Malveillance "Le froid du nord" 2005 (demo)

Huvitav, kas see, et "Le froid du nord" on kasseti peal tähendab mingit helikandja fetishismi. Ei tahaks uskuda, et tänapäeval oleks lihtsam või odavam seda formaati CD-Rile eelistada.

Malveillance on Prantsuse ühemehebänd, mis teeb kiiret ja vihast aga eelkõige lausa pretensioonikalt lihtsat blackmetalit. Kassett kestab 20 minutit, lood on keskmiselt kaheminutilised ja üksteisest minimaalselt erinevad. Lugude vahel pause ka peaaegu pole ja nii jääb lõpuks mulje, et kõlas ainult üks lugu. Hoiak on väga pungilik - sitaks vihane ja tüdinenud, tahaks ainult molli anda kõigile. Eelmise aasta albumi nimi näiteks ongi "Just fuck off". Kitarrimäng on ka üsna tihti HC pungi moodi.

Parim selle demo puhul on algusest lõpuni kestev ladus spontaanne energia. Ja see järjepidev tuim lihtsus - suurepärane vahend väljendamaks pimestatud põlgust elu ja ilu vastu. Vahetu ühe hingetõmbega tehtud asi. Meenub taas heldimusega Darkthrone'i "Transilvanian hunger". Aga Malveillance on nagu tollase Darkthrone'i järglane, mis on pika mutatsiooniahela käigus kaotanud igasuguse väärikuse. See pole ka päris see grotsekini liialduv vulgaarsus, mida valdab osavalt Nattefrost. Pigem nagu pime kindlameelne sõgedus.

Punki panevad üsna mitmed garaazhi blackmetali bändid - Bone Awl näiteks. Viimasega sarnaselt ei paista Malveillance samuti hoolivat corpsepaintist ja randmerihmadest.

Aga lõplik otsus, et tegu on siiski märkimisväärse nähtusega saabus siis, kui tabasin, et üks lugu algab kassetil täpselt samamoodi nagu eelmise loo lõpp. No kuidas annaks veel paremini kuulutada oma täielikku ükskõiksust loomingulise kreatiivsuse suhtes?! Kaasakiskuv rütm kuskil ühes teises loos tundus selle kõrval juba põhjendamatu kuulajasõbralikkusena.

P.S. Üks päev keegi küsis mult midagi ühemehebändide kohta. Ikka nende PÄRIS ühemehebändide, nagu Bob Log III või nagu nad vahest tänavatel esinevad. Hiljem mõtlesin, et pole vist teist sellist rokizhanri, kus oleks nii palju ühemehebände kui blackmetalis. Millegipärast pole neist aga ükski selline, kes suudaks ja tahaks ka üksinda esineda. Aga võiks ju. Mina läheksin igal juhul sellisele kontserdile.

Musta Leegioni kurjad lilled

Moevöt'ist tahtsin juba ammu kirjutada. Vahepeal aga leidsin ühe väga sarnase tegija veel, mis tähendab, et selles peatükis siis nö. kaks ühe hinnaga.

Niisiis, Moevöt (õieti on e tähe peal ka täpid, aga ma ei viitsinud seda tähemärki otsima hakata) ja Amaka Hahina. Mõlemad Prantsusmaalt ja mõlemad nüüdseks muusikalise tegevuse lõpetanud. Kumbki neist ei teinud otseselt blackmetalit, küll aga on nad tihedalt skenega seotud. Enamasti on neid liigitatud kui black ambient artiste, kuid minu jaoks on see eksitav, sest tekivad paralleelid sünge elektroonilise muusikaga a'la Brighter Death Now või Lustmord, mis on aga täiesti vale lähtepunkt. Midagi elektroonilist selles tähenduses Moevöt'i ja Amaka hahina muusikast ei leia. Elektroonikal, st. helimanipulatsioonil on siin oma kindel koht küll, aga see on niisugune elektroonika nagu vanal space age ajastul. Näiteks Ruth White'i salapärane 1969ndast aastast pärinev plaat "Flowers of evil" on sobivaim võrdlus, mis mul hetkel pähe tuleb. Muidugi on see juhuslik kokkusattumus (kuid atmosfäär on tõesti hämmastavalt ühine), mis on rajatud põhiliselt mõlemi väga lo-fi saundidele, mis on iseloomulikud nii blackmetali kui ka autsaiderliku space age'i puhul.

