The last three months have been motherfucking hell for anyone in this country who isn’t white or straight, and now that I think about it, has it ever really been a very welcoming place? The rage that’s bubbling under the skin of LGBTQIA+ people and those who support them is palpable, and it can’t be long until blood is shed for rights.
Eleanor Harper, the sole force behind black metal force Lust Hag, is lashing back on second full-length “Irrevocably Drubbed,” the follow-up to last year’s self-titled debut. A trans woman herself, Harper has witnessed and absorbed the hatred and oppression lobbied by what we call a president and the entire right wing, and even a lot of spineless Democrats have shied away from supporting people just trying to live as who they are. Harper uses this record as a means to express the torment of having to contend with political and societal forces aiming to hurt trans people and trying to contend with the hopelessness that has to permeate that thinking right now. So, yeah, this record burns your face off, it’s ugly, it’s raw, and it’s a much-needed ax handle to the ruling class.
The title track opens, and it wastes no time spreading carnage, stabbing and vile as guitars storm and Harper’s vocals feel like they were washed in acid first. Synth whirs to give a disorienting base, and the virulent pace continues to ravage without mercy. The pace grinds as it takes on soot, the drums damage, and the synth feels wondrous amid the ferocity. “Rancid Manipulations” has the guitars carving and the keys creating a noxious cloud, vicious howls digging deep into your muscle structure. Howls spatter as guitars swim into a demonic-style attack, battling to the last burst. “Righteous Deception” unloads, the screams flooding down the hill, delirious energy working with the thrashing force, fog encircling your mind. The playing twists the knife even deeper, rampaging as the leads flow, smashing as screams smear and the final moments end in a blur. “Stifled Glare” chugs as the guitars gain momentum, later giving off mesmerizing, yet disarming vibes, creaky wails turning monstrous. Guitars dart as the fires rage harder, sending blinding heat and striking hammers looking for fresh victims. “Interlude” gives a breath of fresh air, scratchy ambiance and eerie synth interlocking with strange emotions.
“Feed the Mother Monolith” brings guitars stomping before their intensity rises and falls, growls clutch, and it feels like ashes are being inhaled into your lungs. The pace thickens and things get stormier and speedier, flattening and wrenching before thrashing away. “An Ever Looming Tree” opens with the drums dusting and growls poisoning veins, synth lines chilling as the drums pummel. Temps grow icier as the punishment doubles, and then Harper’s howls sicken as riffs crash down from the skies, devastating the earth. “Ravenous Feast” is mangling and vicious from the start, bringing gusting guitars that explode into the atmosphere, promising only fire in return. The growls turn ugly and deathlike as the music matches that spirit, stomps leveling skulls and guts. “Humiliation Ritual” is the 8:40-long closer, and it blasts immediately, going for broke as screams ripple, and transcendent melodies leave the windows fogged. The playing then becomes a battering ram, hulking through a haze, trudging as senses are smashed. Growls gut as the fiery charge envelopes, feeling raw and feral, keys lapping over and ending everything in a rumbling quake.
The rage and vengeance can be felt in every drop of “Irrevocably Drubbed,” a record that sounds like it was a bloodletting for Harper as she navigates an evil, fascist homeland in which we’re all thrust. If you get any sense she’s going down easily, you fucked up and listened to this record wrong. Her fury and hopelessness is clear and understandable, and while the music here is savage and fulfilling, it’s awful that the world in which we’re trapped forced her to create such musical violence. May debts be paid.
For more on the band, go here: https://eleanorharper.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://eleanorharper.bandcamp.com/album/irrevocably-drubbed
Or here: https://fiadh.bandcamp.com/album/irrevocably-drubbed
For more on the label, go here: https://fiadh.bandcamp.com/
Meat Mead Metal 