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Alpinist: Lichtlærm

24/10/11 || Habakuk

Southern Lord Records have made themselves a name being the host for bands that scream a gargling HEAVY into your face in various ways. Among those are Nails, Earth, or Wolves In The Throne Room, to name a few. And I reckon it’s not exactly a coincidence that the linked reviews were written by our former resident specialist for intelligent / heady / extreme / “there’s more to it” music (Khlysty, may God have mercy on his soul), as this appears to be Southern Lords’s home turf.

And it is in this spirit of commemoration that I write these words: Here is an album that Khlysty would enjoy. Alpinist, one of about two German bands on said label and whose two LPs are now getting re-released together there, seem to follow the same path of using music as a means to shove ideas down the listeners throats with extreme (in the musical sense) prejudice, rather than simply seeing it as a vehicle for …songs – The mere music (pah!) isn’t always central. With Alpinist’s approach to a Converge-like hardcore sound (it’s probably “post” – it’s always “post” with these bands), it’s hard to even compare them to bread-and-butter metal or rock, as their whole agenda seems fundamentally opposite to escapist or self-serving music and lyrical content.

With stomping drumming and super-fat, wooly guitars plus bass often swirling into dissonant passages and hysterical screaming for vocals, this is made to make you feel uneasy and look beyond the surface, but it keeps a certain edge and crusty (post?-) catchiness, even a few guitar solos, that still makes it possible and even enjoyable to just (puh-leeze!) listen to this, although it doesn’t seem to be the attitude these guys want first and foremost.

The lyrics actually seem to originate from that same uneasiness they try to evoke – why else would they add an English description to their often German lyrics? Here’s an example that shows why Germans are so good at this; this is what two self-provoked and lost world wars do to your national pride generations afterwards:

What the press used to call “positive patriotism” during this year’s football world cup doesn’t really exist. There’s flag waving assholes and there’s people that are pissed off by that. But what really did change when everyone started dressing like German-clowns? Haven’t all these people been nationalist fucks before? Didn’t we always know that ten Germans are more stupid than five?

It’s this kind of angsty anti-conformism, disillusion and radical doubt enriched by some sociological terms (these guys must be college students) that permeates the album and gives it a feel of being a vent for everything that is wrong or feels wrong to the band – and no matter if you agree with them or not on “German-clowns”, cold-beer or whatever, the urgency provided by this can be observed. At times it can be excruciating or strenuous to listen to, at times very rewarding, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. If you’re looking for some honest music (of all things), this album is one to go for.

7.5

Information
Released: 2010/2011
Label: Phobiact Records / Southern Lord
Website: Alpinist MySpace
Band
Julian: vocals, guitars
Flo: vocals, guitars
Benny: vocals, bass
Hendrik: drums

Tracklist
01. Deliberate
02. Rogen
03. AIDT
04. Licht
05. Yarncarrier and break
06. Neverest
07. Project fatigue
08. The cursed word open-minded
09. Hak Nam
10. Lærm

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