Skullflower — Fucked On A Pile Of Corpses
Apparently this work is a combination of two influences: black metal and harsh noise wall. I know Matthew Bower (founder member of Skullflower, also active as Sunroof!, Hotogitsu, Total, etc) also played some black metal over the years, and being Lee Stokoe (Culver, Inseminoid, Matching Head Tapes..) very fond of Harsh Noise Wall, so this doesn't come as much of a surprise; but the final result of this potentially juicy cocktail is sadly very disappointing.
The only track that actually worked for me is the opener "Hanged Man's Seed", where the sound matter is more clear, albeit it definitely sounds like a black metal intro with a bit more invention than usual. The second track, "Viper's Fang", is the most "musical" of the set, being in fact a straight instrumental black metal track with standard frostbitten guitar and blasting drums engulfed by the bog of distorted mess.
All the rest of the tracks here feature a cheaply distorted guitar wall like sound that lacks purpose and punch and feels just like lazy, amateurish noise. Sometimes very slow and black metal-ish riffing arerecognizable, while supposedly two other guitars build a wall of distortion, feedback, crunch and treble. The structure is there, but all the subtleties that I’d normally enjoy so much are wasted in the very muddy and confused sound. I’m sure that some of the otherwise tasty frequencies and details are destroyed in the overlapping of noisy guitar layers.
In conclusion, this material would have been much better if:
- it was released on tape
- it was recorded in higher fidelity.
I'm sure that the lo-fi sound was a conscious choice, but what it gains in kvlt status, it loses in loudness, clarity and fun. It's really a missed opportunity, because having witnessed the current incarnation of Skullflower live, I'm confident that this CD would have sounded great if recorded just a tad bit better.
Thumbs down for "Fucked On A Pile Of Corpses".
Fucking great title though….