Didn’t we state many times over that those out-of-the-box records are really down the RMR upper echelon’s proverbial alley? Indeed we did. So why did Ashenspire‘s latest album not click right away when it was released?
Well, guess what? Extreme musings in many shades of dreary grey about concrete urban structures and social impurities really don’t work too well when the sun shines outside. In other words, July is summertime. Hot temperatures, nice breeze, beach bar, and fun. Not the time of year for us to dwell on the smelly dregs of urban lifestyles and sprawling crimes against the building code.
So, if anything, winter and colder, more reflective airs will suit better for such a record. That said, however, the issues Hostile Architecture broaches are real ones to many over on the British Isles. And these folks from Glasgow truly seem to live in an environment that gets worse every day. Especially after Brexit hit many areas of Britain really hard, made worse by a government that truly seems to have lost touch with reality.
But the second reason for the delay is way more severe. The band’s openly branding itself as RABM. That’s Radical Anarchist Black Metal to you. RMR policies don’t reflect kindly on extremism in any form. And that means left, right, religious, or any other such affliction.1 The jury is still out if Ashenspire will be going on a watchlist or become fodder for the dreaded banhammer.
Themes and political views may be one (negative) thing weighing on Hostile Architecture. The band’s clanging noize of abject aural musings is quite another. Ashenspire turned out to be masters of dissonance, uncannily adept at creating crazily tilted, multilayered soundscapes. It starts with Alasdair Dunn‘s shouting excesses that sometimes sound a tad overwhelming. Yet again, with the overall theme in mind, the anguished screams and wails are – indeed – spot on. But boy, these guys really like their drama.
And for once, it’s not outstanding guitar work that sold us. And how could it, the band employed their axes to drive the messaging, as opposed to dazzling us with musical prowess. Rough-hewn and straightforward, but nothing to write home to mama about. Instead, it’s the use of unusual instruments that made us listen up. The grouchy saxophone ringing out at odd moments with some urgency, for instance. The Hammered Dulcimer that found itself in the mix when you expect it least. Or the shrill, squeaky voice of the violin that haunts vast stretches of the record. All of that goes with discordant crescendoes that thunder down on you like a friggin’ avalanche you cannot escape.
Or take the experimental track How The Mighty Have Vision. A short blurb that lurches forward on an abundance of choral debauchery that would feel more at home in a musical than on a record. And Hostile Architecture contains more of that ilk, like Apathy as Arsenic Lethargy As Lead, or – again – the feisty Palimpsest. And sometimes, there’s real power behind all that often dissonant frenetic chaos unleashed unto us mere mortals. For instance, the essence of Hostile Architecture can be found in Cable Street Again. A dissonant tour-de-force that roars in on a thundering great progression. The grand finale of the record, if you will.
So, to put a tent around this deranged circus, let me make a confession. All that urban bullshit bingo so popular these days don’t sync with me. And for that reason, I was prepared to hate the record and send it to the deepest dungeons of the RMR oubliette. And yet. The hate evaporated once the RMR crew got its teeth into an experimental piece of undeniable quality.
The troubles Ashenspire describe are real for a great many people who won’t have any chance to break out and enjoy green pastures and fresh air. But more importantly, Hostile Architecture here created a record of truly experimental, almost avant-garde dimensions. A heartfelt metallic scream for relief from folks who lived there. And all that is expressed through exquisite meanderings fueled by authenticity and – indeed – true passion. Gotta stand up for what you stand for. And Ashenspire pulled this off beautifully.
Record Rating: 6/10 | Label: Code 666 | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 15 July 2022
- If you want to know, the last bands we called out were Whiskey Ritual and Belphegor before that. This time for alleged right-wing association. -Ed.-↩