Album Type: EP
Date Released: 19/10/2016
Label: Independent
Ilenkus deliver
a whirlwind blur of off-kilter riffage, pummelling blast beats and
finger-mangling fretboard gymnastics. Once
the dust settles you will feel battered and bruised, but with a nagging urge to
subject yourself to the pain all over again.
“Hunger” DD track listing
1). Hunny
Bunny
2). Pretty
Secret
3). Exhume
4). The
Romantic
The Review:
“Hunny Bunny” starts proceedings with a
whirlwind blur of off-kilter riffage, pummelling blast beats and
finger-mangling fretboard gymnastics. The effect is like a more ragged Dillinger
Escape Plan with their clinical precision blunted by ugly sludged-up
fury. “Exhume” is a similarly
intense affair opening with a wild collision of blown out post-rock and
grindcore worthy of Cult Leader. From there things take a
progressive turn into weirder, spacier territory without relenting on the
vitriol.
Even when Ilenkus
slow the tempo, there is no let-up in heaviness and complexity. “Pretty Secret” opens with a crushing
needle-skip chug before exploring quieter sections of restless math-rock. This
builds to a lumbering, doom finale that provides the EP’s most punishing
moment. “The Romantic” sees the band
dabble in churning noise rock groove, shards of serrated guitar providing an
odd respite before the track once again plunges into a cauldron of molten rage.
“Hunger” is an exhilarating ride that
takes in more twists and turns than most bands squeeze into a career. Hopefully
it won’t be too long before Ilenkus return with an album of
glorious chaos.