Moevöti põhiliige Vordb Dreagvor Uezeerb osales ligi kümnes prantsuse blackmetal bändis, mis kuulusid sealsesse BM koolkonda Les Legiones Noires. Ühegi ametliku plaadini ta ei jõudnudki - tema looming on originaalis saadaval vaid mõnesajalises tiraazhis demokassettide kujul, mida ilmus ajavahemikul 1993-1995 kaksteist tükki. Space age'i mainides tahtsin öelda, et kõlaliselt on Moevöt midagi üpris unikaalset. Veel seoseid - Prantsuse shansooni traditsioon. "The coma tapes" demo, mis koosneb paarikümnest u. pooleminutisest fragmendist, on nagu ehtne keskaja trubaduuriballaad. Ähmane side on ka varajase Catherine Ribeiro hämara ja metsiku folgitõlgendusega. "Voekreb" demol on jällegi teistsugune Derek Bailey "Ballaadide" stiilis atonaalne juhusliku pillinäppimise moodi lähenemine. Need ootamatud seosed panevad fantaasia tööle ja loovad täiesti uskumatult võimsa atmosfääri. Ma ei suudagi ette kujutada kuidas oleks võimalik veel usutavamalt niisugust õudusromantikat edastada. Filmidest meenuvad arhetüüpsed traagilise saatusega ja kogu maailmaga pahuksis monstrumid, nagu Frankensteini koll ja Dracula. Kunstis ehk Vrubeli deemonid. Eks temaatika on nagu ikka tuttav okultism, aga samas on siin vabalt ruumi igasugusele tõlgendusele. Habras ja üliemotsionaalne kõla mõjub kuidagi ehmatavalt intiimselt - mingi kõhedust tekitav ettekujutus ebamaisest agooniast ja õnnetusest.

Moevöti ja Amaka Hahina põhiline erinevus on ainult selles, et esimese helimaastik on palju mitmekülgsem. Kuigi enamasti ainult ühte korraga, kasutab Moevöt igasuguseid erinevaid pille. On akustilist kitarri ja klaverit, tshello ja mingi vana tuhmikõlaline süntesaator või orel. Osad palad on isegi ainult vokaalile seatud. Amaka Hahinal on ainult üks vana orel, kuid see eest on rohkem tähelepanu pidevalt kostvatel tontlikel häälitsustel. Ja midagi on tema muusikas rohkem rituaalset - see võiks olla National Geographicu fieldrecording keskaja nõiasabatilt.

Amaka Hahina, kes levitas selle sajandi alguses samuti demosid, jõudis 2002 aastal siiski ühe ametliku kauamängiva ka avaldada. Nimeks "Aheah Saergathan!"

Aah, alles nüüd tuli meelde! Ämbientil ja blackmetalil on ju juba tükk aega ühiseid tegijaid. Olen kuulnud et Ameerika bändi Absu vist enamustel liikmetel on mingi oma rituaalse ämbiendi (või no ütleme otse - new age'i) projekt ja kõige kohutavam on see infantiilsus, mida Mortiis kunagi tegi. Õnnetuks teeb, kui sellised asjad ja Moevöt ühte patta satuvad. Viimane vääriks kui juba, siis pigem kammermuusika alla liigitamist.

Moevöt @ MySpace

http://mp3-madness.us/amaka-hahina/art7285/

Agathothodion "Traum von gott" 2006 (USA)

Ja hakkab pihta-

Tagasihoidlikud entusiastid, kes madalat profiili hoides, kuid südamega oma asja ajavad on ju üldiselt sümpaatsed. Gud Er Sannhet Records (GES) on siinkohal ehe näide. Koduleht tunnistab häbenemata, et levitatavad plaadid on cd-r'id, paljundatud ühevärviliste ümbristega, õhukestes karpides (väiksemad postikulud) ja tiraazhid ulatuvad keskmiselt mõnekümneni.

