This hard to pronounce Belgian trio burst pretty much from out of nowhere back in 2015 with the 1st part of their conceptual trio of albums ‘De doden hebben het goed’. Anyone who heard it knew that great things lay ahead for this collective with ties to The Church Of Ra, Amenra and Oathbreaker among others and labels certainly began sitting up and paying attention too. By the third part Century Media had bagged the goods and the visceral multi-layered textures that the band spat out with such stunning precision had been witnessed live and left many jaws hitting the floor as they manipulated the banks of effects peddles on the floor and ravaged venues that could hardly contain their sound. Now unshackled from the trilogy it is time to move onto something fresh with the literary sounding ‘There’s Always Blood At The End Of The Road’ and if that title gives you visions of a world lying in ruins ala Cormac McCarthy, you are certainly not alone.
If you are looking for an extreme and intense whirlwind ride at the start of the year this is guaranteed to deliver the goods. In fact, the first time I played it with company, we all just sat there stunned and pretty much speechless as it flew out the speakers at a velocity that wasn’t far from being beyond comprehension. If anything, Wiegedood have managed to up the tempo to even more extreme levels with an album its creators describe as “the most uncomfortable record so far.” “It’s once again faster than anything we’ve done before, and more unforgiving than the whole trilogy combined.” Indeed, the complete and utter violence and devastation wrought by the opening and closing tracks here is second to none and it is no surprise that these numbers have been unleashed as the singles. It’s not all flat out between and although there are massive surges to be found, the more experimental nature of the band is able to break through giving the listener the best of both worlds.
‘FN Scar 16’ is apparently a tactile carbon weapon capable of firing 100 rounds a minute. The song spits out bullets with a cyclic raging riff chattering away and destroying everything in range. It’s simply unrelenting vehemence and like its namesake guaranteed to blow the shit out of everything it encounters. It’s as simple as that and as it tumbles into the Albert Camus inspired ‘And in Old Salamano’s Room, the Dog Whimpered Softly’ you will find yourself gasping for breath as the contorting punishment spirals away. Implements drop out allowing this and the snappy vocals to rise with force in place of the fretful guitars. With the drums thumping away and the atmosphere brooding it’s still mightily effective. Vocal moans are strange and the whole structure of things meanders on an unsettling pathway, into the arcane punk and grind of ‘Noblesse Oblige Richesse Oblige.’
‘Until It Is Not’ has strident and commanding lines, melodically thrusting in a rough and tumble furrow into electronic bass noise. A passage of keyboard temporarily disrupts time and space as ‘Now Will Always Be’ gently takes form and Levy Seynaeve employs some mesmerising throat-singing perfectly in co-ordination with both the groove of the guitars and accompanying throaty rasps. The album really keeps you on your toes, there’s lots going on in it, the lack of between track pauses really allowing it flow, draw you in, hypnotise and then spit you out leaving you feeling completely energised. The material must be fantastic live and begs to be played in entirety. Unfortunately, Covid has already seen March dates scuppered and we have to wait patiently for this to be hopefully staged in the future. For the meantime this is going to command repeated listens as it utterly confounds and continues to unveil its intricacies such as the devilish ‘Nuages’ sounding like Rimsky Korsakov being attacked by a whole hive of bumblebees, taking flight and being stung to death. As for that last waltz on the ‘Carousel’ encounter it below and hang onto your hat. 2022 has arrived with a wallop, one can only pray it’s not as tumultuous as this album, if it is we are all totally fucked!
(9/10 Pete Woods)
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