IXXI - Elect Darkness Review
by Mark Hensch
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Straight from the bowels of Hell comes Elect Darkness, the latest from Stockholm, Sweden's cleverly named IXXI. Filthy, hallucinogenic and raw, the disc combines Stockholm's penchant for gritty, fetid death metal with the more typical Scandinavian proclivity towards black metal. Rounding out IXXI's sonic identity are moments of hypnotic ambience, the likes of which are both mesmerizing and horrifying. At its core, Elect Darkness is a ghostly slab of black metal, a terrifying manifesto buried in hazy atmospherics and putrid guitars.
Given that IXXI is the Roman numeral equivalent of 9/11 such a style is perhaps unsurprising. The guitars are billowing but foggy, charging ahead like dense clouds of dust. For its part, the rhythm section blasts ahead like a mechanized vehicular assault. Last but not least, frontman Totalscorn's vocals are some of the most chaotic I have heard, alternating between rasping growls, shrieking howls, and bellowing sing-songs. The end result is a cacophony that suits the band's message, the whole package sounding like the competing noises of the modern world at war. It is a theme which IXXI captures well.
Elect Darkness begins with the chilling "Underworld." The song begins with a gradual descent through walls of ringing guitar notes and steadily-increasing claustrophobia. It eventually launches into a smoky rhythm of doom and gloom, being both methodically slow and blackest dark. The end result is a frigid, dirty metal anthem which produces numbness and apathy through its icy atmosphere.
Following this is the molten "Western Plagues," the likes of which thumps along like the treads of a tank before exploding into a furious collection of mud-slinging riffs. Furthering this aura of frenzy and filth are the vocals, all of which sound like a pack of rabid dogs fighting each other.
The chugging "Southern Tribes," meanwhile, is a swirling vortex of sludgy riffs which hover in the air with palpable menace. Half Meshuggah, half recent Satyricon, the entire affair is all wicked.
For its part, the album's title track is equally gripping. Subtle but stabbing melodies are buried under massive piles of toxic guitar tones, the likes of which are so slow that the tremolo-melodies sound like the bursting of thick sewage bubbles. At one point the churning glop literally morphs into a crawl, all before overflowing again with a stinking, vile moment of blackest rock and roll.
Last but not least, the mighty "Vindicator" swings between the ethereal netherworld and the brutality of the Earth. The riffs are more straightforward here, giving the song a pulverizing quality that separates it from the majority of the album.
Elect Darkness is a solid effort. Familiar enough to be comfortable yet original enough to be fresh, it is a well-crafted piece of black 'n roll which should please fans of Vreid, modern Satyricon and the like. Though decidedly menacing, the whole album is a lot of fun too, and well worth checking out. Pick this up should the chance arise.
IXXI's Elect Darkness
Underworld
Western Plagues
Southern Tribes
Sinrush
Beyond the Rupture
Elect Darkness
Enthusiasm
Eastern Minions
Northern Floods
Vindicator
A Bitter Lesson
CD Info and Links
IXXI - Elect Darkness Rating:8.0
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