If I hadn’t known before listening to "Dead as Dreams" that Weakling was from California, I’d never have guessed it. Sounding like it was birthed in vats of bile deep in a Norwegian forest, this is black metal at its harrowing best -- rewarding to listen to up close but just fine to put on in the background while you’re reading or performing an exorcism or something. It’s like a disgusting, chaotic Tortoise in that respect. I put it on while finishing up The Hunger Games (it was decent, essentially a North American re-telling of Battle Royale with a lot of clunky writing and deus ex machina but enough suspense to keep the pages turning), and it seemed wildly appropriate.
The vocals are both awful and amazing -- wordless shrieks and howls of despair and desperation; they avoid the comical demonic trappings of most Norwegian black metal (which I love, absurdity and all) and hit way deeper in the gut. The recording is a spot-on blend of layered clarity and old-school lo-fi blackness, with traditionally treble-y guitars that chunk when they need to chunk and soar when they need to soar. When they’re not tremolo-picking out atmospheric vistas, they’re hammering out brutal, chugging riffs. The drums are perfect -- the lack of triggers and ProTools suits the atmosphere beautifully. There's a person back there, banging his heart out on the poor skins.
Any of the songs on this record could be the best song this week, but the reason I picked “Disasters in the Sun” is the guitar solo that hits at 1:34 of the part 2 video here. It’s the sound of a wounded wookiee bellowing his final bellow, atonal and moaning, transcending “guitar tone” and just being a sound that exists in a perfect and horrible state. This ain't for everyone, but for those who will listen it's stunning.
The vocals are both awful and amazing -- wordless shrieks and howls of despair and desperation; they avoid the comical demonic trappings of most Norwegian black metal (which I love, absurdity and all) and hit way deeper in the gut. The recording is a spot-on blend of layered clarity and old-school lo-fi blackness, with traditionally treble-y guitars that chunk when they need to chunk and soar when they need to soar. When they’re not tremolo-picking out atmospheric vistas, they’re hammering out brutal, chugging riffs. The drums are perfect -- the lack of triggers and ProTools suits the atmosphere beautifully. There's a person back there, banging his heart out on the poor skins.
Any of the songs on this record could be the best song this week, but the reason I picked “Disasters in the Sun” is the guitar solo that hits at 1:34 of the part 2 video here. It’s the sound of a wounded wookiee bellowing his final bellow, atonal and moaning, transcending “guitar tone” and just being a sound that exists in a perfect and horrible state. This ain't for everyone, but for those who will listen it's stunning.
If you type "'Disasters in the Sun' is the greatest metal song ever recorded" thinking someone else must think something along these lines, you end up here.
ReplyDeleteGlad someone else thinks the same, even if it was for only a week. ;)