#187 | Track Reviews | Convulsif, Rattleback, Akhlys, Soft Kill, clown core, and Fuck The Facts

Podcast: Download (Duration: 2:12:08 — 302.4MB)

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What’s up yah reckless bunch of void worms? Ryan, Derek, and I once again get a bit chaotic in our track review word droppings. We got a variety of genres that includes clowns and an evil muse. Expect the typical conversation derailment involving our own personal stories and random thoughts. The bonus track at the end gets a bit country, so brace for some cornbread force-feeding!

First up is the Switzerland-based experimental metal group Convulsif. They give us two wild tracks off of their upcoming LP entitled Extinct. The band is comprised of bass, drums, violin, and saxophone, which gives us a haywire mix of sound. The pounding destructive grooves mesh perfectly with a delightful mess of higher distorted sax/violin noise. There’s even an awesome stop motion music video to check out for “Torn From the Stone”. We are very much looking forward to the rest of this release.

I then found us the perfectly rambunctious Aussie punk band Rattleback and their debut record Weeding the Garden State. It was one of those late-night finds that have ended up becoming one of my favorite releases for this year. We all fell in love with the exciting riffs and at times hilarious lyrics/vocal deliveries. This is a lively album full of comical spunk that even turns and gets into some serious topics. Pond scum knocking at the window! I’ll be blasting this one for a while (tantrum).

The American black metal project Akhlys conjures up the massive track “Pnigalion” (strangler), which is off of their upcoming third LP, Melinoë (man does Ryan have a knack for finding the long ones). The track is embalmed with an ancient feel as the crooning Orphic Goddess lashes outward. Blast beats burst out from melodic seams that keep the track moving. Dissonant riffs trade with beautiful melodies to create dynamic corrosion. In the conversation Derek gets a bit riled up by the black metal world. Let’s just say he isn’t fond of the stage names (we love you, Derek).

We then drift into the shoegaze/post-punk beauty of Soft Kill. The Portland, Oregon band gives us “Roses All Around”, the opening track from their latest effort, Dead Kids, R.I.P. City. The dreamy, synth-filled melodies are what first stood out to me. I felt an overwhelming sense of nostalgia that gave me all the melancholic feels. Tobias’ voice and the delay put upon it soothes with this soft-spoken delivery that I instantly fell in love with. Derek has a personal connection with the band so that helps Ryan and I from flopping around aimlessly trying to describe the music. Honestly, I didn’t speak much during this part of the podcast but I have a new interest in this genre.

Who would’ve known that we would have fallen in love with a bunch of clowns creating noise in a van. Actually shit, what am I saying… this is From Corners Unknown. The toilet spelunkers of clown core literally recorded chaos within the confines of a moving minivan. I’d describe the music as some sort of metal crack clown electronic moldy funk (or, splatter-jazz). Seemingly random drum beats clash with moments of jazzy honks and hellish vocals. Warped out drilling noises will burst with energy and eject you from the shit-stained car seat. There are some solid distorted electronic dance grooves in this that will make you want to donkey punch your airbag until it bursts. Next time you are on a road trip put the album van on a never-ending loop, buy yourself some chili cheese dogs, and just fucking go. Hell, maybe even fish out those stale mummified fries between your seats for some good snacking.

In the final track (besides the bonus maize at the very end of the episode), we delve into “Pleine Noirceur” by Fuck the Facts, the title track of their new record. It is some Canadian bastardized grindcore filled with berserk vitality. We were all surprised to hear the track start off with such an alluring progressive post-hardcore-like sound. Beautiful guitar melodies drift over the beating drums but once those shrill vocals come in, things get a bit dark. The drums slay with intensity as the guitars shift through different tempos. The bass stands out at points that I can’t help but head bob to. Those damn vocals though, so fucking pissed (I love it). The momentum of the track hits all the checkmarks on my personal taste list, and if the French-to-English lyrical translation is correct, the words are quite poignant as well. I’m surprised it took me (Connor) so long to check this band out.

Below you will find embed links to each track/album we discuss in this episode. Bandcamp links, social media links, etc., are also provided for each artist. If you prefer to skip around to listen to a track/album discussion that intrigues you, below is the approximate timestamp for each artist we speak about in order of appearance. Thank you so much for tuning in.

Convulsif – 00:07:29

Rattleback – 00:27:14

Akhlys – 00:43:37

Soft Kill – 00:59:49

Clown Core – 01:21:51

Fuck The Facts – 01:44:20

Bonus Trash – 01:58:49