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If
Satan himself played black metal and didn’t have a
guitar then he’d sound a whole lot like Utarm. Horrific,
surreal, mysteriously listenable and somehow resembling
the creepy arms of black metal, this one man
experimental beast crafts music for the most depressive
of Norwegian nights. And if you don’t live in those
nether regions but have a morbid fascination for extreme
music, then just as well. Be prepared though. Utarm make
increasingly abrasive music. The sheer coldness of it
will leave you burn marks resembling birthmarks.
The first
song of Panic Chamber is titled “Scratches in the Coffin of
Human Existence” and naturally so, this icy block of hysterical
screams and chilling noise evokes the via crucis of humanity. We
are all blindly walking to the end. Apparently so. “Panic
Chamber Tomb” sounds like a cracking cocoon. There is something
natural about the brutality of birth and Utarm combine
fragmented static to what could be the blast of a thousand
fireworks in the distance. “Anthropophagous On Golden Wings of
Ignorance”, in this one you can almost hear a melody. There are
drums, occasionally and what sounds like guitar lines hanging in
the air. Nothing even close to a riff though. The song finishes
off with a whistle and maybe the sounds of war. Almost. That’s a
fake ending. If you made it through the fourth track then you
have got the stamina of a bull and you are a total masochist.
The best tunes have passed but the intensity does not let up.
Substitute
of Dimension Hell is a demo from 2005 that’s gotten the reissue
treatment through Roggbif Records. The difference in the recording is
clear. There is a fatter sound here, which makes the tracks a
few degrees less cold. The static-like layer of noise sounds
more dense and to a degree resembles a drone and in some
sequences, guitar feedback. The vocals are totally distorted,
but also of a lower register. They are monster-like and we can
actually hear syllables. The intensity remains.
While on the
newer release Utarm shows itself as a purely electronic
experimental artist, back then it seems as if the power
electronics influence was more audible. Substitute of Dimension
Hell is still difficult and challenging though. “Hades” sounds
almost like an outro to a straight up nihilistic black metal
album. Maybe Utarm could give his creativity a shot at something
more structured and organic. Then, I bet that going back to the
extremes shown here would be a piece of cake.
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