Griftegård’s album Solemn.Sacred.Severe was one of my favourite releases last year. Saurated in religeous imagary and existential gloom, it sets a new standard for the Doom genre. Griftegård are the real deal. Musically, they are both cinematic and claustrophobic  whilst being oppressively dark, lyrically and thematically they are learned, complex and cryptic. I’m not usually that motivated by lyrics, and it takes something pretty singular to get my attention, and lyrically Solemn.Sacred.Severe intrigued and absorbed me from the first listen. As an exploration of theology, Christian dogma and the nature of existence it stands out as philosophical tome in its own right. It’s these lyrical themes that I was most interested in when compiling these interview questions. Some of these themes were covered in an ealier interview with lyricist/guitarist Ola Blomkvist conducted by German blog Burn Your Ears (read it here. Google translate makes a pretty decent job of the translation) but it left me with more questions than answers. So I was honoured when Ola agreed to answer some more questions. I recommend reading the Burn Your Ears interview first, as this uses that as a springboard.

Your apostasy from the Jehovah’s Witness faith from upbringing seems to dominate your lyrics and apparent worldview. Do you consider Griftegård’s music a type of ‘rebellion’?

No, the music/lyrics of Griftegård are not about rebellion against my upbringing, nor against the JW’s or any other religion in general. Focusing on the lyrics of SSS only, I would say they are more of a mirroring of the dialectics deriving from the experiences I have had with religion. Losing faith and filling the subsequent void is a lifelong process and the album accounts for this process up till the release of the album.

You quote Albert Camus as an influence who was an exponent of the Absurdist branch of the existentialist movement which suggests that it’s pointless (absurd) to look for meaning in the universe, yet your lyrics suggest that you continue to do so. Do you expect to find some sort of meaning in this universe?

Just because I mention Camus and his writing as a source of inspiration doesn’t mean I stand behind all aspects of his philosophy. I think he is a very insightful, yet very cynical, man with great knowledge of the human psyche, and also he has a great, and bleak, sense of humour which I appreciate a lot. There are other authors, philosophers and personalities I look up to that have had more impact on my world of thought than Camus though. Also, just like any reading and reflecting person (I imagine) I go through phases during which a certain theme/author interests me more and lately, for example, I have been absorbed by Huxley and Orwell and their utterly revealing writings.

I do not expect to find meaning for myself in this universe, at least not in a revelatory way hitting me in a bolt-of-lightning fashion, granting me instant and everlasting illumination/salvation. Nor do I believe in an absolute meaning true to all people since an absolute meaning can only be determined if one is able to observe the all objectively, and this perspective is needless to say denied everyone but the creator of the all. So in a way I can subscribe to the absurdist stance: for us humans to search for, and expecting to find, meaning (as described above) is absurd.

On the other hand I believe we humans can, and must, create our own subjective meanings (or, perhaps overtly cynically put, we need to weave our own self deceiving illusions) and maybe the simple answer lay in here: (for me) the meaning is to create. And to be. At least this is where I am now. To be creative and to be in the created. I have big problems with applying this “insight” though, cause just like all creative souls I am restless and cannot sit back arms crossed and just take in what I have achieved, I have to go on towards new realisations or I feel trapped and anxious. Of course one could extend this reasoning and go religious over it and say that every creatures meaning (in life) is to simply “be in creation honouring the creator, reflecting his greatness and light and passing it onwards”, but let us not go there cause I could go on forever on the subject and I have too many thoughts on the meaning of life to list and discuss them all here, too many theories that no one but God can confirm or deny, and up till now he has chosen to sit back and laugh in silence at me.

Ultimately you seem to revile human behaviour. In that respect, do you consider yourself puritanical?

I loathe the vulnerability and weakness of the human condition and all our needs and lusts, yes. The notion that we are more than flesh and that there might be a possibility to achieve freedom from it triggers frustration in me. I guess I have some distance to travel yet before I am able to accept the duality of spirit and body – meanwhile I will continue making songs in which I whine about it… I guess I am puritanical also in the sense that I feel offended by what has been done to the spirit of man by the powers that rule this realm. This realm truly is hell, and on so many levels a non divine comedy. I am developing some of my thoughts on this last subject on our coming album.

There is a sense in your lyrics that religion is both the damnation and saviour of humanity? Do you agree with this interpretation and if so how do you account for this apparent paradox?

I agree, and as for accounting for this paradox I refer to my answer regarding the meaning (of life) in this universe. My lyrics are often paradoxical as I do not want to close the door to any possibility permanently. The fear of static hinders me as it is equal to mental and spiritual death (blindness and self deceit).