GES'i alla kuulub hetkel kümmekond bändi, mis esindavad kõik äärmuslikku kristlikku metalit. Seega ei ole ühemehebänd Agathothodion mitte blackmetal, vaid unblackmetal. Mõnele võib ehk tunduda naeruväärne, kuid selline stiilinimetus on tõepoolest kasutusel. Kristlik metal pole ju midagi uut ja tuntuima kristliku blackmetali plaadi ilmumisest on ka juba üle kümne aasta möödas. Selle sama plaadi, ehk siis Horde "Hellig usvart"i (tõlkes "Holy unblack") järgi ka stiili nimi. Ja üldse - kuigi esmapilgul absurdne, pole siin tegelikult midagi loomuvastast. Kes veel pole endale selgeks teinud, siis peaks teadma et blackmetal (nagu ka grind, brutal death, power electronica jne.) on osa transgression art'ist, mille alus pole loomulikult mitte satanism ega nihilism, vaid teatud esteetika ja moraali piiride ületamine ja seeläbi meelte värskendamine.

Agathothodioni muusika on see, mida mina nimetan shoegaze blackmetaliks (ka Velvet Cacoon ja Striborg näiteks). Paljud shoegaze'i tunnused saab siia igaljuhul ilma pikemalt mõtlemata üle kanda. Taotluslik monotoonsus, pikad (antud juhul isegi üle veerandtunnised) lood, kus vähe erinevaid noote, mida seevastu kompenseerivad massiivsed kitarriefektid, eelkõige kaja ja feedback. Tahaplaanile lükatud või mõnel muul moel introvertsust väljendav vokaal...Vokaal kusjuures on Agathothodionil huvitav. Blacki ja deathi häältega on ju nii, et kuna nad ei vasta tavapärastele inimhääle võimetele, siis eelkõige käib mäng hääletämbri ümber. Agathothodioni häälitsemine on mõnevõrra erinev, sest kraaksumise asemel siin pigem ulutakse. Ja kui näiteks varese kraaksumises on raske mingit konkreetset helikõrgust tabada, siis ulguvate loomahäälte puhul see nii pole. Ja nagu loomade või shoegaze bändide puhul ikka - midagi keerulist siin ei toimu. Kõik käib vaid mõne noodi piires aga see eest väga emotsionaalselt. Monotoonses mõttes emotsionaalselt. Külmetab seal lumehanges üks äärmiselt masendunud halvavas tegevusetuses vaevlev koll ja lihtsalt ulub. Täitsa shokiseisundis noh, kus ei saa enam arugi et valus või paha oleks. Olen mõned korrad kodus oma eluvõõrast kassi kiusanud nii, et ajan ta trepikotta ja panen siis kiiresti ukse kinni. Siis ta ulub ka niimoodi. Selline vokaal on Agathothodionil.

Erinevalt enamusest metali plaatidest olen võimeline Agathothodioni "Traum von gott"i kuulama kas või mitu korda järjest. vabalt näiteks koduste toimetuste taustaks. Asi mida siin pole on see kuulaja energiat sööv ...hmm, ma ei teagi mis täpselt, aga ütleme samasugune toores ennastunustav pealetükkivus nagu näiteks John Watersi filmitegelastel. Atraktiivsed friigid küll, aga kaua ei suuda nende provotseerivat karglemist taluda. Teiseks - kuigi on tegu depressiivse muusikaga, siis siin on masendusel hoopis teine varjund. Kuidagi argine ja arusaadav. Ei ole lääget piinlikku ilutsemist/koletsemist, mingit kahtlast eksirännakut folgi või Heiki Mätliku teemade otsingul ka pole. Album on väga pikk, kuid üldsegi mitte vaheldusrikas, mis on siin puhas voorus. Kitarrikäigud on just sellised, et ei hakka liigse meeldejäävusega kummitama. Muusika lihtsalt kulgeb ühtlases tempos ja viib mõne aja mõõdudes transsi.

