Okkultokrati : "Raspberry Dawn"

The ragged lo-fi punk this band from Norway dives into is somewhat darker, with the more growled vocals of the first song it sounds like something from Darkthrone's black n roll period, which is a comment I also made about a song on the new King Dude, so maybe old black metal is seeing a spike in it's influence on the darker corners of garage punk. The title track makes more sense out of the jagged chaos and packages into a neater punk presentation. This keyboardist that they added to the line-up can't be heard until you get to "We Love You" and then it's not like they have suddenly turned into a dark wave band, it's still raw punk just with more textures to the wall of noise they slam themselves up against. The more murky dark wave like moments don't come until "Suspension", which is certainly dark enough, but to the point that it wanders in the dark with little direction. There is more direction on the more black metal like "Hard to Please".This song lashes out with the atmosphere dripping behind it in an an impressive manner.


They flirt with industrial a little on "Future War" , but it sounds more like Venom jamming to old Ministry. They are so raw that you barely notice the synths in the background as they coming charging out.  I like the sung vocals that come in at the two and a half minute mark. At minutes they really pound at you with this one ,while adding varied layers that shows maturity on their part. "Ocular Violence" touches a little on new wave, if set in a crusty cave. The lead vocals still sound like Cronos, there is a ghostly whispered vocal in the mix. The song finds them touching on goth as   it moves at more of dance pacing.  They drag you back to the gutter with the more battering punk of "Magic People". They are partying at the cross roads of where metal and punk once met.

I'll go ahead and round this one up to a 9 for now, I am not sure how it will grow on me as production wise it''s so rough around the edges. The Venom thing it has going sometimes makes me want to just go ahead and go listen to Venom if we are going to go there. Overall if you like punk and metal then this album is worth your time as long as you don't mind getting your ears a little dirty when it comes to lo -fi rumbling. Southern Lord is releasing this Sept 23rd.