All art isn’t for everyone, blah blah. We all know that. But it still bears repeating every time a band comes out and does different shit and, like, Alice Cooper will cry about songs being 3 minutes and probably other ridiculous dated nonsense. Anyway, that’s all to say that Finnish death freaks Ligation likely won’t appeal to everyone.
“After Gods” is the band’s first full-length, and it arrives a jumbled slew of madness and confusion that is a breath of fresh air from all the bands keeping things traditional. Sure, you can hear the death metal foundation laid down by vocalist/drummer/noisemaker MN, guitarist MS, and bassist TI, but the layers that swirl beneath the surface twist and turn beyond any expectations. There is a progressive element as well as experimental tendencies that wrap bizarre bandages over wounds death metal’s body has sustained. Ligation are here to make the psychological torment that much more absurd.
The title track starts with guitars swirling and the growls striking veins, a melodic fire sweeping you up into a strange chaos. Weird gurgles bubble from MN’s throat as the playing gets speedier and thrashier, ending in an industrial melt. “Turmoil in Everest” starts with squeals and driving force, guitars layering thickly, the vocals strangling and chortling, making everything really uncomfortable. Atmosphere swirls as the temps boil, howls and shrieks teaming up to ramp up the psychosis, a synth-driven ending feeling like a noirish film score. “Obscure Flame” punishes, diving deep into a death plunge, trudging as growls and inhuman screams mix to form a ghastly new beast. Humidity increases, as does your dizziness, as guitars chunk, the pace blisters and fires, and noise blasts through walls.
“Eruption” blisters, throaty wails landing blows, muddy, suffocating punishment rising and pulling you underneath. Growls bubble as the pace grows more manic, the playing snarling and permanently crossing brain wires, eventually settling into a misty peace like what you mind find after Armageddon. “Reflection” is the final track on some versions, and it bleeds into focus, doom stomping and quaking, growls lurching as heavy footsteps shake the earth. The smoke billows and chokes, sounds hang in the air, and an alien sax wafts, blasting and conjuring dreams. Demonic growls pick at festering wounds as guitars beam feedback, and the final words choke on droplets of blood. Other versions have three more tracks: “Human Success” (maybe the most straightforward track here, with more sax); “Earthlings” (a doomy bruiser that’s eerie and mangling); and “Seraphic Gluttony” (noisy, disorienting, guttural madness that ends in cosmic storming).
Ligation is the epitome of the “not for everyone” tag, and for good reason as their death and doom can be weird and off-putting if you expect more streamlined sounds. “After Gods” also can be a godsend for anyone seeking music that takes you somewhere else, disturbs you, and challenges you, which this record does often. I’m not even sure my words sum up this collection accurately, so take the adventure yourself, having been forewarned about the commotion and mind-altering turns that lie ahead.
For more on the band, go here: https://ligation.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://www.personal-records.com/product/pre-order-ligation-after-gods-cd/
For more on the label go here: https://www.personal-records.com/
Meat Mead Metal 