Vegan-Connections_Nov18_V3

In Review
24 Words: Liam Menzies
25
Godeater – ‘Exsanguinated’ single review
Words: Tom Jarvis
If you are branding your musical style as “technical death metal” expect additional layers
of scrutiny from reviewers. A complex genre which requires advanced music theory and
instrument ability from all participants in the band, we must bear this in mind while we
explore Godeater’s latest release: ‘Exsanguinated’. Godeater, a fledgling band hailing
from Glasgow, consists of vocalist Josh Graham, bassist Will Keogh and guitarists Ross
Beagan and Andrew Macdonald.
Produced in tandem with Gavin Paterson of Studio 1790 and Meyrick de la Fuente of
Floodgate Audio, ‘Exsanguinated’ is their latest single release, following up their highly
regarded debut EP, ‘Outerstellar’. ‘Exsanguinated’ combines the flamboyance of Cradle
of Filth’s orchestral backdrop, Children of Bodom’s relentless precision, and early Avenged
Sevenfold’s melodic lead-guitar storytelling; the final ingredient is their fearlessness to
skip through each brief but powerful musical idea on their journey through the song.
Not only have Godeater earned their ‘technical’ accolade, they excel in that area. Expect turbo-charged blastbeats switching into unexpected grooves, while the bedrock-solid lowfrequencies
set the foundation. These layers only break away for short but necessary breaths amongst the brutality, soundtracked fleetingly by gothic strings and piano. The guitar
section offers many traditional death metal flourishes without touching on cliché, dancing along with and beneath the vocals. And, by the way, it is so refreshing to hear a death metal
vocalist talented enough to avoid the monotone scream which plagues the reputation of the genre.
Pleasure Heads - ‘Excuse The Filth’ EP
Words: Madeleine Dunne
Falkirk-born, Glasgow-based four-piece Pleasure Heads formed in 2015. Following
a two-year stint focused on evolving their sound, they made their debut with single
release ‘Concrete Lips’ at the end of 2017. Drawing influences from The Stranglers, they
have a characteristic post-punk sound which is paired with distinctive low-pitched, drawling
vocals akin to that of Orange Juice’s Edwyn Collins. Released on November 2nd of this year,
‘Excuse the Filth’ is the Pleasure Heads’ debut EP. ‘Excuse the Filth’ explores the balance
between routine-ruled living as a young adult in modern day Scotland and substance-led,
pleasure-seeking endeavours utilised to escape the mundane.
Opening track ‘Slurrin’ kicks off the EP with an anticipation building drumstick count-in
followed by a robust rhythm, penetrated only by a high frequency guitar riff that crescendos
triumphantly. It’s full-bodied and full of life, narrating a debauched night in Glasgow as
frontman Euan Purves uses his lyrical wit to philosophise the hectic hedonism.
Lead single ‘Down and Out’ uses phased out guitar riffs to create a dream-like atmosphere.
But there’s urgency lying under the surface as Purves’ vocals gradually grow to duel with the
steady percussion and build tension for the infectious chorus: “Would you rather be down
and out than high and trapped inside? There’s only so much fulfilment working hard can
buy.” It’s a cautionary tale of all work and no play making Jack a dull boy – endeavouring to
provide reason to seemingly senseless pleasure-seeking in 21st century Scotland. Dynamic,
reverb-laden vocals and punch-drunk rhythms lead the way to the infectiously catchy second
single ‘Same Old Song’. It builds to an ironic refrain, as Purves drawls about the claustrophobic
cycle of trapping routines.
While the tracks are filled with young bravado, ultimately Excuse The Filth avoids senselessly
recounting nights out by justifying hedonism with the realities of the mundane. In
a press release, Purves explains: “We’re party people, forever chasing the mythical high,
nevertheless it’s important to keep mindful of your own mindlessness. Use your evenings
and weekends as chances to rise above the mundane without sinking into utter depravity.
Be aware of yourself, in that way you can excuse (some of) the filth.”
This is evident in singles ‘Down and Out’ and ‘Same Old Song’, which present themselves as
triumphant pre-drink anthems but offer significant lyrical depth. But it continues when the
band explore the bitter breakdown of a relationship in ‘Eight Or Wait’. Following a similar
vein to ‘Slurrin’’, an upbeat rhythm narrates a hedonistic pilgrimage to Prague, featuring
the standard holiday affair: breakfast at a kebab shop, shots at karaoke bars, and “neon
promises of eastern delight”. But Purves juxtaposes lyrically while lamenting the unpleasant
expiration of a relationship: “You found someone else since I fucked you over, now here’s a
tourist that gets to enjoy the view.”
