Xasthur
Subliminal Genocide

Browsing here and there on DeBaser, I came across a curious fact: on a site like this, constantly changing, where everything is reviewed from the terracqueous globe to the hairs of one's own butt hole, there isn't a single decent line on what is perhaps the pinnacle of Mr. Xasthur: I'm referring to "Subliminal Genocide" (2006). But in the end, I understand you: the musical proposal of the misanthropic Scott Conner is not easy to digest, it's constantly beside you offering the rope with the noose, and eventually, one accepts it for real. However, the void needed to be filled, even though another has appeared...inside me.

First of all, let's clarify that the basic mix is always the same: some sort of True Depressive Suicidal Fucking Black Metal (call it what you want) jam-packed with blood-curdling screams, guitars distorted to the point of nausea, drum machines that primarily settle on a mid-tempo, and mournful and venomous keyboards. So, what does this work have that allows it to rise above other chapters of Xasthur's works, an artist notoriously prolific? Well, sooner said than done: just to name one thing, after the intro "Disharmonic Convergence" (dark, unhealthy, marked by piano and ghostly choirs) comes the Apocalypse, "The Prison Of Mirrors": an incredibly long track (over 12 minutes), harrowing, desperate, a metaphor for an entire existence, where at first one writhes in agonizing spasms and in the end (listen to the final three minutes) one sinks and fades out like a small flame. Perhaps Mr. Conner's best piece ever, certainly one of the highlights of its genre.

Given the premises, it's inevitable that the album then dips a bit; in any case, it remains at an excellent level, between Jeremiah-like lamentations ("Beauty Is Only Razor Deep"), rending melancholy ("Loss And Inner Distortion") and more furious fragments (like the title-track), all interspersed with short instrumental songs ("Pyramid Of Skulls", for example) which are meant to calm the stormy waters and slow down the suffocation of the listener. Naturally, in a work like this, characterized by the repetition of minimal riffs and an almost insurmountable sonic wall of rhythmic guitars, the melodic insights that rise above the primordial and ferocious chaos are essential, and Xasthur hits the mark here too. Also noteworthy is the decidedly improved production, though without becoming (fortunately) crystal-clear or ethereal (which would be an unforgivable crime).

You either love or hate Xasthur. Those who belong to the first category can count on an album that certainly does not stand out for originality, but it doesn't matter: they should know instead that they will have in their hands a boiling concentrate of raging hate and desperation that unfolds for over an hour, impressing like few other works, and causing your heart to drip black. Xasthur has ceased to exist, but if I had to choose his testament...I would choose this. I would choose "Subliminal Genocide".