Seda veel, et lausa karjuvalt kole ja oskamatu kujundustöö on bändil (aga ma pole kindel kas see ongi halb asi, kui ta tegelikult ju ainult rõhutab autsaiderlikku olemust). Plaadiümbrisel on mingi arusaamatu mustvalge udune foto - kuskilt pimedast põõsast sirutub käsi välja (iseenesest leidlik kujund ju), aga see foto on pööratud negatiivi (et palju valget oleks)!!! Ja pooleldi üle selle heleda säbru sirutub kõige väärakam logo väärakate metalbändilogode arhiivis. Loetamatud logod on ekstreemses metalmuusikas ju vana nali aga vähemalt saab seda võtta kui mingit okseplärakate ja harakapesade salakeelt.

Agathothodion - Myspace
God bless you!

Uus algus

Vahepeal on postitustega üle aastane paus olnud (imestan isegi, et tahan nüüd uuesti jätkata. Eks näis kui kauaks). Sattusin lihtsalt hiljuti jälle sobivale lainele. Teema endiselt sama - outsider black metal, aga nüüd nagu näha eesti keeles. Ja mp-3sid, mida ma varem sain ainult nädalaks ajaks üles riputada enam ei ole. Ei viitsi sellega tegeleda.

If Dead Moon were devilworshippers

Heretic - I bring chaos (mp3)
Flaming hellfire! Heretic is a duo from Netherlands and they make totally possessed black garage rock! The most evil rock'n'roll I've ever heard. As Dead Moon with the narrowminded murderous hatred of Nattefrost playing early Venom. I wonder how would the fans of dirty psychobilly (as The Mummies, for example) accept it. Probably too much to take. I have heard only few that type of bands (Coldness from Portugal has a bit similar sound and old school twist, but there are probably much more of them than I can expect), the only one I can compare it with is Japanese black thrash legend Abigail. But Heretic is way down on much more primitive level. It's so sincerely primitive, that it becomes almost grotesque. As those medieval woodcuts, where devils are drawn with heads lurking between their legs and such.
So, what is it, that makes Heretic so powerful for me?
Firstly, they have this special prehistoric old school essence. I mean, it's not that Darkthrone or Viking Crown type of oldschool. Ignoring all the influences of thrash, death or grind, it goes somewhere deep down to the point of The Stooges.
Secondly, the sound is raw as hell! As told before, the music itself ins't some kind of hyperfast extremity, it's as easily followable as AC/DC, but the sound - it makes the ears bleed. It reminds the old days, when provincial beat bands couldm't afford to buy real electric guitars and they had to build ones themself. The most monstrous part is the vocal. The vocalist doesn't scream, it's more like talking with a bad throat, but it's soooooooo loud, compared to other instruments. It sounds like a chant of some giant hellbastard.