Fuzzy, down-beat guitars and steadily pulsating percussion introduce the exceptionally
named ‘Swedgehammer’. It’s a despondent comedown from the rambunctious nature of
the rest of the album – but it only seeks to add depth to an already dynamic EP. It’s a simple
but stand out track, memorable as Purves’ vocals strain for the final gut punching line: “not
all pleasure has to be the same, the pleasure in my head starts to hurt my brain”.
By making substance-led hedonism its leitmotif, ‘Excuse The Filth’ treads a fine line between
the pendant to regale senseless indulgence that prevails the indie-rock genre. But it’s a line
that’s masterfully stepped. Finding method within the madness and finding sense to selfdestructive
behaviour.
As a debut EP, it offers a reliable and promising introduction: solidifying a dynamic sound
through fuzzy post-punk that sways to dreamy-phasing, leaning on sharp lyricism and the
reliability of Purves’ distinctive vocals to create something unique to them. Pleasure Heads
invite listeners to challenge humdrum suburban life and philosophise the pleasure-seeking
chaos that ensues through brief moments of escape: and we are more than happy to come
along for the ride.
Suffer/Wallow Self-titled EP
On listening to their self-titled debut record, your assumption
about a band called Suffer/Wallow toying with a
bombastic, vexed sound would be proven correct: clocking in
at just under half an hour, the weight of the Glasgow hardcore
outfit’s apathy and irritation never lets up as they trod
along, attempting to marry their bread-and-butter established
sound with elements of sludge metal. While a variety of bands
from this genre can often find themselves getting by on face
melting riffs and screams that give you phantom pain in your
throat, Suffer/Wallow don’t seem content in dazzling with
their performances: hidden away at the sulky core of this
behemoth is a largely interesting concept revolving around
sleep paralysis; while you could certainly recall other artists
who have attempted to weave dreamy narratives, using
the “glamour” of sludge metal immediately strikes you as a
match made in heaven.
It’s fine timing that this four piece have arrived when they
have, as last year’s Code Orange has meant that there’s a
new host of listeners that are open to the idea of this music
though still no less daunted by what it can possess. This all
means that the band can pretty much play dungeon master
and really tap into the claustrophobia, fear, and panic that
one could expect to experience when enduring a bout of sleep
paralysis. ‘Forebode’, while maybe a bit too long-winded for
its purpose, starts off fairly clean though there’s a shadow of
menace that starts to trickle in as noise, distortion and static
open the floodgates for ‘Arrival’ to aptly make its appearance.
It lays out the pieces for a trilogy (‘Arrival’, ‘Wraith’
and ‘Asphyxiation’) which all seem to offer something new,
whether it be the emergence of some gravelly vocals, some
GET BEHIND
ME SEITAN
Black Metal Special
Words: Josh Graham
Black metal is perhaps one of the most enduringly fascinating
subgenres in music, both culturally and musically.
Often caricatured, often misunderstood, the genre has stood
strong for nearly 40 years now, and has a rich, often very dark
history. I won’t bother with a full lesson on that because you all
know how to use Google, but today I bring to you three bands
who since our last issue have released some truly fascinating
records that all utilise black metal’s core sound in completely
different ways to wonderful effect. Enjoy!
BEHEMOTH | I Loved You At Your Darkest
VVVV\
Coming four years after the genre-defining modern classic
that was The Satanist, I Loved You At Your Darkest finds
Poland natives Behemoth in an unusual position. It seemed
that both the band and fans knew that topping it would be
an impossible and thankless task, but it nonetheless begged
the question: where would they go from here? Where could
they go from here?
The answer was of course as blasphemous as you’d expect, and
despite having a title only marginally wittier than “God’s a wee
dafty by the way”, the phenomenal lead single “God=Dog”
very neatly sums up the album’s MO. With an organic approach
not dissimilar to that of The Satanist, ILYAYD scales
back much of its predecessor’s grandiose approach, allowing
for a leaner, sharper beast to cover more ground and take
Behemoth in new directions.
pretty animated guitar playing or confessional lyrics. The
mood Suffer/Wallow manage to weave throughout this record
is pretty impenetrable, the aforementioned length meaning
that it neither gets too cumbersome nor feels too thin.
