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Angst Skvadron: Flukt

15/07/08 || Kampfar

If you are a familiar with Urgehal – a name that for some reason make me think of deep underwater fish, very ugly at it – you already know the name T. Nefas. Yep, Einsteinium Hawking, he is the main man and founder of Angst Skvadron, though here performing under the initials T.B. I have no fucking clue what the B stands for, and I doubt you care, but the important thing here is that Urgehal and Angst Skvadron are on different black metal planets, not some stupid initials. My bad, fuck society.

The music presented on “Flukt” is mid-tempo to slow black metal with no blasts whatsoever, black metal spiced with space and (some) playful ideas rather than virgin blood and goat penises I say. And, of course, misery and angst, but also some twisted humor, humor with a tumor. It should be enough to mention “The asteroid hemorrhoids and the drunken sailor” to prove me spot on, yet again. The just mentioned song is an instrumental that, thanks to the use of mini-Moog, has this (fucked up) ‘60’s/’70’s feel I really rather dig. Mini-Moog and whatnot are ever lurking, either beneath or just waiting to happen, but in no other song do the “non-metal” instrumentation/influences take the lead role. If you count out the intro, that is, one which sounds entirely made on a Commodore 64, a Sharp MZ-700, some shit like that.

It reminds me of a time I didn’t know the world was an STD infected hellhole, sweet, at least less bitter, times. Instrumental institutions and shattered illusions aside, here comes the rest of the review.

Mr. Nefas is an excellent bawler, not sporting the most distinct black metal rasp since Nattefrost, but his approach is top notch nonetheless. Passion and heart are keywords here, a tour-de-force rather than a tour-de-forced. On “Flukt”, however, you will not only hear him spit and sneer, close to, but “Negativitetens kveletak” has him going partly clean. Fear not, here is no fucking falsetto, but some half-singing/half-talking takes place. Fits very well, and the gal joining in later on makes the song even better, she being another one of them anti-Tarja’s I love. This one named Trine.

Angst Skvadron is not a one-man and a girl band, for behind the drums, and all over the electronics, we have L.F.F. Fuck initials yet again, and also society, for the important thing here is that Mr. Jack of quite some trades does his shit well. He handles the electronics, in contrast to many who spill them, and his drumming is fucking steady, no wankery, just plain “I’m here for the sake of the music” beats and kicks.

Since this is black metal I feel a need to point out that it, production-wise, doesn’t sound like utter shit and a cup of diarrhea. Well produced, balanced and with room for detail, yet hardly polished, is my fucking verdict. Phew, to dominate is hard work.

“Flukt” feels more like a fleshed out EP than a proper full-length, 6 songs if you count out the intro and outro, but I’m not complaining, and if you like your black metal with a twist, neither will you.

8 out of 10.

Information
Released: 2008
Label: Agonia Records
Website: Angst Skvadron MySpace
Band
T.B: vocals, guitar, bass, piano
L.F.F: drums, mini-Moog, arp axxe, Korg polysix, Hohner Clavinet D-6, mellotron
Trine Lise: vocals

Tracklisting
01. U.F.O (intro)
02. Silent night, alien night
03. A song to the sky
04. Negativitetens kveletak
05. The astroid haemorhoids and the drunken sailor
06. Slaves of mental distortion
07. Beyond Andromeda
08. Satan (outro)

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