Noise Not Music #15: Aluk Todolo, Chthe'ilist, Slabdragger

We’re back with an overdue dose of the finest noise from the first two months of the year, careering dangerously between grindcore, death metal, harsh electronics and the avant-garde rumblings of Ehnahre. Consume at your own risk.

Aluk Todolo – ‘Voix’ (The Ajna Offensive / Norma Evangelium Diaboli)

French trio Aluk Todolo are the epitome of elusiveness. Their music is dedicated to the preservation of both darkness and light. The first time I witnessed them playing live, a lightbulb gradually veered between brightness and gloom in sync with the undulations of the music. ‘Voix’ might well be the group’s best record to date, which is some statement, given the magnificence of 2012’s ‘Occult Rock’. What makes the real difference is that ‘Voix’, in under 45 minutes, covers as much ground as its nearly 90 minute predecessor. Blending drone with psychedelia, metal with krautrock, this is a trio of musicians with rare focus, and with a rare ability to translate not just musical ideas but a vision of what music can (perhaps should) be. ‘Voix’ is a work of captivating, breathtaking genius.  

Chthe’ilist – ‘Le Dernier Crépuscule’ (Profound Lore)

For a band that sounds a lot like Finnish technical death metal legends Demilich, Chthe’ilist seem to spend a bit too much of their social media energy critiquing people for drawing the comparison. I’m not a huge death metal lover these days. I find the genre is overflowing with bands that think they are a lot more interesting than they are, and unlike the black metal universe, there is a conspicuous absence of those who make up for their faults with serious levels of atmosphere. So I’m pleasantly surprised to be able to report that – while Chthe’ilist do owe Demilich an obvious debt – ‘Le Dernier Crépuscule’ is easily original enough to make Chthe’ilist stand out as a unique proposition in their own right. The hypnotic web woven by the guitar and bass work is backed up by some truly phenomenal drum patterns, while the whole thing is held together by some deliciously devilish atmospheric touches. This not only suits the band’s apparent devotion to Lovecraft but also lends ‘Le Dernier Crépuscule’ a sense of dramatic scale lacking in too much extreme metal today. I am not kidding when I say that this might be the best death metal record I’ve heard in the last five years, and one of the most distinctive. Top marks.  

Ehnahre – ‘Douve’ (Kathexis)

To say that Ehnahre’s take on extreme metal is experimental would be to undersell the Boston-based collective’s radical approach. This is one band that occasionally I do think (and you can quote me given the rarity of the occasion) has a tendency to be just a little too weird. It’s not the jarring tonal variety that frustrates me (that’s VERY cool), more the vague feeling that occasionally Ehnahre are trying a little too hard to be weird, a sensation that at times I have found distracting rather than difficult. On ‘Douve’, however, it feels utterly appropriate, as the album has been designed as an 18-track strong song cycle based on Yves Bonnefoy’s writing on the subject of insanity. ‘Douve’ is literally insane. Calling it a metal record would be like calling Stalker a “narrative film”. There is no attempt made to sanitise the record’s strangeness. Thanks to its sheer unrestrained confusion, then, I paradoxically find myself compelled to call it Ehnahre’s most listenable record to date. What a contrary soul I am.

Kerridge – ‘Fatal Light Attraction’ (Downwards)

Contort label boss Samuel Kerridge has been twisting an array of sound sources into molten noise for long enough that he increasingly looks like someone dominating the field. Last year’s ‘Always Offended, Never Ashamed’ was something of a tour de force, but ‘Fatal Light Attraction’ is no less impressive. This is perhaps more unashamedly violent than its predecessor, and as a result probably less diverse. Complaining seems redundant, however, not least when re-listening to the towering display of vehemence that is the opening two tracks. The first, in particular, is a behemoth, sounding for all the world like it might burst from the speakers and make a forceful grab for your throat. Essential.

