Frail (not the legendary 90s band) are a Virginia-based band that, apparently, mix non-metal sounds with black metal not dissimilar to Amesoeurs does (or did, as Neige has stated they're shedding their metallic elements in favor of a post-punk direction.) Here's a first-time-listen-play-by-play.
Their Brilliant Darkness demo cassette opens with a somewhat soothing cut titled "Bleeding the Sea," which contains approximately zero blast beats, screeching, or distortion. Instead, mellow and clean guitar tones and subtle synths dance under whispered vocals. It's the aural equivalent of a pleasantly foggy day. "Enter Insane"'s opening sounds are somewhat desolate, but similarly subdued and acessible. The whispers are becoming more and more hoarse. So far this record is like Fenriz confessing the longitme influence of The Cure's Disintegration record and clearly indicating this in a Darkthrone album-- which is hardly a bad thing. Sure enough, now the vocals are shrouded in reverb as they become full-on black metal.
Motion gets going when "Crooked Necks and Uneven Strides" cruises into a lo-fi, but still melodic midtempo part that is indeed reminiscent of Amesoeurs, but more in concept than in direct sound. Now, the vocals imply the singer has fallen down a well, and in order to cut the vocals the other band member has had to lower the mic as far down it can go-- and it ends up being a bit short. Again, the mellow guitar and tasteful synth backing provide excellent atmosphere.
Finally, "Disemboweling the Soul" sustains the beautifully melancholic aura of the previous songs with a steady bass line and simple guitar melodies. The vocalist has crawled a bit up the well now, but his vocals still have a wonderfully "hushed" sound about them. In the last minute of the song, the keys seem to indicate light fading and coldness coming.
It may not be Ruines Humaines 2, but Brilliant Darkness is an enjoyable listen. The four songs manage to evoke a similar but ultimately more pleasant soundscape. Where Neige and crew apply spikey melody, double-bass drumming and an overall sense of urban decay and misery, the two gents of Frail are content to create a deviously sublime mix of lo-fi mystique and semi-shoegazey atmosphere.
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-Asa
3 comments:
I bought this cassette about four months ago at Aquarius Records in San Francisco. It's pretty awesome. Like newer Hypothermia and Caina, most any and all traces of metal are completely removed from this release. I don't know if that's good or bad, but I like it. Anyone check out that Hopeless demo?
this is seriously fucking good. thanks for posting.
i was pretty let down by this tape. all the descriptions sounded way better than this tape actually was...
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