Metal Army caught up with experimental Black Metal Industrialists INVERTIA by email recently for an interview. Collaborators Dave and Tim discussed the making of their new album, the meaning of the band name, how the group works together, the current USBM scene and much more.
MA: Tell us about the making of your new album?
We recorded it at Tim’s studio, it took about a year to write & record it. It was easy. First we did the click track, then we did the guitar, then another guitar.
MA: What does “Invertia” mean?
The everyday struggle, putting up with it, people’s bullshit, subtext when they talk & stupid fucking opinions. More or less.
MA: What is “Oppressive Industrial Black Metal”, and what about mixing these two sub-genres together made you think it would work so well?
When Dave first heard GODFLESH he didn’t know what industrial was but he knew that was the type of music that he wanted to make. Tim was heavily influenced by early 80′s synth bands like HUMAN LEAGUE & DEVO, then later NINE INCH NAILS and MINISTRY, that’s where he was coming from. It makes sense that we both naturally arrived at Industrial Black Metal when we first began collaborating. After we finished, a friend called it oppressive so we used that.
MA: Your press notes refer to Dave as ‘Analog’ and Tim as ‘Digital’. What do these two designations actually mean and how do you typically write together?
When you listen to it, all of the analog sounds that you hear (AKA guitars & vocals) that’s Dave, and all of the keyboards, drums & samples are Tim. The writing process is fairly equal as we talk about what the song needs, what works & doesn’t work & how it should be arranged etc. Dave typically writes the lyrics once the song is completely recorded.
MA: Who or what are some of the bands’ top influences?
TONS of influences but here’s a few names: KILLING JOKE, MYSTICUM, later DODHEIMSGARD, ANAAL NATHRAKH, DARKTHRONE, THE RESIDENTS, BLACK SABBATH. GEORGE CARLIN & WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS influenced the lyrics. Also, The new Sonic Youth album is pretty good.
MA: I see that your album is available on Bandcamp for streaming and purchase. Do you think websites like Bandcamp hurt or help an independent artist share his music?
Share or Sell? It definitely helps an artist to share their music, selling music is a completely different story. That said, we love the exposure, we didn’t get into this for the money, its a total loss!
MA: Speaking mainly about the current USBM scene, why do you think there are so many unique and experimental bands right now?
The core of it, the Norwegian & Swedish bands, is over. So now, like any other genre, it’s going to progress. There’s true black metal, so why wouldn’t their also be untrue black metal? That’s what happens with music, it evolves and blends and a hybrid forms from it, and every once in a while something completely new comes from it, and a new genre is formed. That’s when a band will become influential & becomes like a family tree. That’s not us, but it happens. It’s evolution.
MA: Any plans for the band to play live or tour again?
The rise of USBM’s popularity the last few years comes in many shades of gray and black within the once tiny genre. The voice of creativity of coming from new bands, both underground and mainstream has been impressive to say the least. Of course, all of these developments may cause some “trues” to lose their shit, and scoff at such a notion that any deviation from the original harshness from the fjords of the hinterlands deserves a lambasting. Hailing from New England, INVERTIA doesn’t conform to what black metal should sound like. Rather, they have created a clever blend of contrasting styles that seem to work together, irregardless of what the hipster purists out their may think.
