There's a 1982 episode of the Erik Estrada cop show "CHiPs" where a punk group called Pain raises hell for the local cops-on-bikes. Central to the plot of the episode is a battle of the bands, where the punks played a song, also called "Pain", that's supposed to prove how tough they were. The result is a ridiculous caricature of punk stereotypes: "I take a hunk of concrete/ I stick it in my face/ I like to play with razor blades/ I hate the human race!" And while New York sludge punks K-Holes probably don't steal stuff, slash tires, or terrorize Erik Estrada, "Rats" is Dismania's straight-faced equivalent of "Pain". It's self-definition by way of intimidation, and it's backed by no-wave fuzz guitars and growling, vicious vocals. "We're the rats," they scream, repeatedly, without a hint of irony.
Jack Hines (formerly of Black Lips) and Vashti Windish (also of Golden Triangle) are almost definitely delivering an affectation-- they probably aren't the characters they portray throughout Dismania-- but regardless, their lyrics revel in the gruesome: "She found her home in a bucket of blood," for example. And when they're not comparing mosquitos to vampires or sleeping among cockroaches, they revile corporate fat cats for oppressing the working poor ("Dirty Hax"). There's so much bite and bile to Dismania, which strays from the more lighthearted material from their self-titled Hozac album. (The first album's "Werewolf With a Tan" is similarly driven by heavy fuzz-addled guitars, but lyrically, it's a novelty song.)
Sara Villard's saxophone is a noteworthy addition to their sound; it actually amplifies the menace by serving as an urgent, atmospheric supplement. And while their previous album featured plenty of monolithic drone, this one features several assertive, stomping riffs, like the blues-rock snarl of "Child" or the battering-ram thrash of "Rats". They also change it up with some moody warble in "Window in the Wall", which brings to mind Neil Young's Dead Man score. Their occasional shift in tone is definitely welcome, because after a while, the themes and sound of Dismania become aggressively humorless. It may not seem like much, but 32 straight minutes of lyrics about rodents, dead bodies, and acid rain can get exhausting.
But, however biting, the payoff is worth it with each individual song. "Nightshifter" features a rapid fire vocal delivery from Hines, which makes taking out the trash during the night shift sound like the world's most soul-suckingly miserable experience. Album closer "Nothing New" is the jammiest song at over five minutes, and it's satisfying to hear the band take their time on semi-psychedelic material. That's also why it's satisfying when they take a break from the album's belligerent thrash, but maintain the ominous tone. "Frozen Stiff" is a quietly bitter song, with all the instruments slightly more muted and the vocals toning down the vitriol. (The lyrics are vague, but the song's combination of shame, sex, cages, and "hands tied behind my back" suggest BDSM.)
If Dismania has a setting, it's the gutter-- every image conjured in the album involves something grim, grimy, or generally unpleasant. And their delivery perfectly suits the subject matter-- we get aggressive power chords, dour sax solos, Windish's howl, and Hines' strained screams. That overall mood never really lets up: K-Holes force you to wallow in the slime along with them, and they do it with a punk rock bark.
