genres: raw black metal + grindcore + industrial
I probably wouldn’t have checked out this project without a bit of background. Allegedly recorded entirely on smuggled cellphones inside the California prison system, I was intrigued to check this release out on a level akin to performance art, if nothing else. Jokes abound about raw black metal bands recording on old Nokias in ill-advised attempts to recall the genre’s early days, and hearing something recorded this way out of necessity carries much more of an impact. What I was not prepared for, is that it’s actually a fairly interesting release on a musical level. Though billed almost exclusively as a black metal project, I actually picked up more notes of grindcore on this release, between the ceaseless drumming and buzzsaw guitars. The production also fits within the griminess most grindcore recordings. It’s raw, muffled, and overcompressed, but there’s actually a fair amount of clarity between the layers. There’s even a few moments of weird sonic experimentation in the form of creating unusual sounds with acoustic guitars or harsh industrial samples that almost make me want to label this with the non-existent genre of progressive grindcore. Lyrically we fittingly get an uncompromising look at the brutality of prison life, that’s both less obnoxiously over-the-top as most grindcore or black-metal shock and also much more impactful and affecting.
As an experiment or piece of art, this short album is a rousing success both for pushing its own boundaries and for delivering on the authentic raw brutality so many other bands promise and fail. It’s also worth a listen for anyone looking for more experimental takes on grindcore or black metal. I doubt I will frequently revisit this album, but it makes a bigger impact than many others.
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