INVERTIA call themselves Oppressive Industrial Black Metal, and they are most certainly not fucking around. After the wash of discordant sounds that opens up “Facility of The Feeble”, your ears are assaulted with music that lives up to the lofty self-proclamation. Careening, angular guitar riffs are matched with a scowling gravely rasp and straight up blasting drums. The song is over the top in every way that is good, if you are a fan of this music. “All Systems Fail” comes next and sounds like the bastard child of GORGOROTH (old) and some of the better lo-fi jaunts AL JOURGENSON has taken us on for the last thirty odd years with his different groups. The chorus is one of the more grim, yet undeniably catchy ones I have heard in a long time. There is a definite current of industrial flavor throughout these tracks, but never so much that it obscures the honesty of the writing. The band is also capable of some great sonic detours in the form of musiq-concrete, effects and sound-scape type stuff that really works well in context. The band is led jointly by DAvE, responsible for the “aNaLoG” part of the sound and TiM, who manages the ‘DiGiTaL’ side. Tracks such as “A Glowing of Gray” and “Situation Manipulator” are the true synergy of these two elements. “Crimson” is my favorite track on this album and the riffs are just technically insane and rough sounding all at once. The guitar solo is brief, but outstanding too. “Embracing the Grim” has a really old school BM tone and urgency, but also a thread of modernity to it. As if BLAKE JUDD had never discovered psychedelia, or IHSAHN had forgotten he knew prog rock. “Beasts of Prey” is another strong track that almost has an old-school death metal feel to it, but then the chaos kicks in brings you back to the center of kvltness. Other top tracks are the harsh “Perpetual Alert”, and the trippy epic finale, “Blasphemy Be My Name”.
INVERTIA is definitely a band we’ll be keeping an eye on to see what they come up with next. You can buy their music from the band in many places, such as their Bandcamp page.
METAL ARMY is honored to unveil the full album stream of the mighty VREID‘s brand new album, Welcome Farewell, which doesn’t officially drop until next Tuesday 3/5/13. The fine people at Indie Recordings made this possible with some ritual magic added by our coven mates for eternity, EarsplitPR. Hailz!
Read the press notes below and jam this Black`N Roll masterpiece all weekend long. If you dig what you hear, you can pre-order the album here.
Welcome Farewell is the latest release from Norwegian black ‘n’ roll legion VREID. The follow-up to 2011’s Norwegian Grammy-nominated album V, which Decibel Magazine called, “…VREID’s finest hour,” was recorded at bassist Hváll’s own Studio 1184 and is set for North American release via Indie Recordings March 5, 2013.
Described by Metal Hammer UK as a “unique time-travel in metal,” commending their merge of ‘70s rock, ‘80s classic metal and Norwegian black metal, with the eight-track Welcome Farewell VREID again add a new twist to their already difficult-to-pinpoint sound. Comments Hváll of the new material, “It’s been a lot of work, but we are utterly pleased with the result. ‘Dark,’ ‘heavy’ and ‘VREID’ are the three keywords to describe it.”
VREID formed in 2004 following the demise of ‘’Sognametal” legends WINDIR. Some described their music as a fusion of WINDIR’s ambiance, the rawness of Norwegian black metal and the molten groove of SEPULTURA, METALLICA and MOTÖRHEAD blended with historically inspired lyrics. Their third and fourth offerings, I Krig and Milorg, were both concept albums based around the liberation work in Norway during World War II. Liberation was also the keyword on V, but put in a broader historical/philosophic perspective. The lyrics on Welcome Farewell describe a lifecycle through a series of short stories, seen from an existential point of view and, inspired by Hváll’s own local community with its nature, architecture and historical artists such as Arne Garborg and Otto Valstad, are more personal than ever before.
Metal Army caught up with the arbiters of some of the finest USBM music made today in PTHAIL. Coming from the scarred tundra of despair that is Indiana, our in depth discussion with D. Luathca & J. Mhághnuís focused on their recently released album The Almighty Propagator Of Doom And Despair (Wraith Productions). Also ruminated on was the bands approach to writing, how silly Black Metal logos are in general, live rituals and Satanic Gnosticism. You can connect with the band on Facebook and buy their new album from their label’s website.
METAL ARMY is honored to unveil the full album stream of the mighty VREID‘s brand new album, Welcome Farewell, which doesn’t officially drop until next Tuesday 3/5/13. The fine people at Indie Recordings made this possible with some ritual magic added by our coven mates for eternity, EarsplitPR. Hailz!
Read the press notes below and jam this Black`N Roll masterpiece all weekend long. If you dig what you hear, you can pre-order the album here.