Messenger of unearthly horror

Emit - Cold fire (mp3)
Interview
I have had really controversial oppinions about this one-man-band of Unknown I from UK. First thing I heard was Emit's 2005 album "A sword of death for the prince". I got quite a negative impression about it. But that was a mistake - I had not heard the previous releases. It's not that Emit has changed much during the time, his music has been uncompromising black noise from the beginning, but the demos seem to be somehow more interesting from my point of view.
I will post two reviews about this, the first is written after listening "A sword of death..." album, and the second is written when I had heard most of the previous material also.
No. 1
Emit is pure black-noise. This is total deconstruction of everything that is worth listening in music. "A sword of death for the prince" is a full length album with a number of free improvised "songs", but it's almost impossible to take it as a piece of music. When I got this album I was able to listen only two tracks maximum. One minute of it can be fun - like a shock therapy. But there just is nothing to listen to. The operatic vocal sample in the beginning of the first track is the only interesting thing worth mentioning during the whole album. I enjoy dirty sounds a lot, but this is like some idiot masturbating with distorted guitar. Playing an instrument with absolutely no idea about rhythm or melody and having nothing to say. But still playing and playing and playing.... . It's BORING beyond human understanding. But I don't know, maybe people who can enjoy serialism and Luciano Berio find it interesting.
On the other hand I think that it's really great achievement. I take black-noise as a very manipulative form of music. It's not about telling a story with concrete words and putting it into musical arrangement as in pop or rock . Like in improvised music, it's about finding a musical expression to all kind of feelings and experiences (all kind of negative feelings, that is). Improvised music is good when it can create those visions in the mind of the listener. Obviously black-noise is ment to be the most evil and nihilistic form of music. It's not that Hannibal Lecter's evil genius stuff (although, if you have a really high IQ and you happen to love this music, may be it'll take you there), it's like pointless evilness with no excuse on the gut level of primitive mind. Emit makes me almost angry with being such a disturbing nonsense. It just sucks your brain out and leaves you catatonically staring at the time counter on the CD player : when will this torture end? I think that's the exact meaning of it. And what about that name? I wish it would mean just TIME backwards. Why not make things even better by adding a dose of absurd mysticism (I'm just too excited about my kaos magik theory here).
No.2
Contrary to first impression, I have to say that Emit's music is actually deep and sensitive. When I have settled down and realized, that there's no point in expecting groovy riffs and catchy themes, that there is almost no connection with black metal as a form of rock music, the picture slowly starts to fold out. With that type of music, it's impossible not to see the influences of Abruptum, but Emit seems to be much more mature. You see, there are no drums, which are sort of rudimentary thing (drums add immediately that rock music connection) and the guitar has dirty blackmetal sound, but there are never riffs played - only dissonant "melodies" played on open strings. "The sword..." album left me very monotonous impression, but as in this track from "The dark gods", there are a lot of things happening on demos. Obscure sound collages, acoustic guitar parts, church organ, chanting voices, morbid moans. It's the ugliest guitar torture of Abruptum with the disturbed haunting atmosphere of Moevot (I'll be writing soon about this extraordinary french phenomenon).
The music is so full of mysticism, that it never let's you understand the whole meaning. Or you can use it just as a soundtrack for your personal horror fantasies. For some inspiration, look at the picture above the article - that's so called Belmez face.This and some other similar images are appearing on the cement floor of some old house in Andalusia since the beginning of the seventies. I find it one of the creepiest real life haunting tales. And this picture is also on the cover of one of Emit's demos.
Some of the song titles give a clue, as if there were a story behind the music ("Behind the manor house, amongst the weeds", "A lunatic hermit dies in his woodland home"), but there are no explanations given.

Eclectic world of Tjolgtjar

Tjolgtjar - The first key Belphegor (mp3)
Tjolgtjar - Caroline & Sue (mp3)
Tjolgtjar on MySpace
And here, next to Blood Cult, is another black metal oddity from Illinois. Tjolgtjar - one-man-band of The Reverend, who has also participated in Blood Cult, Enbilulugugal, Raw Hatred (review coming soon) and some other fine examples of American evil freakscene.
My first encounter with Tjolgtjar was a song with probably the most demented intro in BM history. It was that famous Wagner melody, I guess it's from "Valkyries", you know, that one which sounds like a battle tune. But no, it was not an orchestra version. It was a stupid monophonic Nintendo computer game version. That's shows perfectly how eclectic things might get with Tjolgtjar.
Now, don't let this misguide you. Tjolgtjar is not some black metal clown. At least that's not the main thing. He is seriously talking about his personal Tjolgtjarian religion. I'm not into occultism, not in this level anyway, so for me it's a little disappointing, when I find out, that here's another new age prophet, this time preaching about Vruguum, Skuulkuun etc. But that doesn't matter, because the music is inventive and fresh.
When I listened to Mercyful Fate track, next to Mayhem and Sarcofago on the great old school black metal compilation made by Fenriz, I was quite surprised. Of course, King Diamond is like a trademark for occultism in metal, but the music itself is very far from what I consider to be genuine BM. I have had even unpleasant thoughts, that bands like Cradle Of Filth and Dimmu Borgir are the unwanted bastard children of Mercyful Fate.
And then came Tjolgtjar, who resurrected that eighties infernal speedmetal with his own nice homerecording feeling. Until that I never really saw any connection, but now it all makes sense. He uses those same falsetto chorus vocals and groovy complexed riffs, all kind of wah-pedals and stuff, but the sound is dirty, so it doesn't sound as some kitschy sterile black pop. And that's only one part in the caleidoscopic music of Tjolgtjar.
Tjolgtjar has released split album with Blood Cult, which consists only covers. I don't know why, but I have always liked all kind of strange cover versions. This one here, "Caroline & Sue" of G.G. Allin is one of the coolest black metal coversongs I've heard. After all, as another great American patriot, he has said that he is dreaming about having a live show with Hank Williams Jr. And as it always is with Tjolgtjar - things have to groove and rock. Because there's one thing that you should not expect from Tjolgtjar - it's suicidal depressive whining.