Your style of using religious themes and language to describe a bleak and misanthropic worldviewis in some ways similar to that of Orthodox Satanist Black Metal bands like Deathspell Omega. Do you feel any affinity with such bands or philosophies?

To us, and to some of these bands, music and lyrics create a whole that is much more than the sum of its different parts, unlike so much of the contemporary trivia/entertainment that passes for music. This is the strongest link between us. We definitely feel an affinity towards acts like Funeral Mist, Ofermod, Watain, The Devil’s Blood and Necros Christos as we do with all bands that transmit “the right” atmosphere and feeling and walk the talk.

Do you intend to carry a message to people with your music, or is it purely for your own ends?

Griftegård can be perceived as an embodiment of spiritual/philosophical evolution set to music and lyrics, one that contains insight and doubt, triumph and defeat, in short Griftegård mirror a struggle (for knowledge). It is definitely for our own ends as a collective that we do what we do. But if we by sharing (what we feel is true) can make people start to think about things that really matter in the end we have served a purpose. We have no illusions of changing the world or its people in general though, we are too realistic and too old for such naive aspirations.

When writing , which comes first, music or lyrics?

In Griftegård music and lyrics are equally important and are developed simultaneously, and often separately. The reason for this might be that I often write the lyrics like poems, because I want the text to be able to stand on its own, without the music. This is also what we as a collective try to achieve with the music, to grant is such density that it could stand on its own and deliver the right atmosphere even without lyrics. When both kinds of expression have reached the highest degree of fulfilment we are able to give them they are put together and the necessary adaptations are made. Usually this is a rather painless process – often when we try a certain text against a particular piece of music it is as if the lyrics just have been waiting to marry with the music through Thomas (Eriksson, singer), who has a great ear and an even greater intuition for what a certain song demands in terms of vocal channelling.

To what extent is your choice of musical genre (Doom Metal) reflected by your lyrical themes? Could you see your ideas and lyrics mapping to other genres?

Doom Metal, as I see it, is the perfect medium for the kind of themes we deal with. The solemnity, the gravity, the pace, all furthers an atmosphere that creates a perfect room for ponderings of an eternal nature. There was never any question in our minds whether Griftegård would be a Doom band or not when we formed the band. Also I personally find it hard to compose anything else as this is what my heart is full of. As for the ideas of Griftegård mapping over to other genres: I could picture myself doing something aching to Apocalyptic Folk in the Sol Invictus vein at some point, using ideas that would fit Griftegård as well.

Both your music and lyrics are introspective and downbeat. Do you consider yourself a negative or pessimistic person?

I would not say I am negative and pessimistic by nature, but realistic. If you ask those near to me you might receive a different answer though. The less you learn about how the world is made up and the more you know of what really is going on the more resigned you become. There is no hope for this world as it stands now, it is clear for all to see, and only a massive turnover of the powers that be can save “us”.

Which other bands out there today that you consider your lyrical or musical contemporary?

To be honest (blasé & boring) I have lost contact a bit with the Doom scene the last couple of years so I don’t really know if there has surfaced any new acts that play it similar to Griftegård. I have still not heard of anyone but us writing lyrics from an apostate Jehovah’s Witness perspective though, but if there are any I strongly urge them to get in touch. Certainly there are acts out there that move in the same area as we do though, be it thematically/philosophically, atmospherically or purely musically. Even though Warning has quit them and we have a lot in common when it comes to feeling and pace, I sense this and apparently many others do as well (which is an honour for us) judging by reviews. While Heaven Wept must be mentioned in this context as well, for obvious reasons (even though Vast Ocean’s is the fastest WHW platter this far), and so must Forsaken. The current act that I feel is closest to Griftegård thematically and, to a certain point, musically though is Count Raven, whom we are making a split 7” release with, due out sometime in August through Ván. Dan’s lyrics are perhaps more direct than mine but we think very much along the same lines and there is a religious longing to his expression that I can relate to. I have a feeling that he, just like me, identify with The Bible’s Job to a certain extent, however much hubris this might be from my side.

In addition we feel a kinship with non metal acts like 16 HP, Michael Gira, Diamanda Galás and, perhaps surprising to some, Scott Walker, whose three latest albums are all dark, heavy and introspective masterpieces if there ever was any.

Are you currently working on new material?

