Critical Theatre — Psych Burn

I studied this cd for a while before listening to it, because the packaging sends out such mixed messages - I was curious to see what it would actually sound like. The front cover has a nice spartan image of a fiery cat, the titles have the scent of metal about them, and the name and title suggest something retro and psychedelic. So which would it follow?

Possibly none of the above. The first track sets the somewhat unrelenting tone: swirling, over-saturated guitar noise churn, with buried howls and cries. Its like lost recordings from Bardo Pond, when they were pissed-off kids. The second track is a more linear take on the same sound, with more prominent vocals; but its anchored by a submerged bass drone which gives the whole thing a grand ominousness. “The Lament (3 of Swords)”, the third track, builds from the same materials as before, but achieves a darker sound; and does it without recourse to a drone. There’s less bluster and squall, a bit more space for the churn to breathe.

Although being the second shortest track at just under five minutes, “Removing The Blade” is probably the most expansive; as a high pitched skyward whine emerges from the swirling noise, and reverberates towards the heavens. With the arrival of the fifth track, the clouds of distortion disappear, and a different sound is revealed. Its a welcome change, and one my ears needed. The trouble with such saturation, is that it crushes light and shade; so the previous tracks all had a very similar palette and timbre. Given that I’m listening to the tracks very much as sound - as opposed to songs, say - this can be a tad wearing on the ears. So “A New Scar” is a timely change in tone, with echoing synth lines and a vocal laid bare. Its a very nice track. Its very dark, without necessarily trying too hard. (In a similar vein, the whole cd is harsh in sound without being overtly coupled to a harsh aesthetic/intention.) It actually sounds like something from the further reaches of black metal. The last track, “Autonomous Kingdom”, takes this black metal feel and then runs towards power electronics; with echoing shrieks riding whining treble and spitting bass. Its a succinct ending to the cd.

So, from our initial three clues, its tempting to say that this could indeed be described as a truly psychedelic take on metal  - a bad trip explored through overloaded distortion and reverb - but I can’t explain the fiery cat. Yet.