Tintoretto was a band I saw many years ago, as a weird, confused teenager obsessed with the various math noise bands of the midwest. They were born out of a very crazy hardcore band called Managra that I remember seeing open for Braid and absolutely loving…mainly because when you’re 17 and have no idea what the hell is going on, it’s always fun to experience the visual and audible expression of that confusion, rage and excitement.
Tintoretto were only around for a short time and I was lucky to see them as well and purchase their 4 song EP that was most likely #1 on my portable CD player Wrapped of 1999. The four songs kind of mixed the two dominant sounds of the era, Drive Like Jehu dissonant guitars and a combination of the Louisville and DC sound with a focus on dark, repetitive bass lines and odd meter abstract time signature interplay.
Unfortunately, they never came around again and word spread that they had called it quits. Members went on to form other incredible bands that I was lucky to share the stage with including Hero of 100 Fights and Murder in the Red Barn that expanded on the two styles referenced above by adding a clear King Crimson influence, which is never dissuaded.
It was during that timeframe that we learned four more songs would be released along with some unreleased Managra songs (that if I remember correctly, were supposed to be on a split with Brass Knuckles for Tough Guys and *those* songs eventually popped up shortly thereafter on the Tetsuo/Brass Knuckles discography cd).
Said unreleased songs did not disappoint, providing more of the same dissonant, moody hardcore. Did I mention how dark this music is without relying entirely upon minor chords to convey this mood? Well, I just did.
Fast forward maybe 24 years. I learn through HeartattaCk Instagram that they are going to put out all of these songs on vinyl. Shortly thereafter, I learned that they had scraped the idea of releasing a discography and instead would be re-recording all of the songs in drummer Shane Hochstetler’s recording studio.
The results are fantastic. Are you shocked that I feel that way?
They start off the record with Dying Days, which happened to be the last song we heard as Tintoretto fans, the last track of their posthumous release. Clever sequencing aside, this is the perfect starter as it immediately puts the focus on the true all-stars of the band, the rhythm section that snake their way through a slick groove before the guitars show up to create even more anxiety. The following track Are You Still Dying Darling uses the archetypal “dun-dun dun-dun dun-dun dun-dun” riff that every band was required to use after the ending of Nosferatu Man melted all of our brains. Performed by a less capable band, it sounds like a cliche but the execution is so perfect (and so dark, everything is so dark) with tremendous dynamics. The section in the bridge that starts around 2:13 has been one of my favorite iterations of that motif since high school, and it still packs the same punch.
Later on, I Betray My Friends, the first song I remember hearing by them shows up and this where the level of production becomes very apparent. I would happily have purchased the original tracks on vinyl (and if you purchase the album, you get all of the original songs as wav files) and wasn’t quite sure what to expect with them redoing the entire thing, but man Shane killed it and while it is possible that they are playing new versions of parts on guitar (it’s been a long time, I wouldn’t be shocked if they had trouble remembering and relearning everything) the crystal clear interplay of little guitar licks that I never had noticed before put this over the top.
The album closes with Sweet Release, which was my favorite song on their posthumous release, their proggiest effort which was a precursor to what they would perfect in Hero of 100 Fights. A growing theme on this website is hearing guys singing now while in their 40s and 50s and sounding so much better than when they were 22. The same is here for the vocals on this release. They haven’t lost their growl but lost is the sloppy out of tune whining that had a presence on the original recordings. This song is over seven minutes and so dark! Did I mention how dark it is?
You can purchase this album on vinyl from Expert Work Records via bandcamp. I highly recommend it.
FIVE DARK STARS!
