How excited one gets in regards to Subliminal Genocide depends entirely on what side of the fence you stand when it comes to Xasthur‘s prolific works. Over the past 10 years, Malefic has produced two EP’s, six splits, three demos, and now five full-length records, all following his tried-and-true formula of trance inducing, graven, suicidal black metal.
To an unfamilar ear, the differences between each Xasthur release would likely be best described as SUBTLE. All of Malefic’s recordings feature the following in varying degrees: a primitive, lo-fi production; simple rhythms delivered by a drum machine; buzzing, often-discordant guitars; yowled & tortured vocals; and loads of cavernous, frozen keyboard atmospherics. Honed to near perfection over the years, these elements have in turn given much of Malefic’s work a true sense of being buried alive, and not being overly bummed about such a fate. Subliminal Genocide takes this to another level.
Production wise, Malefic’s latest is still as lo-fi as ever, but the mix is much cleaner compared to his pre-2003 material. The record also takes a few tiny steps towards being more adventurous, shrouding things with a bit more lunacy –– the guitar work is even more jangled and discordant, and Malefic’s miserably distressed vocals somehow reach new levels of glumness, really adding to the helplessness of the overall mood.
But the most noticeable shift on Subliminal Genocide has to do with the fact that things very often slow to a painfully doomish, gloomish drone, something Malefic seems to have taken a serious interest in lately. “Beauty is Only Razor Deep,” “Trauma Will Always Linger” and the fantastic “Arcane and Misanthropic Projection” all represent some of Xastur’s most drudgingly sepulchral material since Funeral of Being.
Long-time fans might wince at the fact that Xasthur has made the jump to a “hip” label such as Hydra Head, but rest assured, absolutely NOTHING about this record has made a shift to more palatable waters. Subliminal Genocide is just as suffering, suffocating and suicidal as ever, so get ready to hole up in your deadly cave, cover those windows with tinfoil, and get your neighbors to worryin’.
