Search - Xasthur :: Subliminal Genocide

More... (I also happen to like it)

77Jim | Philadelphia PA | 10/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Subliminal Genocide is another consistant, well crafted release from a respectable underground artist. It bears practically all of the elements Xasthur has previously established himself with and it offers more. More... plain and simple. I personally have no qualms with "more" and Genocide does not rock the boat on the quality front so I see no need to alert the Black Metal "Quality Control Police."



I would think many people into music would have legitimate reason to mildly envy guys like Xasthur, Leviathan, Sapthuran etc. They are able to take the darkest ideas and emotions from the sweet spot of their brains and translate them into physical, transportable plastic disks for others to hear. Angry guys alone in a basement somewhere making angry art and seizing the tools at hand to fine tune and deliver it... all in this awful modern era of George W. Bush. From their complex logos and artwork to the song titles, album intros and liner notes... it's all crafted with attention to detail. It's VERY cool stuff and quite respectable if you ask me. Even that Leviathan album of "demos" offers interesting moments worth investigating... takes me back to when I first discovered SST records / Black Flag as a teen. Something to get excited about... check these guys out."

Better than I initially expected...

Internal Abbatoir | Albuquerque, NM | 09/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I will admit that upon listening to the leaked promo of "Subliminal Genocide" I was disappointed with what seemed to be an album full of b-sides from To Violate the Oblivious. When all is said and done, Subliminal Genocide surpasses Xasthur's last two albums. People who are already fans of Xasthur's music will not be disappointed here because Xasthur remains "trve" to his original vision. Of course, if you have heard this band before, then you should know what to expect here -- reverb drenched discordant guitars and processed vocals. It is pretty much impossible to hear what Xasthur is playing with these dreadful mixes. What is different here is that the production is once again muddy and dirty. However, it is still a step above the first three records. In the end, this seems to be the culmination of Xasthur's sound, and quite possibly Malefic's fully realized vision for this band. These songs are bleak and dissonant. It sounds like you are moving through the consciousness of a really messed up, demented person on the verge of (hahaha, you guessed it) committing suicide. The songs play out like a slow moving funeral procession. They start with a raw distorted riff and go through a breakdown and start up once again just when you think the nightmare is over. The riffs are still grim, cacophonic, and dark. They are processed through fuzz, reverb, and whatever else Malefic decides to pile on top. The ominous keryboards are still present, but they are mixed low. The drums on the last Xasthur record were more in your face, but they seem to be buried here.



In the end, this album is grim and dirty. It seems that Malefic is finally starting to get some recognition (possibly due to his appearance on Black 1?). But, this music is still guaranteed to polarize most listeners, so people who are worried about this no longer being "kvlt" should just relax. I don't think you are going to see Xasthur on Ozzy's second stage anytime soon, but of course I could be wrong (if he permanently joins Sunn o))), that is). However, I think that Subliminal Genocide pushes Xasthur's sound to the limit. I would like to see Malefic go into a "completely" different direction on his next release... Because, even though this is another strong offering of trance inducing black metal, there is nothing new here.



Edit (January, 2007):



I have to admit that the more I listen to "Subliminal Genocide" the more I am impressed. This is without a doubt Malefic's best material yet. Sure, Nocturnal Poisoning was a fine album and all, but after listening to Subliminal Genocide over and over again for the past five months, I am only beginning to pick up on the sheer amount of detail and effort that went into this release. Malefic is the Kevin Shields of the black metal world. No doubt.



And for the people who call this "black metal for normals:" Let me ask you this, are there any bands out there that really sound like this? Of course, you could say Manes and Mütiilation but, as far as I am concerned, Malefic has evolved Xasthur into his own distinguished vision over the past couple of years. Subliminal Genocide is a testament to this vision... This IS a strong release. You want "black metal" for normals? Check out Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth. Like I said before, Xasthur has remained true to his original vision. There are no valid reasons to call him a sell out other than the fact that he jumped onto Hydra Head records where, according to Malefic, he could make music without the usual record company hassles. Sure, it is a "hipster" label, but who really cares when the releases are still as strong as this?"

CONTRA MUNDUM

Christopher Krause | Long Island, New York | 10/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Two words can summarize Xasthur's Subliminal Genocide: Contra Mundum.



Every scream is a vitriolic spout of complete frustration, loneliness and contempt against this world. Within Malefic's damning screams is also a incredible sense of powerlessness, self-loathing and suicidal passion. While other black metal groups might express rage and hatred against the ideals of a world where fashion and falsity is more important than truth and reality, where the idiotic and mediocre are celebrated while the intelligent and skeptical are condemned as social parasites - Xasthur's expression of discontent is very personal in nature and has to do with the feeling of suffocation, isolation and desolation in enduring the tedious and cold nature of living in a diseased society.



Subliminal Genocide is a journey into the darkest excesses of the human consciousness. To me it seems Malefic awoke one day (every day) to find himself as a 'monstrous vermin' who must have been abandoned by humanity just as Samsa was. Malefic is Sisyphus fully aware that his life is being spent pushing boulders up hills only to have them roll down again. The sound of Subliminal Genocide is the Metamorphosis of man to vermin, a vermin that is hated, discarded or hunted by the hostile and indifferent culture that surrounds it. The sound you are hearing in this album is the stream of consciousness of that Vermin, of Samsa, of Sisyphus, the existential drama unfolding, the manifestation of fear, confusion and unmatched loneliness. We observe this consciousness when all hope is lost and the only solution to stem the constant feeling of desolation is voluntary death. Subliminal Genocide is a final and bitter reflection on this world, before the plunge into nonexistence inspired by overwhelming strangulation of conformity to mundane and grubby creeds.



Subliminal Genocide plays like an abysmal, melodic funeral march through winter, crafted by discordant guitars and the fading heartbeat of a mechanical drum machine which at times turns into a thunderous, muffled tachycardia. Over this horrible and depressing sound come the agony filled bellows of Malefic in some of the longest and most sorrowful screams you will hear in black metal. Beautiful and memorizing interludes are immediately suffocated by bassy blast beats and fuzzy, overwhelming guitar work. A claustrophobic, terrifying, shamanistic experience, Subliminal Genocide will defiantly raise the heart rate (if not kill you) if listened to properly on high quality speakers in complete darkness.



Within this existential dream, the subliminal genocide, Malefic can exact his callous revenge, but in the real world, he is powerless and alone."