Language: English
Genre: Blackgaze
Label Number: FR32
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© 2013 Fienser Records
Review by Kim Kelly for Pitchfork.com
The so-called “red & black metal” or “anarchist black metal” movement forms a small but fascinating pocket in the extreme metal scene, one that stretches around the globe but seems to have burrowed in deepest in North America’s hills and hollers. Kentucky-turned-Minnesota one-man outfit Panopticon is perhaps the best-known proponent of combining left-leaning ideology with black metal fury, but Vancouverites Skagos are hot on his heels. They’ve even worked together on a 2010 split LP, but while Panopticon’s recent output sees Austin Lunn dealing with earthy topics like the Appalachian coal mining industry and its devastating effect upon his family’s home, Skagos prefer to wax ecological and wane mystical. They sing about destruction, elemental anguish, and man’s infinite insignificance amidst the heaving rage of a dying planet.
It’s not exactly Kropotkin, but then again, the atmospheric black metal duo does not currently claim a particular political affiliation (though their interest in the works of anarcho-primitivist Fredy Perlmea are well-documented). The album title is likely due more to the members’ past endeavors (bassist/vocalist Ray Hawes has done time in black/crust anarchists Iskra and nature-worshippers Fauna) and their obvious reverence for the natural world than their present inclusion in this green circle. Satan is not welcome here-- there is no room for fairy tales in Skagos’ world, and their decision to distance themselves from the trappings of traditional black metal ideology is made apparent in their music.
Anarchic is a sprawling composition, split into four movements and spread across a double LP. The first side is split almost evenly between graceful, shoegazey post-rock and blasts of black metal, and feels warm, organic, and careful. It begins with soft dreamy vocals, solo and in chorus, while lonesome notes occasionally ring out and tension builds until the track explodes into furious blastbeats and raw-throated howls.
The album’s only real misstep comes around 25 minutes in, when a lengthy spoken word piece takes center stage and segues into regrettably mewled half-chant that, as heartfelt as it undoubtedly is, comes across as amateurish and half-baked. Side B picks back up with a single drum, beating a muted tattoo amidst ambient noise before more lackadaisical shoegaze wanders in. The black metal section is a welcome distraction, and shows the band at the top of their game; their atmospheric inclinations are all well and good, but Skagos are most effective when they’re pouring their demons out into razor-edged riffs and snarling condemnations. The tempo soon slows to a true Norwegian crawl, and the vocals drip with muddy viscosity, layered to filthy perfection. Doomy, menacing, and finely in tune with the apocalyptic visions they preach, this section is the album’s best, and the following near-acoustic passage, with its punchy little drum fills and shimmery notes, falls slightly flat in its wake. The rest of the song (there are still seven minutes left at this point) alternates between dark and light, and finishes on the same near-silent acoustic note we met at the journey’s beginning.
Skagos don’t mind being slapped with the “Cascadian black metal” tag-- given that they’re genuinely based in the Northwest, one can see why-- and their black metal moments do show similarities to the cyclical, rough-edged melodic style of Ash Borer, Alda, or even Wolves in the Throne Room, but it’s unfair to paint them with the same wide brush. With Anarchic, they've crafted an impressive, varied, and unique piece of work, one that’s not without its flaws, but that offers a bounty of rewards along its way.
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