<p><span><span>- Tom Lyngcoln has been a part of twenty-plus records in his time but his second solo record, <em>Raging Head,</em> is still as full of fury and as cathartic as only Lyngcoln can be. Following up from his 2018 first release <em>Doming Home</em> which was eleven tracks of solo guitar and guttural roars, the new album could not sound more different, yet still unmistakably him. Raging by name and raging by nature only two tracks are longer than three minutes and the record is fundamentally a hardcore punk album. It’s relentless, powerful, grabs you by the lapels and screams in your face.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>The earliest advance single delivered unbridled fury upon one particular onion-eating, hateful prime minister. As a massive fan of <em>Doming Home </em>I was transfixed by its slow tempos, walls of noise and -as described by reviewer <strong>Cameron Smith</strong> at the time- its crushing space between the notes. When <em>Tony</em> hit, it blew me away too, but not in the same way. It wasn't just because when Tom released his first album he said he was unsure if another would follow but also the sound that came out just made me grin. <em>Tony</em> as a single showed you this album was going to be different: it had drums and bass and it was so fast, crashing repeatedly into you, like Tom was repeatedly punching a raw nerve-ending.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>The drums were supplied by <strong>Jay Allen</strong> (<strong>The Kill </strong>/<strong> Mid Youth Crisis </strong>/<strong> Fuck I'm Dead</strong>)<strong> </strong>and bass by <strong>Cal Foley</strong> (<strong>The Stevens </strong>/<strong> The Blinds</strong>)<strong>. </strong>Both provide the push and drive that is the current of the album. Allen delivers ferocious, rapid beats while Foley perfectly sits between the instruments, reading and navigating the best ways to sit and drive the music when required, with some amazing basslines; see for instance the titular cut, <em>Raging Head</em>. Even more impressive is the fact the band has never played in the same room together; my theory is no room could handle it. The album opener <em>Ceremonial Backburning</em> is a tease, notes ring out and linger and distortion builds for fifty seconds before the drum kicks in and forty-eight seconds of blistering intensity is delivered. That intensity never recedes.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>This record is, in many ways, a therapeutic method for Lyngcoln, a conduit to get his feelings out. From the other end, for an audience and music lovers, that means you see someone open up their mind and spew it out in such a powerful way. It connects, rages and leaves you exhausted. In the midst of everything that is happening it’s simple: turn it up loud, tap into the rage and let it loose inside you<em>.</em> The ferocity of <em>Raging Head</em> may consume you before it's done and I say,<em> </em>long may it rage.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>- Jack McDonnell.</span></span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4096471411/size=large/bgcol=f…; seamless><a href="http://solarsonar.bandcamp.com/album/raging-head">Raging Head by Tom Lyngcoln</a></iframe>