It’s never a comfortable or enjoyable experience when we’re forced to contend with the things that ail us in order to find a path toward healing. For example, exposure therapy for someone suffering from anxiety consists of confronting our fears that contribute to that state in order for the experiences to become more normal so our difficulties can lessen over time. It works, but it sucks.
That same thing can be true for contemplation and reflection after going through a period of darkness, something this is slathered all over “Catharsis,” the new record from Portuguese post-metal trio Music in Low Frequencies. So, just to address the obvious elephant in the room, their acronym is MILF, but don’t let that fool you into thinking their music isn’t deadly serious. The band—vocalist/synth player Mariana Faísca, guitarist Sergio Ferreira, drummer Diogo Machado do Vale—brings abject heaviness and sobering realities with this, their second full-length, and the journey they take to address the issues that have caused such darkness is enriching and powerful.
“Web of Questions” starts with the guitars slicing in, shrieks punching, and a burly, bruising pressure building that threatens to maim. Melodies also roam as the playing lathers with energy, fires rage and then settle, and then the crunch makes an impact as heavy breathing gasps. Synth spins off, sending the energy to the cosmos, spacious guitars exhale, and everything ends in thick sludge. “Unborn Pride” is sooty with throaty howls barreling, the air being pumped in generous proportions. Shrieks rain down as a hardcore-smeared approach adds to the bruising, getting tougher as the playing mangles, adding thorny jolts that leave blood on the floor. “Steel” is melodic and fierce, howling swimming through gutting guitars, a muddy force flexing its muscle. Muddy playing does bruising as the growls open up stomachs, torching with punishing, yet atmospheric tenacity.
“The Right Way” basks in synth beams, forceful singing, and a battering force that hangs in the air. A clip from Carl Sagan’s “A Pale Blue Dot” works into your psyche, and out of that is a menacing, emotional swell complete with throaty howls and brutal savagery that leaves charred bones. “Unconsciousness” ramps up and has clean singing, vicious bursts tearing through bone, guitars hovering and bringing alien-like heaviness. Fiery wails and shrieks hammer flesh, guitars flood, and the carnage is washed away. “Starving the Weak” enters in blurry keys and dripping guitars, cloudy murk cascading before the growls blast. Fires haunt as cosmic swirls create a dizzying effect, the vocals pound away, and keys drain as the heartbeat echoes into time. Closer “This Corpse” seemingly runs 14:43, but it’s a red herring of sorts. The playing fires up as the growls crush, driving into foggy roadways that barely let even a glimmer of light any room to shine. The playing gushes and simmers, the energy trudges and kicks up mud and bone, and a heavy cloud cover obscures the sound and drains away. But after minutes of silence, the playing re-emerges, though it’s a cover of Marilyn Manson’s “Coma White” that brings a numbing end.
“Catharsis” is a literal title for Music in Low Frequencies, and the musical bloodletting on these seven tracks feel like a spiritual regurgitation and a way to find something soothing in a menacing world. Subsequent trips through the album reveal more layers, places in which to lose yourself as you contemplate the same twists and turns in your own life. The fact this is so pleasingly thunderous and fixated in sounds that seem lured from the cosmos only amplifies that enjoyment and the psychological ability to connect with these songs and make them a part of your own journey.
For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/music.in.low.frequencies/
To buy the album, go here: https://ragingplanet.bandcamp.com/
For more on the label, go here: https://www.ragingplanet.pt/
Meat Mead Metal 