Welcome Farewell is the latest release from Norwegian black ‘n’ roll legion VREID. The follow-up to 2011’s Norwegian Grammy-nominated album V, which Decibel Magazine called, “…VREID’s finest hour,” was recorded at bassist Hváll’s own Studio 1184 and is set for North American release via Indie Recordings March 5, 2013.
Described by Metal Hammer UK as a “unique time-travel in metal,” commending their merge of ‘70s rock, ‘80s classic metal and Norwegian black metal, with the eight-track Welcome Farewell VREID again add a new twist to their already difficult-to-pinpoint sound. Comments Hváll of the new material, “It’s been a lot of work, but we are utterly pleased with the result. ‘Dark,’ ‘heavy’ and ‘VREID’ are the three keywords to describe it.”
VREID formed in 2004 following the demise of ‘’Sognametal” legends WINDIR. Some described their music as a fusion of WINDIR’s ambiance, the rawness of Norwegian black metal and the molten groove of SEPULTURA, METALLICA and MOTÖRHEAD blended with historically inspired lyrics. Their third and fourth offerings, I Krig and Milorg, were both concept albums based around the liberation work in Norway during World War II. Liberation was also the keyword on V, but put in a broader historical/philosophic perspective. The lyrics on Welcome Farewell describe a lifecycle through a series of short stories, seen from an existential point of view and, inspired by Hváll’s own local community with its nature, architecture and historical artists such as Arne Garborg and Otto Valstad, are more personal than ever before.
Welcome to BLACK F#$@#%N FRIDAY!!! Today we celebrate all things black metal and black metal influenced! We’re gonna do some cool especially kvlt things all day today. So stick close to our blog, our Facebook and Twitterfor all manner of black happenings.
I haven’t seen that many dorks in forever. I really haven’t. Go to a Folk Metal show and count guys that look like fauns, it’ll really knock you out. I mean, damn. Lots of ugly mugs. Opening this heathen’s playground was Germany’s VARG, a pronouncedly anti-racist band, though I suspect this is only because a certain mister Vikerness shares a first name with them. They’re also anti-pedophile child fuckers, which is cool too.
VARG: Not stunt doubles for another famous band.
While they may be like TURISAS in that they all look like Darth Maul cosplayers with a Nordic touch, they’re a different beast musically. They are “brutal”, you see. They play an accessible form of Black Metal tinged with some Death Metal, no accordions to be found here. Of course, to further this warlike aesthetic, they asked the crowd where the Viking warriors are, because “dorks and nerds” would have gotten a slightly weaker turnout of enthusiasm. It wasn’t bad, but it could have used a bit more chunky heaviness, because in order to claim Viking status, you must be rapists, but only of grown-ups.
Long-awaited albums are usually not this good.
Up next was WINTERSUN, in a very TIME-ly fashion. Hah. I kill myself. Of course, you’d be quite let down if you had been wanking for years about a full dose of Time, only to find that it’s just one of two installments. Dirty Finns, always finding ways to fuck you over. It’s the same deal as NORTHER hiring a new front man just to die. Can’t win with the Finns.
So anyway, WINTERSUN’s set was fantastic, verging on bombastic. The band played new stuff that was massive, and oldies but goodies that have been bouncing around for nearly a decade, totalling up to less than 10 songs in all. It seemed so short at the time, since they’re well-crafted enough that you’re not checking your watch and considering buying a gun.
ELUVEITIE headlined this show, which was an unforseen complication on everyone’s part. ELUVEITIE have made a career of sounding like middle-era IN FLAMES swapped out techno/electronic fiddling in favour of real fiddling, a hurdy-gurdy, several flutes, and female voices. While certainly not an intrinsically bad idea (I do enjoy them and had a blast when they played in Worcester a couple years ago), it does have an expiration date, and I smell something sour. On this tour they played Helvetios in full, which explains why many of the songs sounded just like this. A few songs in I found myself praying for “Inis Mona” or “Of Fire, Wind, & Wisdom”. Anything to break the growing monotony that was setting in as a terminal disease of endless flute solos and Gothenburg riffing. It shouldn’t be an endurance round of “how many songs can we stomach that have the exact same jumpdafuckup riff”, but an actual musical journey, which is one that our Celtic friends have forsaken in place of some fancy shades. The real highlight was when members of VARG sans war paint came onstage, dived a few times, and had a few beers. I see they got more enjoyment out of goofing around than I did idly standing and realizing that ELUVEITIE has been doing the exact same thing since the demo days.
