By Jools Green
Release: 5 July 2024 (Transcending Obscurity Records)
Given that experimental outfit Malconfort, are named after the track from Avant-garde Black Metal band Deathspell Omega’s 2010 Paracletus album it should be no surprise that this is a somewhat unusual band and their debut offering Humanism is a somewhat unusual album.
The members are from Atmospheric Black Metal/Noise/Industrial outfit Sea Mosquito and Black Metal band Amaltheia, so you can expect some subtle signature sound similarities and they describe their endeavours as “formed from jams which disgusted our Black Metal friends” so they also have a sense of humour too, the best description I can think of is that it’s a Black ‘n’ Jazz inspired enigma wrapped in chaos and smothered in a bonkers but groovy off kilter vibe, one thing it definitely isn’t is boring or unoriginal, it’s quite the opposite and the more you listen the more it grows on you, it’s very free-form and Jazzy and definitely progressive, the link to Black Metal is tenuous but it is lurking in there, it’s also an addictive listen which should appeal to fans of Ved Buens Ende, Oranssi Pazuzu, early Emptiness and obviously Deathspell Omega.
Humanism delivers six tracks, spanning twenty-nine well-filled minutes opening with Compulsion (Ecstasy) which delivers a catchy meld of acidic, indecipherable screamed vocals, syncopated back beats and sharp jazzy riffs, both of which are key repeating factors across this album, alongside groovy leadwork swathes, briefly ebbing back to echoey riffs and distant spoken vocals before resuming the earlier path.
Dark hypnotic rhythms with a sinister leaning open the next piece, Cruelty (Elation), the whispered spoken word and a hunting melody give this piece a darker mood, intensified by a wave of building tremolo picking before dropping into an abyss of noise and acidic and clean but sinister spoken elements the repeat guitar melody and steady drum beat are like an (Elated) release from the earlier part of the track.
One of my favourite pieces on this album, Stain (Fantasy) is rhythmically sinister to open with superb acidic blackened vocals that have a deranged protraction to their delivery, they eventually make way for more of those sinister spoken lyrics and the sharp blackened riffing that has been steadily building across the track eventually gives way to a hauntingly reflective swathe of closing leadwork.
Hugely engaging swathes of leadwork course over heady drum rhythms and spoken word on Rage (Indulgence) another favourite with me, it pauses midway before presenting a different, darker more intense aural vista with acidic crazed vocals, sharp riffs which gradually open out into something a little more fluid and even more intense, closing on a disturbingly tormented vocal segment.
Carnivore (God) is one of those tracks that sneaks up on you, initially somewhat stark, just drum beats and sparse guitar, making it almost laid back, alongside vocal whispers, giving it a with a touch of the eerie, but the intensity and complexity develop gradually as the track progresses with the vocals turning to screams, a hypnotic piece.
Final piece Inertia (Condense), like every piece on this album, has two sides to it, initially groovily hypnotic, a builder like its predecessor, with steady drum rhythms, gentle drone, guitar and whispers, then as the vocals turn to aggressive spoken ones, the guitars become jangly and oppressive, the sound becoming smothering and all-encompassing briefly so if your attention has dared to drift, at this point you’ll be dragged back into focus again, then, finally ebbing back to its former level to the close of the track.
Humanism is an addictively quirky offering and a fascinatingly engaging listen end to end. The unusual and very modern style artwork fits the music perfectly and was created by Nuun Studio.
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