Tulus - Biography Obscene Review
by Mark Hensch
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The story of Oslo, Norway's Tulus goes something like this. Formed in 1993, the black metal power trio quickly earned an underground reputation for mildly adventurous black metal with plenty of groove. The 90s wound down with the band's output waning a bit, and soon enough vocalist/guitarist Blodstrup left with drummer Sarke. In 2000 the two created Khold, a more straightforward version of their signature black metal groove machine. With that band going on hiatus, it was seemingly only a matter of time before an extra chapter was penned for the Tulus story.
Enter 2007's Biography Obscene. For a band that hasn't had a new release since 1999, Biography Obscene is a fun, quirky gem of an album. Regardless of which song one chooses it seems the order of the day remains quick blasts of grooving black metal interspersed with clever yet elegant folk flourishes. This provides a combination familiar enough that it is gripping, and novel enough that it is fresh. In all honesty, only the most elitist and close-minded black metal fans will be unable to have fun with this one.
Opening cut "Prelude" begins with a velvety violin introduction before exploding into a wall of murky grooves. Gottskalk of Old Man's Child provides the thumping bass lines on offer here, backed by the swaying percussion of Sarke and Blodstrup's tearing barks. The icing on the cake here is a section of furious blasting backing guest singer and Goth metal luminary Sarah Jezebel Deva, whose hypnotic cadences lead into a final rendition of soaring strings.
All of this merely sets the stage for "Natal Day," the likes of which fuses moody piano keys with sinister grooves. Everything is kept simplistic but tight, like a well-oiled old car that still rattles with barely contained energy. In what is arguably the album's crowning moment, an extended piano jam leads into a mammoth groove, the likes of which is supplanted by a brilliantly executed flamenco progression. Put bluntly, when the blastbeats and blistering guitars kick back in again, I dare anyone not to headbang along with the wickedness Tulus has crafted here.
"Stories Untold" weaves melancholy violins into a tapestry of punk 'n roll BM. Listening to it is like witnessing a battle between classicism and modernity. At some points the classical strings appear to be winning, at others the slag of black metal's carpet-bombing prowess.
"Victim" channels vague Slayer idioms into its own unique formula, crafting a hybrid that features the anarchy of thrash slowed into the spite of black metal. As it works itself into frenzy, the song eventually tires and coalesces into a churning maelstrom of skittering tremolo-melodies and eerie keys all before changing back again.
"Chamber's Disgust" is straightforward 1990s blastbeat black metal, at least at first. It soon breaks down into swinging riffs and somber piano elegies, the fusion of it all a gloriously restrained excersize in chaos.
"Allow No Light" wallows in its own doom, the song's filthy, menacing chords providing a truly depressing backdrop for some creepy strings. Out of this there emerges a simultaneously epic but grim anthem, the likes of which provides the best examples of how much mastery Tulus has over its own undercurrents of venomous groove.
"Morbid Curiosity," meanwhile, sways with all the malicious intent of a mid-paced Darkthrone classic. It briefly stops, only to erupt once more with some relaxed brutality of high quality.
"Demise" sounds like a slower, blackened Motorhead, its gradually pummeling guitars drifting past on a cushion of punk-influenced drumming. The song next regresses into a surprising concoction of hateful guitars and grimy saxophone, a gnarly twist indeed.
"Biography Obscene" almost throws too many of these surprises at listeners in contrast. It launches into a slightly jarring jumble of blasting black metal, rising saxophone catcalls, and girly vocals. As weird it is, it must be noted that it provides not only the album's title but its last moment of hyperactive evil as well.
The reason for this is closing cut "Torches Quenched." "Quenched" oozes in on horror-movie pipe organs before slowly slashing its way through various realms of haymaker grooves, thrash melodies, and plenty of evil.
If people found Khold's atavistic black metal stomp a bit too primal and primitive, Tulus likely offers a reasonable solution. As stated before, the music on offer here has one foot firmly in the familiar, and another in the avant-garde. Add in some legitimate catchiness and there's plenty worse black metal out nowadays then this. I recommend it.
Tulus' Biography Obscene
1. Prelude
2. Natal Day
3. Stories Untold
4. Victim
5. Chamber's Disgust
6. Allow No Light
7. Morbid Curiosity
8. Demise
9. Biography Obscene
10. Torches Quenched
CD Info and Links
Tulus - Biography Obscene Rating:8.0
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