death metal / drone
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I know it's the first of April and that we're supposed to make some jokes every now and then on this date, but this album is no joke, on the contrary. This is a massive monster, created only to beat you into a bleeding pulp and rip your intestines apart. Of course, we were prepared after reviewing their first album last year (read our review) but now the project returns with an album that goes further, deeper and harsher.
The recipe is basically the same: brutal, suffocating death metal, accompanied with harsh ambient, drones and soundscapes. Yet, where the unnamed debut felt more like an experiment, this one clearly shows the experience L.F. gained over the past year. Divided in eight chapters, this album feels like a concept, an almost neverending hell to crawl through, and I mean that in the best possible way.
When I listened to this album for the first time, I was thinking 'this is Dismember with distortion'. Now, I know, Dismember's guitars have already been distorted (would have sounded pretty weird otherwise) but still, this is grungy, noisy and comes very close to some of the fiercest grindcore acts you have encountered in your live, enhanced by those throat snapping drones and the deep, guttural vocals of David Bailey.
I also really dig the drums on this one. In fact, at first I didn't even know it was a human doing these. I expected programmed drums but somehow Autokrator found a beast who slays the drums with sheer precision. In the slow parts, they sound firm and straightforward while they add a touch of mesmerizing chaos to the up-tempo passages. They sound mechanical, repetitive and hypnotic but still somewhat organic.
Even the dark ambient passages have been improved and fit better with the grinding doom the rest of the album is loaded with. 'Chapter VI' might indeed have been a track from one of those obscure Cold Meat Industry acts back in the days. It only proves that L.F. is a talented musician with a decent flair for originality and personal growth as a musician. I can only applaud that of course, just like I can only applaud this brilliant album.
I absolutely loved their previous album and I definitely like the hell out of this one. It feels right, not a blind copy of the previous one but a step further in exploring the unique dark and haunting sounds of Autokrator. So I'm recommending 'The Obedience Of Authority' to any death metal and grindcore fan out there. If the first one didn't overwhelm you, this one surely will, perhaps you'll even survive the experience but I can't promise that...
Serge
The recipe is basically the same: brutal, suffocating death metal, accompanied with harsh ambient, drones and soundscapes. Yet, where the unnamed debut felt more like an experiment, this one clearly shows the experience L.F. gained over the past year. Divided in eight chapters, this album feels like a concept, an almost neverending hell to crawl through, and I mean that in the best possible way.
When I listened to this album for the first time, I was thinking 'this is Dismember with distortion'. Now, I know, Dismember's guitars have already been distorted (would have sounded pretty weird otherwise) but still, this is grungy, noisy and comes very close to some of the fiercest grindcore acts you have encountered in your live, enhanced by those throat snapping drones and the deep, guttural vocals of David Bailey.
I also really dig the drums on this one. In fact, at first I didn't even know it was a human doing these. I expected programmed drums but somehow Autokrator found a beast who slays the drums with sheer precision. In the slow parts, they sound firm and straightforward while they add a touch of mesmerizing chaos to the up-tempo passages. They sound mechanical, repetitive and hypnotic but still somewhat organic.
Even the dark ambient passages have been improved and fit better with the grinding doom the rest of the album is loaded with. 'Chapter VI' might indeed have been a track from one of those obscure Cold Meat Industry acts back in the days. It only proves that L.F. is a talented musician with a decent flair for originality and personal growth as a musician. I can only applaud that of course, just like I can only applaud this brilliant album.
I absolutely loved their previous album and I definitely like the hell out of this one. It feels right, not a blind copy of the previous one but a step further in exploring the unique dark and haunting sounds of Autokrator. So I'm recommending 'The Obedience Of Authority' to any death metal and grindcore fan out there. If the first one didn't overwhelm you, this one surely will, perhaps you'll even survive the experience but I can't promise that...
Serge
