Gallhammer, Ill Innocence
Wow. Who wold have thought that desolate as fuck, crusty black metal like this could have come from three petite rockers from Japan. Ill Innocence feels like a wet towel wrapped around your head, slowly depriving you of oxygen — suffocating and bleak indeed. There is really a great deal of variety at play on this album’s 10 tracks, ranging from slow paced, churning alienation to writhing, seething blasts full of hatred and vitriol.
That said, Gallhammer certainly don’t confine themselves strictly to the black metal influences. There are a few moments fueled by punk aesthetics, industrial textures and primitive landscapes. Mika Penetrator on guitar and vocals shred on both ends, providing throbbing riffs and caustic screams and growls. Vivian Slaughter on bass contributes on vocals as well, while Risa Reaper lays down the law on drums, leaving a swath of destruction in her path.
At the Onset of the Age of Despair
The opening track starts off with some foreboding bass work that’s accompanied by an erie riff that sounds familiar, but still good nonetheless. The slowly paced, sludgy riffs continue as the scratchy lead vocals come in. This one has a great desolate and dark feel to it. Seven minutes and 50 seconds of anti-social black metal to start off the album.
Speed of Blood
A more energetic start to “Speed of Blood” is filled with pounding drums and an interesting bit of guitar work as the lead vocals shriek away. The hooks on this one are pretty aggressive and carry the listener along nicely. There’s a nice swirling effect to the guitars just before the two minute mark. The track ends abruptly with crunchy bass.
Blind My Eyes
I love the subtle opening to this next song before a really ice riff takes hold of the base of your neck and starts you head banging along with it. The initial barked lyrics are a bit of a change up from the previous tracks. The backing vocals on this one are a bit disarming at first, but after a few listens really compliment the main growls.
Delirium Daydream
“Delirium Daydream” starts off with a distorted alt rock feel before guttural barks join the softly spoken vocals. There is a decidedly despondent and apathetic feel to this one as the trio sludge through riff after riff. The track ends just as disjointed as it started.
Ripper in the Gloom
Acoustic guitar strumming and light bass starts off this four and a half minute track. Light drumming accompanies the acoustic elements till about the two minute mark before a brief silence falls. The band erupts from the break with thrash fueled metal mayhem complete with shredding guitar, pummeling drums and layered growls. The unrelenting pace continues until the end of the track.
Killed by the Queen
The shortest song on the album starts off quickly with more thrashing goodness dragged through toxic sludge. The lead growls join in quickly. There’s a great deal of thick, crusty bass lumbering in the background as the trio shifts tempos from plodding monstrosity to ramming speed. This is easily the most aggressive track on Ill Innocence.
Song of Fall
Ambient, spacey bass and guitar set the tone for this slowly developing track. The drums finally appear just after the 2 minute mark with thick, sludge plagued riffs. The lead vocals are a bit deeper and more guttural on this one. It’s a nice change from the mid-range stuff we’ve heard so far through the album. Overall, “Song of Fall” has a solemn and isolated feel to it. I love the crunching bass work that’s weaving its way around the rest of the band.
World to be Ashes
“World to be Ashes” starts off with thick bass and light guitar work that, for some reason or another, reminded me of the theme song to the Nightmare on Elm Street series. The bass gets amplified a bit at the one minute mark and thuds away as the lead growls really get going. This one is definitely a post-apocalyptic anthem, complete with erie backing vocals.
SLOG
Coming in at just over eight and a half minutes, “SLOG” is the longest track on the album. It starts off with thick bass and guitar squeals and reverb. Strategic drums hit hard to help accentuate key notes in the light start to this track. This track is more along the lines of something their Japanese brethren Boris may create. It’s dark and ambient drone for a solid five minutes before any form of vocals come in — and even then, they are distant wails and moans. Growls show up to accompany the moaning at the 6:00 mark for nearly a minute before the pace picks up abruptly with driving, chaotic drums. The explosion in noise quickly subsides and the familiar guitar and bass tone return until the song fades to an end.
Long Scary Dream
The final track on the album, an instrumental, starts off with rolling bass and light guitar work. The track slowly shifts into a dense and noisy affair with guitar squeals, crashing drums and thundering bass. The cacophony of sound doesn’t last long however as the trio tone it down again to more Boris-like drone. This was a great song to end the album with.
~ ~ ~
As I stated earlier in this review, I’m truly and pleasantly surprised with Gallhammer’s Ill Innocence. There’s a mature and aged sound to the album that one wouldn’t expect from three young Japanese women. The ferocity of the vocals, the thickness of the music and the disc’s production all work together to produce a desolate landscape more suited to the cold winters of the arctic than the bright lights of Tokyo. If you don’t already own this disc, get it. Now.
Favorite Tracks:
All of them
Additional Notes:
N/A