucks because on the musical tip, this band has some excellent range. Experimental sound with a dash of samples and piano is nothing new; still, CUAD does it well, which is refreshing. There are excellent breaks, like in “You’d be cuter if I shot you in the face”, a great example of both soft guitar/drum breaks and creative song titling. Again, it’s too bad their songs are fouled by Minnick’s abrasive and talent less vocals. Hey, don’t think I can’t appreciate similar vocals like this. Bands like Man is the Bastard and Anal Cunt (okay, bad example) highlight my Top 10; I just don’t like this guy. All in all, it’s a cool band with bad ‘singing’, if having vocals on par with every D+ local metal/trash band constitutes as singing. Maybe he sounds better live. I think Poison the Well’s Jeffery Moreira sounds pretty shabby on their albums, but his vocals are excellent live, so what do I know.
