Bishop Kent Manning

Lyricists: Smash McKenney; the_Network .
Personnel: Pete Marr (vocals, guitar); Miko Bones, Smash McKenney, Brian Hanlon (vocals); Kevin Howley, Pete Marr, Kevin Howley (guitar); Tim Meehan, Tony Meehan (drums).
Audio Mixer: Kurt Ballou.
Recording information: Gudcity Studio, Salem, MA (10/2008).
Are you ready to be sonically assaulted? If you've bravely given the "thumbs up" sign, then the_Network's 2009 exercise on non-stop noise brutality, the curiously titled Bishop Kent Manning (the title comes from a short story written by the group's guitarist, Kevin Howley) is the album for you. These fine chaps from New Hampshire lay the heavy duty riffing and vocal screams on heavy throughout the disc (as well as out-of-left-field "shifts" mid-song). The whole bloody album from beginning to end is one big endurance test as to how far the group can push things to the max, especially such crushing ditties as the album opening "From Holy Water to Holy Waters," "Service with a Smile," and the gently titled "You Fucking Fakes." For those looking for extreme music that is certainly not for the faint of heart, Bishop Kent Manning is certainly worth a spin or two. ~ Greg Prato