Featured on Hard Rock Hell Radio's The Fix (26/06/2017):
www.mixcloud.com/ahanna0912/hrh-radio-presents-the-fix-1719-a-music-show-for-rivets/

To be featured on the upcoming CIA Volume 6: www.cia.rocks/index.php/artists/compilation-artists/284-chemical-cautery

BEACH SLOTH:
Felt as much as hard, Chemical Cautery’s “Get Fuckin’ Happy” represents a pure adrenaline rush of unfettered aggression. Distortion rides the waves of percussion as the bombastic approach works wonders. Best of all are the highly misanthropic lyricism, delivered with the utmost of passion. Everything comes together in a way that would make Steve Albini very proud, for there is nothing held back over the course of the entire album. Rather, Chemical Cautery lets the sound churn filled with so much malice. Tying together noise rock with elements of punk and industrial, the songs rush forward.
 
Tribal rhythms introduce “The Cure” briefly before the band shifts into a high-energy blast of riffs. Efficient martial percussion ebbs and flows on the highly-brutalized storytelling of “Preach”. Oddly catchy is the infectious groove of “Release”. By far the highlight of the album is the atmosphere eeriness of “Scathed”. Quite thoughtful, Chemical Cautery maintains a balance between the static of the guitar and the powerful muscular bass work which works everything into a frenzied fevered pitch. A low-slung rhythm introduces the thoughtful work of “Animal Vs Cannibal”. Volume is an absolute must on the jerky sound of “Alright” where the sound’s many layers are unraveled and brought together with great care. Ending things on a high note is the powerful stripped down approach of “The Needle” which takes a more intimate look at the world.
 
Chemical Cautery creates a shimmering cauldron of disdain with the refreshingly unfiltered “Get Fuckin’ Happy”.

www.beachsloth.com/chemical-cautery-get-fuckin-happy.html


MIDLANDS METALHEADS:
Brash appears to be the word of the day for me as it also applies to CHEMICAL CAUTERY who are plying us with “happy music for depressed people” . The new release is called GET FUCKING HAPPY and it is quite frankly a mess. Don’t take that entirely as a criticism. I like my music messy, even the music I make is messy in quite a similar way. Twelve tracks of filth is what you get for the ‘pay what you like’ price tag, filth both lyrically and musically. Titles like ‘Vapes are for Pussies’ , ‘Animal vs Cannibal’ and ‘Sex Trophy’ will give you a flavour of what is on offer. It isn’t all fun on frolics though, there are some really meaty sounds on offer here. Sure, you can tell it is DIY and at times it is certainly lofi, but bands that John Peel introduced me to such as Killdozer, Alice Donut, Cable Regime and God appealed to me with a similar sound. ‘The Cure’ opens the album, hammering home in pneumatic fashion, ‘Preach’ is just downright nasty, ‘Release’ is punkier, ‘Roses and Champagne’ is weirder, and ‘Scathed’ is ponderous and an album highlight. Elsewhere, ‘Unfucked’ is Mudhoney done by Godflesh and ‘Alright’ is The Stooges channelled through Big Black. GET FUCKING HAPPY is a wondrous thing, it is a sleazy thing, it is a rough as fuck thing. Give it a go, you’ll hate it but you might like it too.

www.midlandsmetalheads.com/alternative-heaviness-from-strange-corners-3/


BUCKETLIST MUSIC REVIEWS:
Get Fuckin’ Happy by Chemical Cautery  is an album that is sure to leave most people flabbergasted. It’s an exercise in being as obnoxious as humanly possible. I wouldn’t even call it music in the strictest sense. Its creator has gone on record saying that his approach is largely improvisational and the results are not easy to consume. As an art piece in which the primary goal is to provoke, it absolutely succeeds. On paper, I respect it a lot. In execution, it makes me wants to rip my ears out and bleed all over my keyboard. It is by far one the least enjoyable albums I have ever heard, yet it is something that you should listen to at least once. Although fair warning: any more than that, and you will find yourself practicing masochism.

Again, even though I don’t like listening to this album, I think it is a highly successful piece of art. It confronts to get a reaction, and boy did it work on me! I found myself contacting Bucketlist’s fearless leader Liz Imperiale in utter confusion and desperation. “What is this?! How do I even approach this thing?” It was only after further research that we came to the conclusion that it’s SUPPOSED to confuse and make you mad. If you like it, great! If you don’t, then even better! Think of it as a cross between Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music and early Black Flag, both artists who reveled in baffling critics and audiences alike. The vocals are rarely ever in tune,  the production work is in dire need of mixing and the guitars are so monotonous that it’s hard to differentiate any of the tracks to the point that you will get a headache halfway through.

Despite being an excellent experiment, I can’t in good conscience call this “good music” or even recommend this to the average person. The first seven tracks are an utter chore to get through. The guitar work is actually fairly accomplished and reminiscent of Sonic Youth and countless hardcore bands of the 80s, but I just can’t deal with Jake Hancke’s vocal stylings. His delivery comes off as a moody teenager in his basement, yelling the first angry thought that pops into his head. There are no melodies and no second takes needed.  On “Preach” he actually yells, “YOUR GUN IS IN MY BALLS!” – an act that is both baffling and kind of hilarious.  To be fair, he probably doesn’t give a shit whether you like his performances or not. Admirable as that may be, it’s still really not a fun listen.

The last five tracks are actually an improvement. “Unfucked” and “The Needle” show signs of conventional songwriting and vocal work that almost emulates Henry Rollins circa 1984. I didn’t love them or anything, but I at least found myself tapping my foot and not wanting to reach for the Advil bottle. All of this leads me to believe that Chemical Cautery is in control of how out of control Get Fuckin’ Happy sounds. Deep within this record lies a respectable hardcore punk band that is ignoring every instinct of conventional taste. Jake Hancke is clearly aiming for notoriety over success. I may never listen to this album again, but I sure as hell will never forget it.

www.bucketlistmusicreviews.com/chemical-cautery-get-fuckin-happy/
www.cjlo.com/shows/bucketlist-radio/episode-17071721