Yes we are working on three new songs, which are in different stages of fulfilment, titles being A Beam InThe Eye Of The Lord, A Deathbed For All Holy and The Last Song Of The End (A Final Time). There are plenty of other ideas that are waiting to be realised as well but these are the ones we concentrate on at the time of writing (2010-07-16).

Any plans to play in the UK in the near future?

We are playing the Dublin Doom Day on the 18th of September 2010, which we look forward to a lot. We would jump at any chance of playing Britain but up till now nothing has been possible to arrange.

The French scene appears awash with technicolour crossover Black Metal (is that an oxymoron?) seemingly emerging as one of the most vibrant geographical musical entities anywhere in the world at the moment. Celeste’s Morte(s) Nee(s) delivers unrelenting sludgy BM that’s comparable to Cobalt with its earthly misanthropic groove. Celeste seem to have directed their wrath for only one half of the human race as Morte(s) Nee(s) is apparently about the ladies.

Seismic downtuned riffs straddle mid-tempo and doomy passages into the final track and set piece De Sorte que Plus Jamais un Instant ne Soit Magique which dabbles in drone-like simplicity. Here, Celeste’s sound really blooms into something dramatic and transcendent driving the album’s vicious intent to an infinitely dense singularity of pure noise.

Perhaps not quite as textured as earlier Misanthrope(s), Morte(s) Nee(s) is well recorded, beautifully packaged and given away in its digital form entirely free here along with the rest of Celeste’s marvellous back catalogue. Download this, savour its delicious intensity, then go buy the LP, for it is a thing of beauty.

Trends and scenes come and go with metronomic regularity like the waxing and waning of the moon – one minute the light side, in full view of the world and worshipped from afar, the next out of sight and ignored along with the inhabitants that dwell there. And thus the procession of shallow *cores or death/black/hardcore crossovers becomes a footnote in the history of metal only to be resurrected in 20 or 30 years as the new big thing.

As the bright face of the Death Metal and Trad revivals seem to be waning, the new school are already lined up to take it’s place in the hearts and minds of the kids. So what will come next, and will it really go nuclear and become the next HUGE thing (like NWOBHM, Thrash, Grunge, Emo)?

There seems to be emerging 2 real growth areas under the metal banner that could make the transition to mainstream: Doom/Stoner and Grindcore. On the surface, these two genres couldn’t be more different – slow, monolithic, gloomy, subdued against fast, frenetic, angry, complex – but there are similarities, if not so much musically. The denizens of these genres are generally un-metal (in the traditional sense) and are neither flamboyant or posturing (unlike much of the current crop of trendies) displaying more Alt-like characteristics. There’s no clear fashion other than jeans+t-shirt+tats. They both descend from a very clear ancestor (Black Sabbath and Napalm Death respectively) and have a old school DIY ethic.

The key here is that both genres are opposed to the brash and showy incumbent scenes and have a very ‘anti’ feel about them – they are primed for insurrection. Both genres are enjoying an upsurge in popularity and visibility (witness High on Fire ransacking the US albums chart) which could see them hit a critical mass to swells them into the mainstream. Finally, both genres are offensive/parent baiting enough to have teenagers the world over slathering with delight. The effect this may have on the scene and culture is a subject for another post, but there’s a conversation happening here on the subject to whet your appetite.

And the players in these surging genres? Here are a few, that are indicative rather than representative.

Grindcore

Landmine Marathon

Fuck the Facts

Rotten Sound

Doom/Stoner

Electric Wizard

Dozer

Church of Misery

The good

Spring 2010

What a marvelous season Spring 2010 promises to be for live music. I’ll personally be attending gigs from 3 bona fide legends: Opeth’s 20th anniversary show where they will be playing Blackwater Park in its entirety in the regal surrounds on the Royal Albert Hall. The mighty Cathedral are playing in a broom cupboard at the University of London in late April supported by Japanese doom icons Church of Misery. Finally one of the greatest alternative bands of all time, Pavement, are playing to most of the population of London on their marathon 4 night stint at Brixton Academy in May. I may be deaf, but at least I’ll be happy.

Warrior Soul

I’ve recently rediscovered Warrior Soul. Quite why this band slipped largely off my radar for the best part of 15 years I’ve no idea. Some sort of acid-psych-metal-punk hybrid, Warrior Soul made a big splash in the early 90′s but never managed to capitalise on the early success and widespread critical acclaim. It’s a shame, because listening back on their classic albums Last Decade Dead Century, Drugs, God and the New Republic and Space Age Playboys, they the still sound fresh and their snarling polemic is more relevant today than ever. They released new material last year that’s well worth checking out. You can get their albums on Ebay for real cheap, go treat yourself!

