It’s not presumptuous to pigeonhole an album with a cover carved by Justin Bartlett considering he’s sketched grotesquely for bands like Trap Them and Watain, so go ahead and label Pervertor a real stomach-turner because the grainy tripe that adorns Lord Mantis’ second full-length does not lie. Part black metal, part vile sludge, Pervertor is wretchedly unsettling, and yet terrifically engrossing, as the Chicago band (made up of Nachtmystium and Indian members, among others) scream and steam roll their way through nearly 50 minutes of mechanical irrationality that hiccups with occasional onslaughts of disgusting groove. In the hands of lesser sickos, Pervertor‘s grinding repetition could’ve very well run thin by album’s end, but this is the work of dissidents adept at the methodical vivisection of a mid-tempo organism, which means it’s as electrifying as it is suffocating. All told, Pervertor is an awesomely dire showcase of rotting extremity, every bit as blasphemous, nauseating, and powerful as it appears to be.
I prefer to review albums the year they are released in order not to appear dated, but sometimes albums find their way to me the following calendar year. I respect the effort (and, in some cases, money) bands put into sending me their music for review, so the least I can do is give them some blog time. Here’s a quick run through some music that was released in 2011, because it’s never too late…
Black Rainbows Supermothafuzzalicious!!
HeavyPsychSounds Records
The title of Black Rainbows’ third full-length should be enough to break the handle right off yer crank, but in case you need extra convincing, this is some hot-as-the-sun Italian boogie doom from a power trio who are dwarfed only by the stacks through which they blast this dynamite rock. They sounded a lot like Kyuss on their 2007 debut Twilight in the Desert, but they’ve since molded their raw and green stoner sound into something heavier and bluesier, which means they now stomp and howl like a Small Stone band junked out on stardust and motor oil. Oh yeah.
Shooting Guns Born to Deal in Magic: 1952-1976
Self-Released
Instrumental psych-metal from Canada’s Shooting Guns, whose magic dealin’ dates should give you an indication of where they mined the fuzzy nuggets that fill this black sack ’cause the whole thing sounds like a 60s-fried stomp through a field of bear traps in foggy moonlight. Take the hairy doom of “Dopestrings” and “The Last Great Depression,” the acid drone of “Harmonic Steppenwolf” and “Liberator,” and the weird garage of “Public Taser” and “Stay Awake Forever” and you’ve got a debut full of toxic nocturnal emissions that’ll jangle your mind just right.
Listen to Born to Deal in Magic: 1952-1976 right here!
Re1ikt Reki prabili liod
Vigma/BMA
I don’t know how to pronounce the band’s name, nor do I know the translation to any of the song titles or lyrics, but what I do know about this Belarusian band is that they’ve put out a slew of releases since 2008 and their 2011 effort, Reki prabili liod (which I do happen to know means ‘rivers broke through the ice’), is a daunting and epic blend of post-rock and progressive metal with some folk influences mixed in (like their chilling cover of “Rana na Ivana,” a traditional Belarusian folk song). Reki prabili liod contains all the melodic darkness of a Swallow the Sun without any of the death, which I suppose will remind you of bands like Russian Circles or Red Sparowes. With an Eastern European twist, of course.
Check out the video for the song “Reki pad ildom” here!
When Italy’s leviathans of ambient doom, Ufomammut, set out to annihilate the collective consciousness of stoned freaks the world over, they do it in uncompromising and terrifying fashion. They’ve been doing it for five albums now, like a slick black snake swallowing you whole, and the band’s sixth release, Oro: Opus Primum, is every bit the spine-rattling nightmare you feared it would be. Much like the triumph that was 2010′s Eve, Oro: Opus Primum is a fluid five-part entity, but unlike Eve, this massive, pentagonal movement is but one half of the magical torment; such a colossally intimidating story couldn’t be left to exist on one release and so the band will follow up with Oro: Opus Alter in September. But for now, the suffocating intensity of Ufomammut’s reign on this one is enough to keep you awake for days, but when they creep out their thirty ton anti-riffs with cosmic effects and cryptic spoken word your nerves don’t stand a fucking chance. A band of Ufomammut’s magnificence also aims to destroy your visual cortex, which is why their collaborations with the Malleus art collective over the years have proved valuable in making a multidimensional impression, and so all of Oro will be given the eyeball treatment via an accompanying video version of the album. This is as about as dominant and powerful as it gets. And it’s only the first half.
Check out the video for “Empireum,” the first movement of Oro: Opus Primum!
Lord Mantis
Black Rainbows
Shooting Guns
Re1ikt
Ufomammut