The 2015 Arsies: January 23, 2015

January 23, 2015

Let's start the evening's skirmish with some Chicagoland noisedoom from the boys in Indian. Their latest album, From All Purity, is a mature and muscular series of jeremiads. It's a compelling listen, more nuanced and evolved than the usual sludge, but with an emphasis on heaviness and a reliance on droning that at times becomes purely frustrating. Still, there is an arc and pacing here that culminates in a dark and violent kind of trance. And oh god so noisy. (I'm looking at you, Clarify). Critically, this album is 39 minutes of unwavering, fully committed noise... and then, oddly enough, it just stops. I've listened to this album a few times, and the ending never feels like it makes sense. One of a few missteps for an otherwise transcendant journey.
This opens the door for Austrian death metal duo Belphegor and their tenth full length Conjuring The Dead. Clearly, they are not in this game for contemplative slowburns. No, my friends, this album is a blast-beat and double-kick tornado. But there's also tons of Yngwie-style wankery arpeggio sweeps jizzed all over the place. Regardless, every track is delightfully macabre, and a few can even claim "instant classic" status (my favorite is Flesh, Bones and Blood). Belphegor win! They'll go up against Job For A Cowboy in two weeks.
That ends the week, and finally ends the first round of this year's Arsies! Join us Monday, when we start the Round of 32, with Triptykon vs Lo-Pan.