It’s a shame then that the lyrics can feel a bit too on one
note, often putting this shroud of despair and worry at risk.
‘Deadweight’ gets a bit more visual and visceral but more
often than not, it feels like only the performances are giving
a taste of variety, the band not being afraid to offer some
interludes and build up in order for those startling highs to
have their intended impact. When it comes to the words that
are belted at your ears, it feels like the delivery can only do
so much to evoke the intended feelings with there not being
much to chew on or instill any fret. Of course, the argument
can be made that it’s necessary for the lyrics to only deal
The stunning ‘Bartzabel’ illustrates this perfectly, as gothic
choirs and sandblasted rock guitars give extreme metal
perhaps its most arena-ready moment to date, while ‘If Crucifixion
Wasn’t Enough’ employs punk drum beats, melding
them with the band’s signature searing black metal sound
to great effect.
With the creative license that their past success has granted
them, Behemoth have been able to create an album that has
allowed them to stand out more than ever from their peers,
and although a record should not be applauded merely in
experimentation for its own sake, the band have created
another fantastic body of work that hits many more times
that it misses.
ZEAL & ARDOR | Stranger Fruit
VVV\
With a mission statement of “what if American slaves had
embraced Satan instead of Jesus?”, Manuel Gagneux’s now
fleshed-out solo project Zeal & Ardor took some of the most
disparate sounds imaginable to surprise effect on debut
record Devil Is Fine, but left fans wondering if there was any
longevity in such an idiosyncratic project.
On Stranger Fruit, Zeal & Ardor seem intent on finessing
the formula they introduced on that first album. ‘Row Row’
and ‘Don’t You Dare’ provide some of its strongest moments,
allowing soulful, gritted voices to build tension around black
metal atmospherics before bursting with the pained shrieks
and tremolo picked guitars black metal is known for. While
this formula works well through a fair number of tracks, it
begins to lose its flavour as it rears its head again and again,
giving the feeling that the band have created a rod for their
own back by setting out such rigid sonic parameters.
Certainly, Stranger Fruit succeeds for the most part, blending
the band’s wide-reaching sound to greater effect than
their debut, but often lacks the kind of nuance necessary to
with the intended subject matter, but there could definitely
be multiple viewpoints or the fleshing out of these fears to
make the experience all the more immersive.
That being said, Suffer/Wallow win you over far more than
they push you away: from front to back, the drumming and
guitar playing is varied and showcases the band’s talent as
they move from mellow to hectic with maturity and ease, the
album’s prized jewel being its closing track ‘Noir’. This song,
while still focusing on despair, has a phenomenal effect, the
vocal delivery dripping with desperation as they’re washed
over by a flood of riffs, the group holding on to this glimmer
of hope by their fingernails - they just barely make it but by
the end of it, you’ll be going full masochist as you hover and
subsequently plummet your finger to press play again.
maintain any kind of longevity. Whether Zeal & Ardor ever
reach the potential they so often hint at remains unclear,
but this album stands as a curiosity of relatively good quality
nonetheless.
DEAFHEAVEN | Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
VVVV
Having released one of the most critically-acclaimed metal
records of the decade in 2013’s Sunbather, Deafheaven
found themselves lauded in spheres not often occupied by
heavier bands, while simultaneously finding themselves at the
mercy of black metal’s neckbeard cyber-militia who decried
their lack of purity. Unquestionably, Deafheaven’s meteoric
rise has given the genre exposure like never before. Fusing
the genre’s banshee vocals with europhic, shoegaze-tinged
soundscapes, it was a surprise when the band doubled
down on their metallic leanings on 2015’s New Bermuda,
but now, we find ourselves with the follow up to Sunbather
we originally anticipated.
By no means a commercial record, Ordinary Corrupt Human
Love is undoubtedly the five piece’s most accessible to date,
taking those shoegaze elements and giving them more room to
breathe than ever before. However, what ensures that OCHL
remains interesting are the ways in which it pits its various
elements against one another. George Clarke’s deranged
vocals are just as abrasive as ever, but now surrounded by
more lush instrumentation ever before, some almost Oasisesque
guitar solos (!!!) and the tasteful inclusion of more
melodic vocal motifs, this will no doubt be the final straw
for those who preferred the band’s black metal tendencies.
However, if you want to get to grips with black metal but are
turned off by the campier, orchestral route that established
gateway bands like Dimmu Borgir occupy, you could do a
lot worse than picking up Ordinary Corrupt Human Love.
This is black metal on its summer holidays.
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