Bagman — In Their Blood and From the Gutter

I'm always anxious when I get a new review, and, before listening, I fall in love with the band name. I've already pictured myself in their shirts, told friends about them, and framed one of their records. This happened again when Bagman made its way into my email. It's simple, effective, and the dirtiness of it definitely fits the grimy PE genre. Although Bagman has been around for a while, I've never had the pleasure of listening to any of his releases. Thanks to Crucial Blasts' re-release of 2009's In Their Blood and From the Gutter, I was able to remedy this problem. Bagman's dark, oppressive, filthy electronics are not only loud and entertaining, but they also fit his rad name very well.

Opening fairly typically with sadistic porn followed by crushing, oppressive waves of distortion, In Their Blood and From the Gutter embraces the heavy, dark side of power electronics. Thick, harsh, and misogynistic, "Breath Constriction" sets the tone for the sonic misery that follows. Sharp feedback and heavily distorted samples (and vocals?) break up the thick, throbbing rumble of static that does its best to suffocate any nice thoughts and good intentions you have. Loops of feedback and their alterations come to the fore on "Person As Product." Sometimes hitting like a lo-fi, grimy Frequency LSD, the grating highs are a nice compliment to the low, thickly distorted, menacing vocals. Getting caught in the loops give the listener a false sense of security, as this track goes for an abrasive assault through various frequencies. "Political Alignment" follows with a long, crushing, low-end attack. Long oscillations pull the track along like a tank, crushing its opposition through both force and terror. By letting the distortion open up a bit, Bagman returns to a more classic PE sound on "Hunting Ground." Distortion is an accent instead of an action in this one, and it has vibes of death industrial mixed throughout. It's punctuated with harsh oases, which are welcome stops for the caravan through this joyless desert.

Although filled with a lot of crushing, distorted static, In Their Blood and From the Gutter moves with enough alacrity to keep ahead of itself and not get trampled by its own cacophonous waves. Menacing vocals work well with grim material and rough, grimy electronics. This is harsh, heavy PE worthy of an amazing name like Bagman.