Redneck black metal

Blood Cult - Goatriders in the sky (mp3)
Blood Cult on MySpace
Next to sinister occultism and devil worshiping very popular topics in black metal are grim places which refer to the pagan roots of those mighty bands. For scandinavians it's easy - they had vikings and they have bad weather. But most of the european bands have something to tell about their barbaric ancestors and it sort of antichritian thing, because most of those ancestors had to fight with christian conquerors. As far as this is not a 3rd grade history lesson here, I'm not planning to go too deep on this issue. Anyway, my point is, that America, as a New World doesn't fit in this picture. There ain't much American BM groups who are real patriots of their country. At least they don't want to mention it.
Then again, Blood Cult, an Illinoisian trio declare on their website, that they play redneck black metal. This means that they are proud of being true rough smalltown truckdriving-beerdrinking dudes, who are not messing with corpsepaint and other questionable artifacts of black metal. Instead they wear common local uniform - cowboy hats and boots.
Blood Cult has existed more than a decade and in this time they have released over dozens of demos, splits and D.I.Y albums, but only one official full length. So, it means that all these years they have kept their obscure underground fame. The music is raw and has a lot of rock twist with fiery guitars playing unison solos and stuff like that. It doesn't go as far as being Monster Magnet black metal, but a little maybe like dirty garage BM with a touch of early Xysma. But it isn't some weird satanic hippie metal. They are too genuine narrowminded rednecks for that. More like Venom or Motörhead played in the vein of Profanatica.

Possessed children in the middle of hurricane

Wold - Lug-dunum (mp3)
This band is as strange as their logo. Wold is a trio from Canada. I have their full length "L.O.T.M.P." and it's quite hard to take the music on it as songs. These are more like sound patterns or simple themes, which can become songs if there would be some progression. But it's all about repeating one motif again and again for five minutes. It consists various entwining synthesizer lines, a lot of distorted noise which may be bass guitar, constant guitar solo catharsis, fast droning artificial computer rhythm and some typical shrieking thrown on top of it. The music sounds like this - it's fullmoon, a secret sect of evil possessed children are performing a voodoo ritual in their backyard treehouse with strange hypnotic music played on tiny Casio synthesizers. And the quality is of a fieldrecording made in the middle of a hurricane. When compared with other bands, it would be the spaced out sound of Striborg or the most tortured shoegaze noise of My Bloody Valentine mixed with the absurdic strangeness of Bakbakwalanooksiwae. Wold is a very intensive psychedelic mass with freaky cosmic atmosphere. And it isn't so aggressive in a typical way. It's too autistic for that. Wold has some sort of ideological background. When it comes to all kind of abstract philosophical theories, I know about it as much as I know about sports. In university I used to get headache during all the lectures about Heidegger and such. But it's part of the whole weird Wold picture - weird music, weird logo, weird pseudonyms (Fortress Crookedjaw) and weird conception.