Otaru
Negative Reflections

“Negative Reflections” by Otaru is a self-produced all-Italian album that draws on the Melvins, sludge metal, and instrumental noise rock. It starts with “Aeon,” a kind of Melvin-like intro more devoted to the drone metal part of the American combo, featuring only an ultra-distorted fuzz bass without drums. The interesting part of the album then comes with “Butterfly” and “Drunk,” a sort of electrifying and stunning noise rock with their breakneck changes and out-of-control distortions. “Filth,” the fourth track, is an atmospheric play with a background of storm or rushing water where a clean bass subtly oscillates between drone and ambient. “Void” (7’24”) is a mass of smoky and repetitive stoner/doom that stuns and disorients the listener with its wealth of ideas (I take a pinch of stoner metal, then a handful of noise and four grains of sludge, and I stuff my cake with them) but the track that’s worth listening to the album is the last one, “Witch,” seven minutes and forty-four seconds with an alien arpeggio then exploded with chords (still on bass but who will notice the difference with a guitar?) and is then derailed with chopped and twisted riffs in the name of sacred noise. Enjoy listening.

otaru.bandcamp.com