Profound Lore

I didn’t realise that I was a big fan of Canadian label Profound Lore until I realised that many of my favourite releases of the past year were from bands on that label: Cobalt, Krallice, Ludicra, Worm Ouroboros, Portal (well, favourite is a strong word here, they are certainly one of the most interesting acts I’ve heard recently). Unlike many labels that claim to foster creativity, but merely churn through generic sub-genre acts, Profound Lore are really tinkering on the blurry edges of the metal genre. Try listening to Worm Ouroboros and Portal in the same sitting and you’re likely to need a period of recovery in you local asylum.

The Bad

Varg Vikernes

No friends

Varg Vikernes had a unique opportunity on leaving prison. He had gained near legendary status among the Black Metal kvlt and kudos disproportionate to any artistic merit or talent displayed in his early work. Having released some shoddy synth music under the Burzum moniker while in the locker, his first album proper after Filosofem was his chance to dispel the haters and reclaim his throne as the dark Pope of misanthropy. Gloss over those overt racist views, keep a low public profile (as is de rigeur in BM cirlces) and record the forward thinking, but backwards glancing record of his career – that’s what was needed; the ever conservative BM community would have hoisted the bugger on their shoulders for a victory lap of Hades.

Prison was never really a place to broaden your horizons and hone your media skills. Vikernes came out of prison all guns a blazin’ like the new sheriff in town. On release of his anticipated new album Belus, amidst a mini media storm related to some overtly racist comments, Varg whored himself out to any metal publication that would interview him and proceeded to contradict and undermine himself with every sentence. He claims to hate the media for vilifying him, despite the fact that he’s a convicted murdered. He claims to not care what people think of what he says, so why say anything at all? Apparently whoring yourself out to the media is furthering an agenda of apathy towards them and their readers. He says we’re all stuck in a ‘politically correct sewer’, and thus have a narrow or directed worldview, then aligns himself with NSBM (National Socialist Black Metal – basically a bunch pubescent, redneck, corpse paint wearing Neanderthals looking to irritate their parents) – find me a more narrow worldview than that!

The simple fact is Varg did some very ill-considered and bad stuff as a stupid, naive teenager and paid the price. He’s now a bitter old racist hick who lost half of his life to an adolescent mistake, and has a chip the size of a burning church on his shoulder about it. Now he’s trying to dress his self loathing up in a veil of mystique and black metal misanthropic posturing.

Top work Varg. With your shallow polemic and sensationalist, Daily Mail baiting, cover story grabbing antics you’ve managed to utterly fail to capitalise on your ‘legendary’ status and lost all credibility in the process. You’ve recorded a dated and mediocre album and the black metal fraternity has already disowned you. Bravo Varg! (Perhaps this should have gone in the ‘good’ section!)

Is Doom becoming popular?

Liz Buckingham - poster girl for the Doom scene?

It couldn’t happen could it? We’ve been discussing this at length over at Thee Big Black. Suspicion started when Electric Wizard played to an unprecedented Scala crowd last year, then Sunn O)))’s huge Koko gig attended by those of good hair. Since, there have been increasing numbers of sightings of unshaven, poorly coiffured, trucker capped stoner types lurking around the streets of Britain seemingly starting to outnumber the moping packs of pierced Emos. Well, the last thing any self respecting Doom head wants is for a bunch of Jonny come lately’s trampling their arid, barren lawn. Then there was this…on please god nooooo!

…and the Ugly

I’ve no doubt that Matt Pike and team occasionally partake in the odd herbal pleasure, but stoner band they ain’t. Yes, Snakes for the Divine may contain monstrous, dowtuned riffs aplenty and an obvious debt to Sabbath but there’s so much more here.

Largely eschewing the progish meanderings of Death is the Communion, Snakes is a much more meat and veg metal affair, and my my does it work – it’s immense! High on Fire didn’t really change as a band, they just got faster and more aggressive, galloping gleefully between caustic stoner (Bastard Samurai) and unapologetic thrash (Ghost Neck) effortlessly working in guitar solos and the even the odd reference to Maiden. The polished production really shows the shine of the scales underneath and is what immediately distinguishes it from the both the stoner crowd as well as High on Fire’s previously releases. Pike’s growl cuts Dalek-like through the wall of guitar/bass roar. Purists will chastise them for distancing themselves from their stoner roots, but this has the distinct air of a band becoming its true self

This may well find High on Fire their deserved wider audience and 2 months into 2010 we find our first diamond in the rough.

