Releases that range from okay to magnificent (at least to our ears).

by Roberto Mendez

White Ward - Debemur Morti

Out of this new wave of bands that have no qualms about fusing black metal with elements from other genres, one that stands out for its mix of blackgaze with soft and melodic jazz is White Ward. The sound of this short EP can be considered a considerable advance from their previous effort, Love Exchange Failure.

After a very well developed intro, the first piece lets loose with unprecedented fury, filling the entire sound spectrum in the pure style of the best modern black metal bands such as Deathspell Omega, to later give way to backing vocals with clean voices and an alternative metal vibe, ending with a series of samples seemingly taken from old tapes.

The second theme begins with an extended section of that smooth, dark jazz the band is now known for, while the main voice is carried by the saxophone, giving way to the band's signature slow cadence. The band closes unleashing their black metal fury again, ending with a soft wind after a melody emitted from a celesta, as if signing the manifesto of a genre that is here to stay, and apparently will remain giving us something to talk about for quite a long time.

Black Blasphemy - Eternal Moon

Through this reissue of their debut EP, the Tijuana black metal outfit put themselves back on the map with the intention of generating momentum for new material that is still in production. Approaching this EP without being aware that it is first-time material could leave a strange flavor, because although it does not sound like an amateur work, it cannot be said that it stands out when heard together with other national works. However, there is something captivating about the music, which carries a heavy influence of "classic" black metal, as well as the voice that falls somewhere between the typical use and the idiosyncrasy of vocalists like Dagon or Attila.

In the first two tracks, we can hear that the voice cuts through the mix, surpassing the levels of a fairly simple instrumentation; fortunately, this is improved as soon as "Blasphemy" starts. In fact, from that song onwards, the EP seems to take a more polished direction in terms of production, without losing its aggressive nature, and the songs feel more structured, but still endowed with the atavism so characteristic of black metal; the elements are more balanced, making everything to be better absorbed as a whole.

From this point on, we face a better band, with a more cohesive sound and a more enveloping atmosphere. The last three minutes of “Your Blood at My Feet” stand out, because until then, Black Blasphemy hadn't hit us with that level of aggressiveness; the way the band lunges at the listener so suddenly expands the the album’s animic range. The titular track is multifaceted, complex and undoubtedly represents another high point that manages to remain in “Rivers of Death”, a track with a rather victorious air. Although the clean passages are not so particularly enthralling, Eternal closes with a clean, simple and effective arpeggio giving it a proper melancholic send off. If this is an indication of what we are to expect on the next album, we should keep our ears open and our corpse paint on.

Vaya Futuro - MXVI

After the well-intentioned but overloaded experience that was 2020’s El Peso del Mundo, Vaya Futuro continues to surprise with their ability not to repeat themselves. This is a rather short EP (two new songs and a live version of El Hombre Sin Cabeza that goes by without pain or glory) that focuses on exploring krautrock... from an approach that does not sound like Hallogallo!

Although your humble author is still looking for a national band that doesn’t take only from NEU!, Vaya Futuro at least alters the formula by coming close to something that Radiohead could have done in their transition from TKOL to A Moon Shaped Pool (songs like “Identikit” come to the mind), but leaving the voice completely out of the equation; now the focus is on textures and modulations a la Tangerine Dream. The fusion of atmospheric guitars and somewhat retro synths create an anachronistic sphere, uniting the past and the future, as in the second half of the title track, which reverts to a basic sound with an acoustic guitar after having created a beautiful spiral of textures emerging from the synths.

The drums have always stood out for their apparent simplicity, which hides a high degree of precision, while avoiding sounding too restricted by technical rules. In the aforementioned second half of “MXVI”, the typical repetitive rhythm comes to a halt and then starts to move more freely, with an almost improvised air. Unfortunately, "Sauerkraut" returns to the usual NEUisms, but what is generated around those worn out dynamics is interesting, always moving and advancing instead of being stuck in a sway of redundancy. In a way, that song sums up the band's career, showing that when they set out to do so, they can endow their influences with their own touch, no matter how obvious they may be.

Choco Bestia - Tormento Excremento

Guanajuato’s irreverent noiser bets on a much more expansive sound, especially if we compare it with that very brief installment under the Sploosh Records label, in which no track lasted even three minutes, but which undoubtedly managed to create a rather peculiar setting. The word “expansive” could be a bit obvious, taking into account that now the tracks exceed the 10, and even 20, minute mark, but this expansion is not the result of lengthier tracks, is more about the elements that were added to Choco Bestia’s nefarious formula.

On his Hole Records debut, Choco Bestia continues to improvise, twisting frequencies, drowning them in feedback, and scarring his throat thanks to insane screams that simultaneously sound out of place and completely coupled with the chaos around them; however, now there are jagged drums providing a pulse -even if it is intermittent and erratic- as well as the use of tapes to create rough textures. This does not mean that the artist has decided to tame his sound and go for the redundant standards of samples noise generated by tape loops, or a noise-rock aesthetic; Choco Bestia continues to sound as raw and aberrant as ever, he just added hints of psychedelic turbulence.

True artistic maturity does not occur when artists refine their work just to make it more consumable; it occurs when a technique is developed in order to deliver something more idiosyncratic without having to sacrifice their essence, and this album is a good example. Beneath the eschatological humor and the seemingly carefree and disheveled demeanor, Choco Bestia shows us that he is, indeed, growing and maturing as an artist.

Deep Tomb - Deep Tomb EP

From Los Angeles’ underbelly, the sound of Deep Tomb reverberates with a cavernous echo. The sludge-doom summoned by this quartet is not intended to reinvent or modify the most distinctive elements of these genres, but the experience is far from boring.

The intensity is created in a natural way, without having to force it with predictable tricks; it is obvious that band’s affiliation leans towards what makes noise in the underground, opting for a raw sound that rejects all the toothless elements from sister genres such as stoner-doom or post-metal. Deep Tomb avoids falling into the loud-quiet-loud clichés and the redundant crescendo-core formula, being the use of samples the closest thing to a trendy sound, but these are used sparingly and the only thing that could pass as the obligatory atmospheric passage, is more a debauchery of frequencies that give a chaotic closure to the album.

The fuzz of the guitars is sharp and the drums resonate with precision but without feeling restricted, handling the time and rhythm changes very well; the instrument stands out without the need to steal the spotlight with unnecessary acrobatics. Deep Tomb is quite uniform, but it packs a powerful punch, one very similar to what Grief or Winter emitted from their instruments.

HausWasser- 4

Music that moves with complete freedom, sometimes staying within the idiomatic parameters of jazz, and sometimes completely outside of its confinements. The bass line that opens the album does so with a very jazzy walk, but executed with a rather noise-rock attack; when the other instruments come in, the spirits of Coleman, Coltrane and Ayler are present, making it clear that cacophony and contrast lurk within the shadows, waiting for an opening to attack.

However, HausWasser knows how to be nuanced: for each noisy explosion, the quartet takes us through passages that move with calm and urgency; there is always something creating tension even in quiet moments. The clarinet creates dissonances with the cello, the bass is absent and returns with heavy chords or strokes that trace shapeless forms. Every silence feels suspicious as we are on the lookout for another explosion.

The album better absorbed as a single piece and should it had been longer, several songs would have lost their charm, since everything seems to indicate that there wouldn’t have been more directions for the songs to take. HausWasser presents a very concrete set of songs that feel like a complete experience.