I suppose it can be blamed on the fact that I’m not as big into Folk Metal as I once was, which was not a great deal back then either. But the days are over where I would sperg out to KORPIKLAANI or get pumped about possibly seeing TYR. It’s a greasy horror show of bad teeth and bad hair. Maybe one day I can enjoy it again, but that will require getting smashed, so 6 more months until I dance ’round a campfire to SVARTSOT!
Local dudes BOG OF THE INFIDEL opened up this shindig, and they play Black Metal. I am unwilling to take pains to elaborate any further, so we shall move on. HOUR OF PENANCE play Death Metal of the sacrilegious variety, and are Italian, so I can talk about them more in depth.
HOUR OF PENANCE are one of those bands that I dig, but can’t see where all the massive hype comes from. Personally, I prefer their classier symphonic offshoot, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, but even their latest release has taken a dip in quality. HOUR OF PENANCE are good, but since I’m alone in not bristling with excitement at their mere existence, I can’t expect the same in a live setting. They were tight, heavy, and energetic, like their technical brand of Brutal Death Metal should be, so they fulfilled at least that base set of requirements.
HoP delivered as far as getting the crowd pumped up, but the crowd was playing shoulder-tackle tag, so clearly this isn’t my scene. I took the opportunity to perfect some of my dance moves of the non Hardcore variety, so there’s that for productivity. Up next were ex-Fetus toothgrinders MISERY INDEX, bringing the brutal in a more meaningful fashion.
Set list:
Sedition Through Scorn
Paradogma
Absence of Truth
Slavery in a Deaf Decay
Ascension
Decimate the Ancestry of the Only God
Misconception
Baltimore’s MISERY INDEX are angry, and it shows in their music, as well as the types of pits they get. One had to be on the lookout for the odd mosher that didn’t know that intentionally hurting others isn’t how it’s done, viz. a fridge-sized bastard in a CANNIBAL CORPSE tour shirt knocking everyone down, and a guy running around karate chopping to “Traitors” with no regard for those near him. To say nothing of the odd piggybackers going around punching people in the back of the head. Whatevs, I got free beer after.
MISERY INDEX may have had a crowd full of damn fools this time around as opposed to that time in New York, but the music was top-notch, as always. Blasturbating and smashing the patriarchy one anti-Capitalist//pro-Death hymn at a time.
Set list:
Sleeping Giants
The Carrion Call
The Great Depression
Ruling Class Cancelled
The Seventh Cavalry
Spectator
You Lose
The Illuminaught
Heirs to Thievery
Traitors
And now for the fun part: Ugly longhaired guys (some drunk) making a mess. CANNIBAL CORPSE themselves and their crowd did splendidly in equal measure. For this set I headbanged harder than I have in years, and my neck responded with “fuck you”. Even though I’ve seen them before (Summer Slaughter to be exact), I didn’t quite feel the power of simple barbaric Death Metal from so far away. Separated by a barrier and sweaty security guards, to say nothing of the actual distance from the stage, I enjoyed it, but I felt like it was missing something crucial. Now, The Met is a little dive-looking place in Pawtucket (a.k.a. Nowhere) Rhode Island with no barriers, no security to speak of, and the capability to touch band members’ dicks, if such is your game, baby. Being front row to headbang my medulla out just about blew Summer Slaughter’s performance into the forgotten regions of Cybertron. You haven’t lived till you run the risk of knocking head against headstock while seeing a band that’s so well known that everyone who’s anyone at least knows their name.
Indeed, CANNIBAL CORPSE keeps it simple, and they have been for many years, and we love them all the more for it. With song titles like “I Will Kill You”, “Born In A Casket”, “I Cum Blood”, and of course, “Hammer Smashed Face”, you can’t expect anything more than unfiltered audio gore to be blasted from the speakers into the expectant faces of all the moronic headbangers and moshers present.
