Call your friends in their mid thirties, Slope are bringing the nineties back with a fresh new twist. Combining the funk-rock sound of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, the aggressive hip-hop energy of Beastie Boys and Rage Against The Machine and the all-out hardcore punk chaos of bands like Sick Of It All or Madball, German quintet Slope create a nostalgic yet fresh and unique sound with as many ass-shaking grooves as brutal breakdowns.
From the first note of Freak Dreams, Slope’s intent is clear, the worlds of funk and punk collide in a brilliantly enjoyable explosion of noise. Rubber band slap bass and chugging guitar riffs interlock naturally around the band’s dual vocal approach and relentless attack of syllables. Opener ‘Talk Big’ leans heavily into Slope’s funkiest tendencies building around a tight, Corey Wong style guitar riff in the verses which gives way to distorted chugs for the moshable punk breakdown with the two vocalists trading spitting lines back and forth with both pinpoint accuracy and a clear sense of unburdened joy. ‘Talk Big’ makes a bold first impression, revealing a world of cheerful, danceable grooves unconcerned with strict genre boundaries. Slope prove themselves to be experimental, technically proficient and, most importantly, willing to do anything for the sake of fun.
Within this mix of genres there’s a track to suit any point on the funky to punky spectrum, tracks like ‘Talk Big’, ‘Nosedive’ and ‘Freak Dreams’ are sure to appeal to even the biggest RHCP fans whereas ‘WHY SAD’, ‘Hectic Life’ and ‘Out Of The Blue Into The Black’ have enough shredding and distortion to make even the grumpiest middle aged hardcore fan open up a pit. Slope thrive on throwing together genre mashups which, on paper, may sound too chaotic to work, the Run-D.M.C. referencing, Van Halen and Bad Brains inspired single ‘It’s Tickin’ stands out as an especially hectic, despite this, there isn’t a moment on Freak Dreams that sounds artificial or forced with Slope’s unique identity standing out amongst any genre homage they decide to play with.
“Slope prove themselves to be experimental, technically proficient and, most importantly, willing to do anything for the sake of fun.”
As Freak Dreams progresses Slope begin to lose a little of their funky steam and instead lean more heavily on the tropes of hardcore punk. This certainly isn’t a bad thing with tracks like ‘WHY SAD’ and ‘Ain’t Easy’ delivering some ferocious riffs and savage, barking vocals but there are moments that could have been made a little more unique with a little more slap bass or compressed staccato guitar chords. If Slope kept that funk-inspired backbone a little more prominent throughout the album it might have really helped Freak Dreams to sound like a more cohesive experience rather than a collection of really solid individual songs.
The album’s final track ‘Out Of The Blue Into The Black’ takes a sharp left turn into barbaric hardcore punk that makes the rest of the album feel light in comparison. Without a moment to breathe between the rapid-fire opening and the track’s intense half-time breakdown, Slope hammer home their punk credentials, the band’s dual vocalists throwing incendiary shouts back and forth, building up to a united, hip-hop influenced climax reminiscent of artists like Death Grips or clipping. Bringing Freak Dreams to a close on such a brash note is a bold move, one that only a band as unpredictable and unrestrained by genre as Slope could pull off.
Freak Dreams is one of those special albums that could only come from an inspired young band like Slope. By deftly blending together funk-rock and hip-hop with hardcore punk Slope create a signature sound that flies unpredictably between ass-shaking grooves and circle pit ready brutality.