Cavity is another one of those criminally underrated bands that toiled for years in obscurity while a select few found that the group and their down tuned Sabbath-influenced mayhem was a great mix of punishing volumes, squealing feedback, and strong rhythms that was quite different from the norm at the time in punk and hardcore circles - which is where Cavity skirted during their career. Jump forward several years since their last album, On the Lam, and Cavity is having their hard to find and out of print releases (Supercollider, out of print from extinct label Man's Ruin, was recently re-issued as well) get the re-issue treatment. Laid Insignificant originally was released on Pushead's (notable artist and former member of Septic Death) label, Bacteria Sour that has since gone out of print setting the stage for the album's re-issue with new artwork by Cavity's latest and most successful conspirators (at least in terms of a label's success) Hydra Head. Not only is Laid Insignificant notable for it having been previously released on Pushead's Bacteria Sour label and being one of the last remaining Cavity records that is pretty much unavailable to people, but this record also features the contributions of Juan Montoya, who is now in Torche, where his guitar counterpart Steve Brooks also did time in Cavity on Supercollider.
For those with some pre-exposure to Cavity, the title track is an exercise in familiar, and for those whom Laid Insignificant is their first Cavity experience, it is stylistically classic and wholly representative of the band's body of work; broken vocals cut through the din of down tuned guitars and a steady rhythm section which provides just enough groove to propel the track rather than allow the song to cave in on its deliberate pace. Tracks like "The Woods" and "9 Fingers on the Spider" do not sound desperate at all but instead take the mood further into more a sense of abject hopelessness. If I were homeless, this would be my soundtrack because it just brings to mind squalid visuals and filthy conditions with a vocal performance providing a tone that simply rakes over your auditory nerve while the guitars buzz and the bass rumbles along their merry way. The pounding drums and steady dynamic climb which inhabit the composition of "I May Go" make the song great and are the straw that stirs Cavity's drink (yes I did just use a Reggie Jackson quote to illustrate my point) here as they slightly augment their normal modus operandi. "Spine I" and "Spine II" are not only incredibly short tracks but also aptly named due to the guitars being so discordant that the sounds which squeal through the speakers run up and down one's spine. The closing piece, "A Bitter Cold Spell" finishes Laid Insignificant in a convincingly strong manner that puts dynamics to use in a similarly effective utilization as "I May Go;" only this time, Cavity steps up and employs some background noise underneath the at times wall of feedback.
No matter who Rene Barge and Daniel Gorostiaga collaborated with over the course of Cavity's existence, there was always a consistent method and sound that touched everything that the band recorded; Laid Insignificant is further proof of the consistent song writing and biting sound that they always produce. Luckily, Hydra Head is making this beast available to everyone again which also makes it possible for new people to discover the sounds of the Florida swamps that Cavity purveys. No one will be able to feel cheated should they decide to delve into this record as their introduction to the group, and long time listeners will need to pick this up if they did not the first time it was available.
