By: Brandon Noga
Album Type: Split
12”
Date Released: 15/01/2020
Label: Roman
Numeral |
Tridroid Records
Body Void / Keeper Split 12” track listing:
1).
Body Void, Androgyne
2).
Keeper, Trial
& Error
3).
Keeper, Twenty
The Review:
Claustrophobia
don’t listen to this if you suffer from it; you’ll only get anxiety from
this envelopment of feedback and primal shrieking, reminiscent of a being who’s
lost everything but their last breath.
Side
A opens with a tribal tom-beat, heralding the feedback this band applies with
aplomb: as necessary as the crushing riffs that promise to follow on any Body Void release. This recording is
no different, and bludgeons you over the head almost immediately; 30 seconds
in, most would be clawing to escape (according to my very musically supportive
and open minded mother I’m staying with for the holidays, with a smile and a
frown).
The
tones and mixing job are pure ear candy for gear nerds like myself, which Body Void has pretty much perfected
over the last few releases. Sunn Beta Lead heads + a Boss Hyper Fuzz? Sign me
up. Just enough clarity to hear the diminished chords and muted chugs, and
enough syrupy fuzz to please any Canadian. Trust me, I am one.
The
feedback laden drops they employ have matured pleasantly, involving an
off-kilter timing. A mid tempo riff/beat ensues, and I’m destroying a room in
an abandoned building in my mind in quick order. These cats blast away, before tossing
slabs of concrete directly at your face. Oh, and the riff comes back: slower.
Fuck.
It
all ends with some Conan type weight, just to make
sure you’re good and 6 feet under. This release clearly shows the trajectory
these morticians are on, and I personally cannot wait to hear more.
Flip
over to side b and we’re greeted with yet more feedback. Christopher (my
drummer for Ogimaa)
suggested the Keeper split with Sea Bastard awhile back, and I was
pleasantly surprised to hear a balance of sludge-infused riffs and blackened
elements: this release is no different.
The
vocals are as harsh as ever, and the tones are spot on for the genre; with
improved mixing from earlier efforts. Again, you can hear the growth of the
band from previous records; which is crucial to any successful outfit making
noise. The mix of single note riffs combined with the use of octave chords really
creates a new weight to contend with. Any drummer would be satisfied with the
kick drum in the mix, making sure each note and accent has the mass of a
wrecking ball. Seven minutes in, we're thrown for a loop with bomb-note
chugging and a reverb drenched melody; only to revert back to a minor chord black
metal passage guiding us to the end.
Track
2 (“Twenty”) is a black pit. The guitar and bass drone behind a plague sermon
being spat, until they give way to make you notice the massive crater, they
seem to have drawn you in. The vocals get even more strained, while a humming
current keeps you drifting in the ocean at night. Yes. You are alone. It’s a passionate effort, and I’m sure vocal
chords the world over would agree.
Overall, Keeper is continuing to impress. This split will definitely be in my
yearly playlist and should be in yours. Onward to a sludge ridden 2020.
Preorder are available HERE (LP) & HERE (Cassette)
