Now here’s a name we have not heard in a while but things are very different from when we last did. It’s not surprising for artists to take a change of direction musically. Many do so as an aside to what they are already doing, think of Nergal and Me And That Man as a prime example. Completely about-facing whilst keeping the same name is a different affair though, no reason why Malefic aka Scott Conner would not do that having forged a fluid identity but make no mistake he has “declared his black metal days to be over.” Sure, it’s quite a shame as his work was unique forward thinking and innovative, albums such as ‘The Funeral Of Being’ and ‘Telepathic With The Deceased’ USBM / DSBM landmarks the likes of which we will have to get used to being concluded.
Things appear not to have been easy for him of late, losing his home and essentially couch surfing from place to place. It may not be as grim for him as the “victim” portrayed on the album cover but the one constant between the old and the new music (the bridge between being short lived project Nocturnal Poisoning) is that he is still a far from happy chappie, understandably so. So, what of the new and what form does it take? Well, it is described as Acid Folk, Doomgrass & Tech Folk so take from that as you will. Scott has gone a bit Donovan and down the singer songwriter rabbit hole here with tracks recorded pretty much live, with input from Christopher Hernandez and Joe, whoever exactly they are. Chris is attributed with vocals which are naturally clean and harmonic; nobody was expecting those ear-piercing eldritch screams here.
The album has no less than 22 tracks on it spanning a running time of 69 minutes. As it starts with ‘Same Old Suspects’ there are certain skewed guitar harmonies that seem to have been carried over from bygone days but after perhaps becoming accustomed to them or simply moving on this song seems to be one of the rarer examples of this. There’s quite a few instrumental interludes here and perhaps if not included the album may have been more accessible and compact. Quite honestly though they do breathe some light into things and give a break from deadbeat at dawn lyrical content and these Americana tales straight out the pages of someone such as Charles Bukowski or Hubert Selby Junior. The jangling likes of ‘Dust of What Was’ or ‘A Future To Fear” provide necessary breathing space. Hard drink, drugs and living tales may not be self-reverential, I have no idea on the lifestyle and habits of the author here but along with the somewhat weary and nasally vocals which are not particularly to my personal taste after a while this begins to wear the listener down. Unfortunately, there is so much of it remaining, the album leaves you feeling a bit trapped with no escape from it. In a way the timeless feel which sounds like it could have escaped from a past era at times gives it the air of a university protest album from the late 60’s and if that’s your bag all well and good.
A lot of people are going to find it all very pretentious, I’m personally trying to perceive who exactly the audience for this is and if it is listened to via online links who on earth is going to go out and actually buy it? I just can’t see it appealing to Scott’s previous black metal crowd but perhaps the dark paths it trawls through are perfect listening fodder for the depressives among us (even if not this particular one). I guess there’s an honesty too and the interest in blackened folk music be it from Panopticon, Grift and even King Dude is bound to have some crossover potential. I have just found it difficult to make my way through the whole album in one sitting although have not given up on each attempt. To be honest I can’t see me going back to it again in a hurry, if ever. Victims Of The Times is simply not an enjoyable listening experience; although I suspect that is the exact point of it.
(6/10 Pete Woods)
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