For all the interviews I have read where Blake Judd sounds like he wants to make the Ministry album that should have been, the Skinny Puppy records were left out of the studio .Though it's not uncommon for songwriter to go into the studio with one idea of what his vision is and the songs take on a life of their own and decide to go somewhere else.
To Judd's credit even though it would have been warranted he never said the standard heavy metal line, this is going too be our heaviest album yet
The open in the ruins of Jerusalem , hits with a blasty mcnasty. Like old cvlt dark throne the intensity of the attack creates its own drone of white noise,as the whirl wind of shrapnel sucks you in. While I can appreciate the lack of subtlety here for what it is the real meat of the metal rises on and I control you, after the few listens is my favorite songs as the eerie melody haunts the background and guitar comes in shredding as called for what more do you need from metal? Sure it's slower paced than the first two but foreboding quality makes it heavier than the albums opening.
The lepers of destitution is a beautiful song, in the same way I prefer storm clouds to feeling the sun on my skin and see where Judd was referencing depressive suicidal black metal, as it has the very somber elegance that makes it sound like fast funeral doom .
Rare in this sort of black metal that you are aware the bass is there playing actual notes . Not to mention his tone is sick, the bass sounding more like a cyborg bullfrog in heat calling out to mate with Dagon. Drummer Charlie Fell is a smart addition as his more bombastic playing style is a prefect fit more the relentless raw vibe of the album.
While the vocals don't have as much variety as previous albums, the one sound they captured is dead , though most of their black magic is in the overdriven production. The lyrical content is a big change as their is less lamenting over addiction and ,ore raging against a dystopian machine. Fitting as the vocal delivery is more angry than a drug torment.
The rock roll element stomps out as needed, the more straight forward traces of left over addicts riffs are actually the albums weaker moments.I has also heard Judd throw around that the album would have elements of depressive suicidal black metal and the only song with which he made good on those claims is the closer " these rooms in which we weep". I'll give this album a ten as I suspect give me the grave will grow on me , it's not boring as to make me want to avoid it just more straight forward on initial listens than I might have wanted but the take the poison prt gets stuck in my head so I will go ahead and round it up from a 9.5 to a 10 as this and Pinkish Black will more than likely be slugging it out for album of the year.
No comments:
Post a Comment