Bong-Ra — Esoterik

With his new album Esoterik, veteran Dutch dark electronic producer Bong-Ra (real name Jason Köhnen) carries on the sound of his previous album, Black Noise, which was a throwback to Godflesh-esque late 80's and early 90's industrial metal sounds, pre-computer electronic compositions with drum machines,  sludgy, minimalist guitar riffs, and vocals which to me recall Front Line Assembly or Clock DVA.  This was a time when music felt perhaps more open-ended and exciting than in today's streaming-optimised world, and Godflesh's doomy, minimal approach was unusual even in the days from which it originated, so it is interesting to hear it explored more fully. Black Noise was one of my favourite albums, and this style transition for Bong-Ra could not feel more natural.

The drum machine rhythms achieve a surprising amount of groove through simple combinations of kick and snare.  The instincts developed during Bong-Ra's years as a breakcore producer have carried over, though there is no technical glitching and splicing found here; the rhythms are stripped down to their heaviest accents, and there is no programming here which could not have been achieved in 1992.  

The high-gain guitar tone is thick and ear-massaging.  The excellent songwriting has continued from the previous album.  The riffs have many curious and dark chord choices, subtle dissonances and odd tonalities beyond the usual blues pentatonics, and despite moving in a kind of slowed motion, have quite a bit of depth and complexity, and a sense of epic drama to their progressions, verging into Neurosis territory with songs like the nine-minute "Duality of One".  The crushing palm muted conclusion of this tune is the peak moment of this recording.

Touches such as the piano and saxophone in the breakdown of "Pleasures of the Flesh" and Lustmord-esque Gregorian chants heard elsewhere ensure that every level of the soundscape is imbued with colour.  It has a more gothic and surreal aura than Godflesh typically would, reminding me at times of early Scorn, or funeral doom groups like Esoteric (namesake of this album?).  The lyrics are ambiguous and brief, never distracting from the overall soundscape, in my opinion, a good fit for what they are doing.

More than a mere imitation of the past, this album demonstrates why this sound should be pursued by more than just a handful of bands in a brief era of history.  Fans of the golden era of industrial metal have just gained another classic. For lovers of the ambition and dystopic scope of albums like Godflesh's Streetcleaner or Neurosis' Through Silver in Blood.