EP Review: Christ the Bait – Idolatrosities (Self Released)

For many musicians, to be able to properly compose, produce, mix, and release your own music on your own terms and do it all yourself is to be at the absolute peak of artistic integrity and drive. This sentiment still rings very true to New England-based musician and producer Colin Jenkins. His passion for being a jack-of-all-trades has helped him exponentially grow and strive not just as a musician, but as a self proclaimed “advocate of the arts.”

Christ the Bait is Jenkins’ vessel for all weird, heavy music. He jokingly refers to the band’s primary genre as “psychedelic death-prog,” but in a more serious context, Christ the Bait’s style of heavy progressive rock branches out into different avenues of rock and metal, such as post-rock, mathcore, post-hardcore, sludge metal, and alternative rock/metal.

Christ the Bait released its first self-titled EP in 2020 under the former name of Christbait. But now, after the name change, the band is set to release a brand-new EP/mini-album entitled “Idolatrosities” on December 3, 2021, which build upon the ideas of the first EP.

Absolutely freaking mental. That’s the simplest way to describe Christ the Bait. A solo project that is as mad as it is interesting, and it is very, very interesting. Four tracks long, this EP is a gargantuan listen thanks to the length of most of the tracks and, more importantly, the progressive imagination that exists in each one.

There is no genre you can just lump this kind of music in. On the one hand, it’s got death metal vibes and heaviness. On the other, it’s progressively bizarre and dripping in mind-altering tones. Then on another, it’s got post intensity and mathcore complexities. All of this, and more, bubbles to the surface on the challenging opener, Mouthguard. A track that tells you lot about the wild imagination that Christ the Bait has. A track that takes you into the maddening world that Christ the Bait inhabits.

If you thought that was insane, well, Christ the Bait is just getting started.

Idolatrosity goes for moody and grungy instrumental crashing, clean singing and jarring effects at first. Before introducing post-hardcore fire, mathcore guitar jabs and broad-minded heaviness to make the track really come to life. That this track is over 11 minutes long should give you a clue as to how packed it is.

It’s a short one next. A Rumination on True Love being an atmospheric effort that has some epic guitar playing in it. A really lovely ‘intermission’ and the perfect appetiser to the finale, Domino. A track that comes in at 24 minutes and 20 seconds. Yes, you read that right.

So, what level of madness comes from this track? Batten down the mental hatches…. A storm is coming. A tornado of baffling, eclectic, melodic, heavy, detailed and depth-filled music, ready to rip through the mind and leave nothing but wonder and confusion. It’s disorientating as hell. How did we get here? We pressed play on Christ the Bait’s Idolatrosities.

Christ the Bait – Idolatrosities Full Track Listing:

1. Mouthguard
2. Idolatrosity
3. A Rumination on True Love
4. Domino

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