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░ ██ ██ Artist: Black Fucking Cancer ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Black Fucking Cancer █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-03-05 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Black Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Osmose Productions ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Normally, when a relatively new act reminds me █
█ this much of an established band, I'm pretty quick █
█ to dismiss it. Even in a sound like black metal, █
█ which purportedly values individuality over the █
█ "follower" mindset, the majority of new bands fade █
█ into the backwash. Originality makes it easier to █
█ stand out in a crowd. Even so, innovation can't be █
█ seen as the ultimate indicator of quality. It █
█ takes an even higher degree of conviction to █
█ distinguish yourself with another band's formula. █
█ That much could be said about Black Witchery, who █
█ dared to rival Blasphemy at their own savagery. I █
█ feel the same can now be said about California's █
█ Black Fucking Cancer with regards to the way █
█ they've near-perfectly recreated the violent mania █
█ of Katharsis. Comparisons between the two are █
█ completely inevitable, but it doesn't stop BFC █
█ from leaving a vast imprint of their own. █
█ Originality be damned in this case; the hatred and █
█ violence seeping from this record are as authentic █
█ as their influences. █
█ I don't think it hurts any that Katharsis have █
█ long counted among my favourite bands. The frantic █
█ violence they bring to their craft is probably █
█ only rivalled by Antaeus, and VVorldVVithoutEnd █
█ marks one of the few instances where the █
█ mindfucking hate in black metal is as truly █
█ infectious upon the listener as it should be. █
█ Considering we haven't heard anything from █
█ Katharsis since 2009 with Fourth Reich, it doesn't █
█ even hurt my appreciation to think of Black █
█ Fucking Cancer as a "lost" Katharsis album. Had it █
█ actually been one of their albums, I imagine it █
█ would have probably been found in the interim █
█ between the manic chaos on VVorldVVithoutEnd and █
█ the comparatively restrained assault on Fourth █
█ Reich. I've heard a few bands in the orthodox █
█ scene draw from the same well, but Black Fucking █
█ Cancer are the first that fully deserve being █
█ mentioned in the same sentence as their █
█ inspiration. █
█ As I've continued listening to Black Fucking █
█ Cancer, the USBM presence in their sound has grown █
█ increasingly apparent. The raw, deep assault here █
█ is almost unmistakably the product of the United █
█ States, and bands like Black Witchery frequently █
█ come to mind here, particularly in the way BFC █
█ prefer crunchier guitars and lower vocal rasps. █
█ Although there's no kidding where a lot of their █
█ ideas have originated, Black Fucking Cancer █
█ creates a more vivid atmosphere of hatred than I'd █
█ ever have expected to hear in 2016. "A Sigil of █
█ Burning Flesh" and "SinnRitualVoid" are two of the █
█ best black metal tracks I've heard in a long way. █
█ Even longer tracks remain intense by virtue of █
█ chaotic song structures and some brilliant █
█ interplay between the drums and guitar. Even if █
█ the songs on Black Fucking Cancer had not been █
█ extraordinary, this band would still impress with █
█ the weight of their performance. When I said █
█ earlier that Katharsis and Antaeus were in very █
█ slight company when it comes to bands who know how █
█ to transmit their hate unto others... Well, you █
█ can add another band to that list. █
█ None of this is to say that BFC are a "clone" per █
█ se, but much the way Katharsis' initial formula █
█ was rooted in classic-era Darkthrone, much the █
█ same can be said for the way BFC mirror █
█ VVorldVVithoutEnd. There are times where the █
█ Katharsis allusions get ridiculously close. The █
█ opener "A Sigil of Burning Flesh" practically apes █
█ parts of "VVytchdance" note for note. In a lot of █
█ cases this would be a bad thing. For Black Fucking █
█ Cancer, I can't even complain. Regardless of the █
█ fact that they're drawing upon one of the most █
█ savage and simultaneously intelligent pools in █
█ black metal history, the sheer extent of the hate █
█ and violence in their sound is more than enough to █
█ set this album above most tepid black metal fare, █
█ in this or any other year. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. A Sigil of Burning Flesh 7:03 ░
░ 2. Acid Ocean 12:25 ░
░ 3. Blood Stained Whore 8:08 ░
░ 4. SinnRitualVoid 10:40 ░
░ 5. Wall of Corpses 5:29 ░
░ 6. Exit Wounds 6:44 ░
░ 7. Communion of the Blood Unholy 9:26 ░
░ 59:55 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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