Calling British three piece TrippyWicked doom seems a little beside the point. Here there be big riffs, a singer that sounds like Ozzy bathed in the fountain of youth and given back his balls, and thundering laid back grooves. However, TrippyWicked & the Cosmic Children of the Knight (to use their full, somewhat silly, name) conjure the true spirit of early Sabbath – heavy heavy blues. The exclusion of pre-requisite occult posturing really slots this more into stoner territory, and indeed the spirit of Sleep and Monster Magnet lurks within these giant slabs of bluesy rock.

With monstrous, down-tuned riffs and melodic hooks aplenty, this presents a lighter, more mundane (in the lyrical sense) side of Doom. Indeed, at times TrippyWicked could be mistaken for a pure blues band, but creative flourishes like the brass section on Southern set them apart from either genre.

This is impressive stuff for a debut and is all the more so given that Movin On is entirely self released (check out this article on their blog for some tips on doing this). So lighten up brethren of doom, and allow TrippyWicked to introduce themselves.

Listen on Myspace

Buy on TrippyWicked.com

Supergroup. Say it out loud “Supergroup”. Does that word leave a bitter taste in your mouth? So many enterprises of exquisite promise, so much shattered hope. Approach all supergroups with scepticism, you say, and rightly so.

So is (Wino+Om+Neurosis+Melvins) > (Wino+Om+Neurosis+Melvins)? That remains to be seen, however it does add up to a stoner/doom/post-rock/prog party to which we should all turn up and revel. Shrinebuilder is a real meeting of minds. The various styles weave in and out of each other and melt, blend and bend to fit a new mould that overall is not quite any of them. It is at times, however, each of them. With Wino, Kelly and Cisneros all taking turns on the mic, you sometimes feel like you’re listening to 3 different bands, often in the same song.

That’s not to say that it doesn’t hang together. Some how they’ve made it sound like these 3 wildly different styles belong together. Underpinned by Cisneros’s hypnotic bass, and sheened with Neurosis style atmospherics and post-hardcore aggression, Wino’s trademark psychedelic guitars drive us through this eerie landscape. However, it’s the southern tinged post-rock soundscapes that really define the sound here so it transcends the component parts.

Almost a genre it itself, this is a singular debut and delivers the sort of quality and creativity that you’d expect from such an influential posse. It’s still too much of a sketch to really be the collective masterwork that these guys should be capable of, but if there’s a sense that Shrinebuilder are still finding their feet with this first offering, I absolutely can’t wait to see what happens when they do.

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Listen on Myspace

What I spent my hard earned cash on recently.

Completely failing to do the honourable thing, Alice in Chains released the controversial comeback-after-loosing-a-key-member album and managed not to offend everyone, in fact, anyone. Black Gives Way to Blue is nothing short of stunning. Dark, brooding, sludgy but with lashings of gorgeous melody and soaring vocal harmonies that evoke the spirit of Layne Stayley without kicking his corpse. William Duval does an impressive job of stepping into giant, baggage laden shoes and even manages to shine in places. However, Cantrell with his devastating riffs and sound defining harmonies is the star here…and perhaps he always was?

Megadeth never went away. Some (including me) wish they had. Mustain may have reinvented my Megadeth’s sound many a time, but he’s never managed to come close to capturing the magic of the first 5 albums (and most specifically Rust in Peace). Endgame is no exception. It maybe a tour de force of modern thrash, but it’s not hard to stand out from that particular crowd, and Endgame fails to really excite or challenge. Comparisons with Death Magnetic are beside the point (I happen to think that Metallica’s is the better album, as untrendy as that my be to admit), Megadeth are hiding their lack of creativity behind an (admittedly dazzling) array of technical expertise. Entertaining but not essential.

Ever wanted to un-hear an album so that you could fall in love with it all over again? This is what I felt about Baroness’s Red Album. Since no technology has been invented to enable this (other than perhaps a carefully applied cricket bat to the head) my only hope was that their follow-up The Blue Record would have the same affect on me. Sadly, I was disappointed. Despite the fact that Baroness are still at the top of their game, The Blue Album just doesn’t pack the same punch as its predecessor. All the ingredients are still there, but the exhilarating instrumental flourishes that really define their sound manifest as more traditional prog meandering. Although I’m still in this for the long haul the romance just isn’t there anymore.

