Black Tribe – Martial Industrial Metal

When I put on Martial Industrial Metal for the first time, I immediately guessed the band was German – and I’m not talking about the accent. There’s something about the martial industrial aesthetic that’s inherently Nazi, no insult meant.

Black Tribe is a band which is interesting in its total lack of visual presentation or promotion. The only trace I could find of them is their Bandcamp, whose color-code is white. Just white. There’s nothing but dates to differentiate the releases, which can be an annoyance given the speed at which they come out. Seriously, there have been eleven of them in the past seven months, I can’t keep up with that (Note: They put out 2 records by the time I got around to writing this). While a lot of them are one-off songs, Black Tribe does have a couple of longer records, including Martial Industrial Metal.

Once you get past the two-song intro, Black Tribe shows you who they really are. It’s not the most abrasive album I’ve ever gotten into, and there’s some comfort to be found in the lo-fi rhythmic weirdness that is MIM. The title track is probably the best one on the record, with a doom feel to the riffs as well as that signature military-style beat marching on. The vocals are your average black/noise distorted screams, which always work well in conjunction with the fascist music pulsing behind.

The album includes a number of covers, including one of Charles Manson. Don’t roll your eyes just yet, there are no kitsch samples off of Youtube. Instead, you get to experience what Manson would sound like if he were to compose droning black metal dirges. As the album moves on, the music gets darker and darker, Niemandsland being the first to actually delve into uncomfortable territory. As a side note, isn’t that a cool name? Anyway, I am the God… ends the album with some of the best stress-inducing synths I’ve heard in a while. The guitars sound like they’re thigh-deep in a swamp, trudging their way towards the void.

Try it out, it’s weird and fun.

Giuseppe Fitzsimmons

Comments

Grime - Live

Grime Live – Oct. 2017 The air is heavy, the lights are dim, and the conversations skittle away, hiding in the corners as Grime takes to the stage. Eyes up and hair down, I knew we were in for something good. Grime, the italian sludge act, released their first album in 2013 on the well-known Mordgrimm records. They might be the best-named band I can think of – the unclean buzz of the strings and damp mix of instruments give off a filthy, pock-marked sound, the kind you'd hear from scraping a sewer floor. I didn't know of them until their 2015 record, Circle of Molesters, but they're the kind of band who can do no wrong. The first note hit, and the bass shook me in unholy ways. After staggering a few steps back, I looked up at the stage and saw some of the best lighting since Messuggah. A white backdrop, searchlight-style movement carving the silhouettes of Grime into my retina. Marco, lead guitar, was spectacular in his theatrics. Doubling over in rage and p...

Five the Hierophant – Over Phlegeton

Five the Hierophant – Over Phlegeton Dark Essence Records – 2017 There's a rare breed of album which instantly becomes a cult classic, and I can confidently say Over Phlegeton is one of them. Experimental, weird, bizarre, none of these words come close to describing just how extraordinary and interesting this record is. If I had to draw parallels with another band, I'd say it's a heavier, more mature version of Mamaleek, with many similar elements such as the ethnic percussions or non-traditional scales, but with a much darker visage and more detailed composition. There have been incredible avant-garde metal albums using unconventional instruments, but none have been so tactfully used as the saxophone is on Over Phlegeton. Played as a full instrument and not a token nod to some jazzy experimentation, Five the Hierophant explore the extremeties of what the sax can do – from screaming leads floating above the guitars to wailing voices in the wind, passing by hear...

Fleshpress – Hulluuden Muuri

Fleshpress Hulluuden Muuri – 2017 According to Mikko, Fleshpress is experimental psychedelic sludge doom. It's quite a mouthful, but it's surprisingly accurate. For some reason, I was expecting something much more traditional, à la modern popular sludge, but Hulluuden Muuri is nothing of the sort. The emphasis put on dissonance and weird synth additions gives it a whole new identity. Interesting rythms and strange structures float and collide, the music twisting to a chaotic beat, almost like a liquid. This might be Mikko's best display of musicianship so far, with tastefully written dissonance and angular riffs. While far from being Deathspell Omega-level insane riffage, Fleshpress remains an unconventional album. The drumwork is worth a quick note, as following whatever weird patterns cooked up on the strings has to be extremely challenging. There is no fear of long introductions, such as the one in Huluuden Viiltävä Lasipinta, which builds up a great ...

Undergrind Metal

Search This Blog