Magrudergrind – ‘II’ (Relapse)

‘II’ is actually the third Magrudergrind album (if you include ‘Rehashed’ as a full-length, which I do), but once you get over this numerical dilemma it quickly becomes apparent that it’s another more than solid offering from the DC powerviolence trio. Despite being one of the most well appreciated groups of their ilk in the world these days, this is the first Magrudergrind album since 2009, so the expectation level is pretty high. Thankfully it delivers… for the most part. There’s nothing to complain about in regard to the material collected here. This is about as convincing as the inherently ridiculous world of powerviolence gets. It’s lean without being throwaway, and feral without being forgettable. The only issue I have – and it’s one that I’ve seen other reviewers raise too so it’s not just me – is the production, which rather undersells the true ferocity of the guitar work on offer here. They are touring the UK in late March/early April so find out if they sound better live then.

Obduktio – ‘Obduktio’ (Caligari)

Finnish death metal/grind troupe Obduktio have a certain national reputation to live up to, with compatriots like Rotten Sound and Xysma having released some of the most ferociously violent hardcore/metal crossover records of all time. Obduktio aren’t quite as severe as their countrymen, but that plays to their benefit here thanks to an injection of crust looseness that really suits their playing style. There are also moments of clear ludicrousness – a cameo from Tchaikovsky particularly stands out – to remind listeners that there’s something patently ridiculous about this style of music’s obsessional interest in darkness and gore. The result is an extremely (re-) listenable debut.

Pogavranjen – ‘Jedva Čekam Da Nikad Ne Umrem’ (Arachnophobia)

Operating in a similarly weird terrain as Ehnahre, Croatian collective Pogavranjen caused a minor splash in the underground with 2014’s acclaimed ‘Sebi Jesi Meni Nisi’. Having not fully explored that record yet I can’t comment on how ‘Jedva Čekam Da Nikad Ne Umrem’ compares. I can, however, recommend this album’s unusual charms wholeheartedly. Pogavranjen seem to exist in a similarly genreless post-black metal vacuum to the likes of Sigh or Ved Buens Ende. Their sound is near impossible to describe. There is a definite jazz influence, and there are hints of classic prog, but the vibe verges on the misanthropic often enough that one cannot help but think of Burzum or even Leviathan at points. I won’t pretend to fully understand this album yet, but it’s a rewardingly bizarre listen.

Rotting Christ – ‘Rituals’ (Season of Mist)

I’m a real sucker for a new Rotting Christ album. Even after all these years, there’s still something about the intensely melodic and subtly progressive sound conjured by these Greek masters that I find extremely addictive. I maintain that Rotting Christ’s determination to place churning riffs and anthemic choruses (Elthe Kyrie’s already stands as one of their best) alongside all sorts of unusual instrumentation and odd pacing choices allows them to stand out from the crowd despite their elder statesman status. ‘Rituals’ is – like 2013’s career highlight ‘Do What Thou Wilt’ – a supremely powerful listen that effortlessly blends accessibility, drama and subtle experimentation. Another great album from one of the few legendary black metal acts still capable of delivering.  

Slabdragger – ‘Rise of the Dawncrusher’ (Holy Roar)

South London doom trio Slabdragger have been around for the best part of a decade now, yet ‘Rise of the Dawncrusher’ is only the band’s second album. In fact it’s five years since ‘Regress’ turned up and smashed skulls with its unashamedly planet-sized riffs. Album highlight (and midpoint) Shrine of Debauchery sums up what Slabdragger do best: monstrously heavy, churning instrumentals with a hint of the traditional (and even of the prog!) and a whiff of the extreme, courtesy of the feral vocals of bassist Yusuf Tary and guitarist Sam Thredder. If there’s a criticism to be made then it’s that there are hundreds of bands peddling wares of this sort nowadays, and ‘Rise of the Dawncrusher’ doesn’t make much of an attempt to stand out. It relies on simply being better than most of the competition, which, undoubtedly, it is.

Spektr – ‘The Art to Disappear’ (Agonia)

Just in case there hadn’t been enough weird off-kilter extreme “metal” in this column for you, I’ve squeezed in the new Spektr at the end. If you are at all familiar with the French duo you will know that Spektr fit right in with the avant-industrial weirdness of fellow “black metal” acts like Blacklodge and Dødheimsgard. ‘The Art to Disappear’ isn’t the strangest Spektr record to date, but it nevertheless tries its damnedest to put listeners off. There’s still something extremely otherworldly about their tapestry of sounds, something that means that the pair’s formula remains intriguing even four albums in.

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