Ultraphallus — Sowberry Hagan

The third LP from this four-man, Belgian combo is an interesting mix of doom/black metal, punk, noise, improv, dark ambient, electronica and even a bit of free jazz. There are numerous influences here, from metallers and noisemeisters like Black Cobra, Nadja, Christian Death, The Melvins, Nirvana and Steve Albini. But there is also a more subtle impulse from the likes of Can and Faust, as in the Damo Suzuki type vocals from Oxbow's guesting Eugene Robinson, operatic radio samples and Faust-ian electronic atmospheres on the excellent track 'The Red Print'.

Then you get tracks like 'Right Models', which could easily be a second generation, punk/grunge band from the early 80's, with pummelling drums, full-on guitar riffs and shouty, intense vocals. 'Suspence BIRD / HUMAN' starts off as metallic, dark poetry - a sort of watered down version of space-punk pioneers Chrome, with deep, low vocals entreating from the crypt, and then segues into the track Cinghiale; a strange improv-hybrid of saxophone, feedback-laden guitar screeches and a weird, hissing ambiance.

'River Jude' is out and out classic proto-Thrash Metal. 'Golden Flame' made me think of a mixture of slowed down Ministry with a harder version of Porno For Pyros and Led Zeppelin. Its the best track on here, along with the brilliant 'Indians Love Rain' which essays dark, heavy drumming, combined with deep, deep bass-lines and haunting, rasping vocals - almost witch-like in their searing power.

Its all very accomplished and suitably dark and fearful, but perhaps they could have pushed the boundaries a little bit more with some of the tracks on here - sometimes it feels a bit too perfectly pitched. You could say its kind of user-friendly metal-noise-grunge, and doesn't feel quite chaotic or out of control enough on the lesser tracks. I wanted a little bit more wild, psychotic careening outside of the box, occasionally. Having said that, this is - in the main - a thrilling, bold and extremely well crafted, twisted mutation of various musical genres.