Child Bite has honed a palpably rhythmic-centric blend of metal, hardcore punk and noise-pop throughout the band's last few albums. With this latest 10-inch vinyl release, the local quartet is closer than ever, scarily so, to perfecting it. The opening track sounds, feels and moves like a kamikaze Tilt-o-Whirl, spurting sparks and wobbling off its rickety rails. Amid crashing crescendos — particularly storming through the extended jams filling Crimes' middle sections — it seems as though their signature metal-pop (searing timbres, chopping riffs, pounding percussion and exorcism-style vocals) is swelling to the point of near self-destruction. Perhaps these players, meticulously rhythmic no matter how fitful their freak-outs become, may actually be testing how far they can push it, chaotic key changes and sped-up structures and all, before the song itself falls apart. They leave us with a cliffhanger: The closing track merely fades out into an uncertain silence.

Child Bite's Violent Crimes release show will be Saturday, Dec. 15, at the Old Miami (3930 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313- 831-3830) with Absolutely Free, Reverend, Haunted House.

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