By: Ernesto Aguilar
Album Type:
Full
Length
Date Released: 02/03/2018
Label: Relapse
Records
After five
full-length and three split releases, Ilsa is at a creative and musical high
water mark. As such, "Corpse Fortress" is an outstanding experience.
“Corpse Fortress” CD//DD//LP track listing:
1.
Hikikomori
2. Nasty, Brutish
3. Cosmos Antinomos
4. Prosector
5. Old Maid
6. Long Lost Friend
7. Ruckenfigur
8. Polly Vaughn
9. Drums of Dark Gods
2. Nasty, Brutish
3. Cosmos Antinomos
4. Prosector
5. Old Maid
6. Long Lost Friend
7. Ruckenfigur
8. Polly Vaughn
9. Drums of Dark Gods
The Review:
Fans of D.C. death/doom powerhouse Ilsa have been treated to a feast of albums over the years.
Since 2009's "The Maggots Are
Hungry," Ilsa has churned out a
consistent and crunchy blend of extreme music that boasts a fresh intensity
every time. "Corpse Fortress,"
the band's Relapse Records debut, shows that on its
latest Ilsa is in prime shape to continue the
band's five-album trip into savagery.
At first blush, "Hikikomori" feels like an unusual opener. At over six minutes,
it is one of the record's longest cuts, and its languid drums fill the cut's
first 15 seconds. Almost immediately thereafter, however, you are reminded why Ilsa has its reputation of impossibly heavy music, with
thick bass lines and guitars cutting through the drums. Bassist Sharad Satsangi
sets an impressive pace here and in the subsequent song, "Nasty, Brutish" – supported by
guitar lines by Brendan Griffiths, the songs plant the flag for "Corpse Fortress" to be the
distortion-fest of fury and noise that it is.
Vocalist Orion Peter makes the most of the incredibly
dark atmosphere, painting grisly imagery in its anguished words. In "Cosmos Antinomos," he howls, "Show me your circles of violence." In
"Prosector," his words are
just as withering. "Ever-consummate
capitalist/Ever-compassionate Christian," Peter seethes amid flailing drums and relentless
guitars. "So slow to forgive, yet
quick to forget/The sins of thine own." He and the rest of the group
are at their best on a track like "Long
Lost Friend," with vocals that singe the ears and a rhythm section
that rumbles the gut. The guitar work remains peerless even this far into the
album, as the band sinks into some of its best work yet.
Insatiably sinister songwriting, with sharp
commentary, has been a hallmark of Ilsa's sound. Slayer's "Disciple"
is widely recognized as one of the most excoriating metal songs about religion,
by Ilsa's 2010 cut "120 Days" is a close second in the discerning music fan's
book. With lyrics like "Trampled
underfoot, all life that springs forth afresh/Unnoticed, till broken under
grinding wheels" ("Traphouse")
and many more gory sonnets, Ilsa has a flair for
the hostile. Tracks on "Corpse
Fortress" such as "Rückenfigur"
("Willful ignorance, painful indifference, pedantic inquiries") mix at moments social critique of the rot around us.
While imagery of beasts and demons may be the stuff of nightmares, Ilsa reminds us that humanity's ignorance and violence
("Old Maid") and pure
happenstance ("Polly Vaughn")
may be the most fearsome of all.
For nearly a decade, Ilsa has
been seen as among the best of breed when it comes to the strain of
hardcore/crust-influenced metal that has only grown more in recent years. The
group has also been showered with lofty though good comparisons to Eyehategod and others. With such high expectations, it is
impressive to see that there is really very little to pick apart about "Corpse Fortress." The nine tracks
each compose a very formidable package, with no filler or songs you might not
consider as strong as the rest. After five full-length and three split
releases, Ilsa is at a creative and musical high water
mark. As such, "Corpse Fortress" is an outstanding experience.