Corpsegrinder. Nuff said.
When doubting the potential intensity of a bunch of screaming Death Metal fans hepped up on goofballs, just know that the Spaniard received a bloody nose during “Elbow Hammer Smashed Nose Face”. A fallen warrior he may be, but spare not your pity or tears, for he gave his nose to the cause of Death Metal-dom. Peace be with ye, fair prince. Even though this was two weeks ago I’m sure it still hurts.
It’s not often that I may be caught working this hard this fast interspersed with my normal amounts of procrastinating and slacking. However, I shall weather the storm and post daily until this decathlon of agony is complete, because you, reader, blew me once and I am extremely grateful. Ugh.
The Royale Nightclub’s website specifically states that formal dress is required, and yet they seem open to hosting Metal and Hardcore shows. I’m sure you’re aware they attract people that sometimes don’t bathe as well as the normal clientele, or at least dress in a manner that suggests this fact. The Royale should have no right to judge since its locale is so nondescript on the exterior that one would be forgiven for missing it entirely while looking right at it. Even I, who had seen it a month prior before THE GHOST INSIDE show was having a hard time believing this was indeed the place that pit warfare was set to occur. Located next to a grubby convenience store and boasting the outside of a hotel suffering from cognitive dissonance, surrounded by Hardcore kids, you’d be shocked to see the largely rose hues adorning the walls of the interior. Just goes to show one can’t judge by appearances, at least for buildings. Just assume someone’s dying in any building you set your sights on, basically.
The inside of the Royale is such that you’re almost made more eager to start smashing things once the riff gate opens. Fancy chairs for those who would rather stay unharmed, Patrón on the rocks, and the aforementioned pink lighting performing an unrestrained waltz of chromatic liberty with splashes of lavender. I had a most wonderful conversation with a security guard about being careful in Dorchester for a few minutes, since apparently I’d make an ideal target for roving packs of gangbangers, but this is common sense and he was wasting his time. I humoured him regardless. Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful, baldie.
Before I digress any further: this place was just ripe for the blood, sweat, and tears approach to Hardcore that CONVERGE brings. The type of Hardcore that openers WHIPS/CHAINS bring is lacking in that, however.
They have everything that I enjoy in bands like ALL PIGS MUST DIE, NAILS, and CURSED: sludgy production, riffs draped in unveiled malice fired from cannons of “fuck you”, vocals from the void, and pounding drums matched only by subterranean rumblings. Though they possess the skill and anger of the bands I just mentioned, something sounds out of place, and I just can’t get into it. Blame it on overexposure to bands that have done it before, and maybe I do indeed have no room left for another band that sounds like COALESCE swimming in an oil spill with members of BOLT THROWER. In the meantime, I’ll just leave it at the fact that they’re good, probably even great, but at the moment I’m not into it.
Following W/C were local hatemongers NEW LOWS, whose lyrics revolve around being mad and other negative things. Having not seen NEW LOWS since a matinee show some time ago, I was eager to see how they’re doing these days, and hoping that they’re still as pissed off as they were before. By Jove, they haven’t changed, and I love it. The crowd was luckily the type that either appreciated NEW LOWS or simply liked what they heard, so I didn’t have to feel like my going all-out for them would be seen as unnecessary roughness. This being the first time seeing NEW LOWS in such a large venue, it was almost bizarre having so much space within which to perform my normal drowning-in-air ministrations. No gimmicks, no hype, just piss.
Up next were everyone’s favourite Black’n’Rollers KVELERTAK, mainly because not many other bands make Black’n’Roll so fun. KVELERTAK hail from frøstbitten Nørway, though their musical output does much to warm the blood of audiences they play to. Having recently played Fun Fun Fun Fest with they’re showing no signs of quitting any time soon. From the ultra-energetic opener “Ulvetid”, to hymn-for-the-imbibed closer “Mjød”, not a single song let the energy die down. The mosh action was hilariously inappropriate for the band, though they are a mix of Black Metal er… Metal-ness and the driving rhythms of Hardcore and Punk, one wouldn’t expect two-stepping to rule the roost. Nonetheless, everyone seemed to be having a great time shouting along, crowdsurfing, and of course, spilling the beer they had bought merely minutes ago.
