Fever 333 - Darker White

Across two EPs and two full-lengths, Fever 333 have constructed a visceral and messy sonic palette that traverses rock, punk and hip hop, all scattered across a hard electronic bedrock. It rides firmly on the electric presence of charismatic frontman Jason Aalon; his brash, dynamic voice completely dominates, as adept at triplet rap verses (‘NO HOSTAGES’) as canyon-sized choruses (‘DESERT RAP’) and blood-pumping screams (‘HIGHER POWER’). Matching the incendiary sociopolitical lyrics (“If guns don’t kill people / And people kill people / Then guns don’t kill people / Cops kill people”) is ‘DARKER WHITE’’s pared-down and direct musicianship. This is aggressive music distilled down to its focused essentials; simple bulldozer riffs, huge beats, and violent stabs of digital synths. Across 14 tracks, a touch more loose chaos would’ve made for a more well-rounded album, but this is a minor criticism. An exhilarating, almost exhausting return from the band, whose claws you can practically feel tightening around your neck.