EP REVIEW: The Grass Museum – Ministries

‘…a bloated mess of ideas that refuse to co-operate, and as a result ends up sounding boring, confusing, and at times, simply bad…’

The Grass Museum are a band keen on keeping an air of the enigmatic about them. Based vaguely out of southern England, the outfit have flirted with scenes in Brighton and Camden, working on sculpting out an artistic niche for themselves that transcends simple music; everything from their outfits to their online presence contributes towards their identity. This desire to be perceived differently is certainly apparent in their latest EP, ‘Ministries’, lifting its concept from the related political organisations of George Orwell’s ‘1984’.

Scope and ambition should always be commended; an attempt to be creative is better than simply attempting to serve listeners reheated ideas to gain popularity by being accessible or familiar. Yet there comes a point at which ambitions should be tempered, and be trimmed using a sense of vision and an understanding of what you are capable of as musicians. Unfortunately, The Grass Museum have not simply stepped over that line, but vaulted over it with a world record long jump performance.

‘Ministries‘, for the first three tracks, is a bloated mess of ideas that refuse to co-operate, and as a result ends up sounding boring, confusing, and at times, simply bad. Take the opening track, ‘Ministry of Truth‘, which layers opera-adjacent vocals over a monstrous djent instrumental that writhes with a furious aggression. The two separate listening experiences here are, when taken separately, rather decently executed, and the idea of opera fused with metal can be done well; see the earliest material of Diablo Swing Orchestra for one example. Yet here, when put together, it sounds utterly atrocious, with the vocals carrying a melody that simply does not mesh with the instrumental at all; it makes for a tuneless, disorienting, and poorly constructed attempt at being grand and unique. The breakdown at the track’s conclusion ends so quickly, it is hard not to feel that is was built to gain TikTok attention.

‘Ministry of Love‘ and ‘Ministry of Plenty‘ are both hodgepodges of progressive ideas that do absolutely nothing to stand out. There is not a single moment from either track that feels remotely worth mentioning, as the two songs shamble through one idea to the next without any consideration for how these ideas should play with one another; conceptual progressive rock is a musical world that is begging for a sense of theatricality, and becomes cheap and unconvincing if the approach to songwriting does not accomodate that. Thankfully, all is not lost, and it is with the closing track ‘Ministry of Peace‘ that the band finally manage to execute a track with a clear sense of vision, and a clear understanding of what they are capable of. It is a bludgeoning djent affair with screamed vocals atop of monstrous downtuned chugging, and would certainly not go amiss on one of Periphery’s latest records.

Do The Grass Museum have potential? Undeniably so; this is a band that evidently is seeking to make a statement with their music, and that must be acknowledged and celebrated. This is clearly an outfit that is comprised of talented musicians who do not want to blend in, and with a bit more thought as to how they bring their respective talents together, there could be some truly great music to come from this band. As for this current EP, however, The Grass Museum have thrown their ideas in a blender and hit puree; the result is messy, lumpy, unappetising, and does zero justice to the quality of the ingredients at play.

RATING: 40/100 – Tolerable

For Fans Of: Periphery, Leprous, Dream Theatre, King Gizzard And The Wizard Lizard, Pink Floyd

Follow the band on social media below:

Instagram // Spotify