KVELERTAK: Black’n’Roll. Party Time. Excellent.
TORCHE: Not afraid to have fun.
Self-proclaimed “Stoner-Pop” band TORCHE arrived to cool things down, and I solemnly swear that I don’t think it’s funny that the name directly contradicts what they did. By the time they rolled around, the crowd had grown at least twice as large as it was during KVELERTAK, showing just how much pull they alone had for the evening. I even know a couple of people who would have gone mainly for Torche, if not only just for them. In their generous set time they showed off their Miami-brewed blend of the heaviness they take from Stoner/Sludge Metal while infused with the lighter harmonies of Indie leanings. Comparable acts are THE SWORD and RED FANG, though TORCHE is definitely the silliest of the three, and thus I like them best. The only issue I had with TORCHE this time around, having seen them before, was the vocals, since they weren’t as strong as I remembered them being. This was a small issue, since all of the other elements were in their prime: The guitars were heavy, the drums were on target, and the atmosphere was that just-right juxtaposition of having your head dunked in a bucket of syrup and taking a pleasant swim in clear water. On a completely unrelated note, I positively adored their DESCENDENTS rip-off tee of the “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up” album featuring baby Milo sporting a Jane Doe shirt, with the title “Torche Goes On Tour With Converge”. Had I a few extra bucks to spend, I would buy it at a high price.
Editor’s note: This is the best shirt of 2012
Set List:
Pirana
Kicking
Reverse Inverted
Grenades
Healer
Across the Shields
Charge of the Brown Recluse
Tarpit Carnivore
And now, for the pièce de résistance, the crème de la crème, and other French phrases one uses to express delight at the part of a meal one is most excited for: CONVERGE, the superheroes of Massachusetts Hardcore.
I weep for those who haven’t bought this album yet.
I’ve known about CONVERGE since I was 13 years old, having heard their song “Last Light” on an Epitaph compilation CD. Being musically stupid at the time and thinking that LINKIN PARK were THE rock band to listen to, I absolutely hated it. I hated the vocals, the production, the song structure, everything. It was one of my least liked songs on that compilation next to “Forever Young” by YOUTH GROUP. It took me about 4-5 years to grow up and realize the error of my ways, and “Last Light” began to grow on me. The dynamics of balancing vulnerable emotion and chaotic rage finally struck a chord within me, and I just got it. After listening to Jane Doe and No Heroes, I was swayed to the side of good. It’s a shame it took ages for the real message to stick, but better late than never.
So fast forward to 2012, and there I was greatly fearing injury, yet at the same time accepting that it was quite inevitable. My prediction, as some of you may know, came true; My worries were made manifest as an elbow to the left eye and nose, and the lesser torments of repeated kicks to the skull from stagedivers, though fear not, any damage incurred has been repaired… or has it? I still worry whenever I make slips of the tongue that were more easily avoided prior to this experience. And yes, dear reader, I was, in the parlance of our times, “knocked the fuck out”, and I must say that the quick nap I took due to the sheer dizziness of that attack gave me the strength I needed to stagedive for “The Broken Vow”. The “dive to prove I’m alive” manœuver, as it was so cleverly termed by a Spaniard, proved quite effective.
CONVERGE: We are too scared of them to make a witty comment.
It was a phenomenal set. They played a lot of greats, opening with “Concubine” and “Dark Horse” just to get the audience churning themselves into a mass of flannel, flesh, and hatred. It was no-mans land in the middle of that pit, and even the outermost perimeter did not by any means make one safe from flying limbs. Jacob Bannon kept the people energized by reminding us just how crazy Boston can get even if we are past those golden years of Hardcore, throwing out the names of COLIN OF ARABIA, and some others I forgot because I took many blows to the head, remember. The Metalheads, Punks, and Hardcore kids of Boston may be divided on the surface, but it takes a great band like CONVERGE to bring them all together.