I picked up on Every Time I Die with their last record The Big Dirty. I was charmed by their lyrical satire and swaggering grooves. Expeditions into their previous works failed to excite me in the same way. So I wasn’t particularly pleased on discovering that their new album New Junk Aesthetic was a return to the older, more hardcore sound. They obviously lost their bottle. Unadventurous and uninteresting.

Om’s groovy repetition and monotonous chanting generally either sends you to sleep or into a nirvana like transcendental plain. I generally just find it soothing. God is Good is no great departure in terms of overall intent, however the sound has taken on a cinematic feel perhaps making it more accessible to the masses. This is nice, but it actually detracts from the minimalist, hypnotic groove that really defines their sound. That said, I quite like the eastern flavourings in their own right, but I think it will leave most Om fans feeling like they only got half an album.

I’m not sure what to say about the new Pelican album What We All Come to Need. More of the same as the last album. Unchallenging but pleasant enough.

Grind Madness at the BBC documents the legendary Peel Sessions with Napalm Death, Extreme Noise Terror, Bolt Thrower et al. It’s a tonne of fun and has some great packaging. As a historical document it is nigh-on genre defining. Utterly recommended for all fans of extreme music.

This is the second release from German label Ván this year that’s got me really excited. Whereas The Devil’s Blood take a playful approach to pagan rites, Griftegard cast an epic pall of quasi-religious, existential gloom – this is not a criticism, this is remarkable stuff.

Sacred.Solemn.Severe is the musical equivalent of a Doré etching, or perhaps a rainy day in Highgate Cemetery. Chants, hymns and histrionic, impassioned crooning tell of hatred of the flesh and solemn introspection. The overwhelming protestant puritanical aesthetic is both claustrophobic and apocalyptic – Griftegard wield Christian symbolism like a sledgehammer.

Unlike many doom acts who lurk on the periphery of parody with Hammer Horror theatrics, Griftegard emanate a sense of solemn, ernest duty – this is serious stuff, and at times is somewhat unsettling. This is underpinned by some exemplary song writing and haunting soulful melody. These 6 long songs end at with the ultimate finale – death, but there are undertones of rebirth or perhaps redemption, and you get the feeling that Griftegard have a lot more to say.

Griftegard display a depth, clarity and coherence that other Doom bands could only aspire to. A steamy breath of cold, dank winter air – both refreshing and unnerving.

Listen on Myspace

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Necro Deathmort’s name suggests “death death death” and their Myspace classification is set to “grunge/grunge/grunge”, however their music is not even remotely either. In fact, if you dig deeper, the London duo consider themselves more drone doom than anything else quoting a major influence from early Earth. However, Necro’s eclectic pseudo-style is closer in spirit to the creepy electronica of Aphex Twin or cut and paste trip-hop of Coldcut although the predominant influence here would seem to be that of breakbeat alchemist DJ Shadow (from the Endtroducing era). The album’s title – This Beat is Necrotronic – clearly nods towards the retro-beat-electronica that saturates this collection.

Necro’s drone nestles quietly beneath the loops and breakbeats creating ambient tones reminiscent of a hip-hop inflected take Sunn O)))’s spookyscapes. Technicolour Minstrel Show is pure ambient, minimalist drone, while Hurt Me I’m Bored is a much more traditional doom affair with guitars and real drums dominating the lightly electronic undertones. On the brief Origami Werewolf the styles seem to mesh more cleanly and this is perhaps the coherent edge that this album needs to really shine. Final track The Ultimate Testament takes Boris style drone to its logical conclusion and is perhaps an allusion of the entropic nature of the universe in which we live.

It’s clear that Necro take their art with a pinch of salt. The Beat is Necrotronic is certainly creative, and its originality comes from the mix of styles, rather than the music itself. It is a playful work of ADHD genre noodling that will no doubt irritate the hell out of the genre purists (of all the various genre’s this record references) which is always a good thing. But if you alienate everyone, then what are you left with? Is this album just too damn erratic to be anything other than very niche? Or could this genre hopping opus please the wider audience?

All this aside, this motley assemblage of loops and doom really put a smile on my face, and it’ll certainly get heavy rotation on my iPod. Given I’m a fan of pretty much all the genres and artists mentioned here, this was guaranteed to entertain me. There’s a legion of folks out there with similar tastes out there, but we’re hard to pin down. If you stumble across this expecting drone, then keep an open mind. If you’re merely looking for something really fresh and thoroughly entertaining then look no further.

Listen to Necro Deathmort on Myspace

Buy the album here