A release appeared in October 2020 and followed this Austrian band’s debut ‘Shareholder Of Shit’ released in February of 2020 both of which were pressed onto picture discs. The band defies categorisation on the five tracks here, something that was manifest on the earlier release too. However here the band has taken the sludge and sort of cleaned it up, but retained the dense asphyxiation.
‘Nuclear Extinction To Human Civilsation’ opens the release and immediately you are thrust into a suffocating opacity where the slow sludge filled pacing is backed by a guitar riff that chugs in the background before surrendering for post rock soundbites that appear briefly. There is a torturous quality to how this begins as though luring you in ready for the title track. The uplift in tone allows the catchy riff to possess an element of groove and for some reason I was scribbling down the band Helmet before I even thought about it. The riff has that catchy quality, short, to the point and instilled with a sense of melody.
With spoken sample initiating ‘The Bureaucrat’ the song has a sinister aura, before adopting a slight crust purpose on the riff that follows. In places this song reminded me of early The Ocean material due to the penetrating density but when they switch the guitar riffing to straight up crust you have a song that is as wildly varied as possible without the different parts sounding like they were bolted together. Again ‘Waste Of Life’ is extremely different to the preceding numbers, the opening riff is melodically infused before it crashes in with an anarcho-punk drive that appeared with acts such as Amebix, but with a core hostility infused with death metal pacing the song is violent, melodic and progressive in equal measures as fans of bands like Iron Monkey, Neurosis will certainly appreciate what Desolat are accomplishing here.
Closing is the brilliantly titled ‘Dreams Of Slaughtered Yuppies Under Starlit Night Skies’, as the album returns to sludge machinations. The repetitious nature of the song is hypnotic as each drum hit feels like it is imploding your chest. An expected riff change appears but only in the last minute as the song drives towards its conclusion with monstrous heaviness.
Extremity and melody partnered brilliantly here as this Austrian band perfects their sonic onslaught with songs that ooze malevolence but also harness a sense of dexterity too.
(8/10 Martin Harris)
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