It’s all a whirlwind of fists, loud noises, and bloodshed. I’m sure I accidentally punched someone in the face, and to you, I apologize. It was all in the spirit of the moment, and if you weren’t committing some violent act or on the receiving end of one, then you probably wasted your time and money going. Some gladly kept the action going even when the music had stopped, and JACOB (BANNON) insisted that if you happened to be caught onstage not stagediving, waiting for the next song, then you were probably not using your time wisely. Of course, he said it in a more imperative fashion, but that’s just my spin on it, you see.
CONVERGE is headlining what might be called the best show of 2013…
I’m beginning to ramble, but that’s what happens when I love a show so much that I can scarcely put into factual terms just how monumental it was. CONVERGE’s homecoming was a magnificent dithyramb of naked fury, and no amount of hyperbole will surpass what everyone in that room felt that night during that final dissonant breakdown of “Last Light”. I don’t know about you, but there was no sound in the heavens sweeter than that disfigured chord at the time, and I shall admit that I shed some manly tears, thus causing lions made of dragons to be born from exploding stars. When they announced they were encoring with “The Saddest Day”, it was quite unwise to be near the stage for those 7 minutes, as you ran the risk of having your head dropkicked off by some errant punk. Practicing caution and raising my arm at key moments was instrumental to my being alive to relay this tale to you, reader, so always wear a dental dam at a CONVERGE show.
In the aftermath, it was discovered that there were no casualties, though few who actively participated came out without some form of soreness or bleeding. I made it out with a not-too-noticeable lump on the bridge of my nose. One person completely missed the crowd during a stagedive, and the floor shook a bit from his landing on his back, so I’d hate to be that guy waking up for work or school the next day. No pain, no gain, you’re DAVE MUSTAINE. Next time CONVERGE roll around, which is hopefully soon, if they’re indeed gonna be getting back to their normal lives in the illest colonial city of them all, I’ll make sure I get legitimately banged up. In the meantime, I must procrastinate and forget to do things, as usual. Ciao, bella.
All the way from France, with their fourth release, H.N.P. or “Heic Noenum Pax” courtesy of TREPALIUM, which is also a pretty nasty torture device. The cover art by HICHAM HADDAJI kicks ass, but sadly this album is not as bad ass as the cover. If the goal was to cover as many bases as possible, mission accomplished! Everyone involved in this album are good players, I have no problem with that it’s just what they’re playing, I get the feeling I’ve heard it all before. They’re a Heavy-Groove band with a little Prog thrown in to make it more interesting. Then there are parts when they sound like a weird MESHUGGAH, STONE SOUR, PANTERA mash-up.
The vocals of Keke remind me of DEZ FAFARA of DEVILDRIVER and GARY MESKIL of PRO-PAIN. The guitar players, Nicolas Amosse and Hurun Demiraslan are good, but when it’s solo time they show they went to FREDRICK THORDENDAL (MESHUGGAH) school of guitar soloing. The rhythm section is doing their job well and there is good use of keyboards too. The only problem I found is the lack of cohesiveness in the songs. Everything sounds all over the place. It’s like an old mix tape in the styles these guys cover.
Everything’s pretty standard and mid-tempo grooving hard rock tunes. It’s a good clear production. Maybe too clean. The first, and title song is not a bad opener. It has some good Prog elements in there. Then out of nowhere comes “Let the Clown Rise”, blast beats and all the death metal nuggets you’d expect, but it just sounds out of place. There is a nice full on instrumentation with “Raining Past” and it’s not too long either. They end the album with a pretty solid cover of “I’m Broken” by the mighty PANTERA. It’s always nice to hear something besides “Walk” covered. Overall, it just sounds like too many other things and not one solid voice. I get what they were trying to do and hopefully next time they’ll hit it on the nose.
