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The
other day I was talking to this kid and he mentioned he
had been to Bergen. I mentioned that that was the cradle
of good black metal, he mentioned that while there he
went clubbing and one of the floors of the disco looked
like hell with all these crazies playing this insane
metal music. He then said, ‘I mean, I listen to some
heavy shit, I like Rancid and stuff, but good god!'. I
didn’t say anything back. I didn’t even smirk. What’s
the point? Not every conversation must be a lesson in
goodness. On the same token, a South American friend of
mine asked me the other day, ‘what’s D-beat?’. I then
said, ‘listen to this’ and gave him Avskum’s MySpace
link. It’s all he needed to know. Now he knows what
D-beat is and he is wiser and happier. Some conversations
must be a lesson in goodness.
Swedish
anarchists Avskum released Uppror Underifran, their fourth
full-length, in 2008 and what a giant slab of goodness it is.
The album is a textbook example of D-beat energy. It is hard to
talk about or attempt to describe its simplicity because the
methodology and the delivery is so basic and primal, any details
would sound pretentious. But what more can you ask of a band of
punk rock anarchists besides a fist in the face and a boot to
the testicles?
Well, how about guitars so out of control that
they seem to be coming down the mountain, rolling uncontrollably
in your direction and sure to head over your cranium? Or how
about regimental drumming? And by that I mean colorless, no
frills, well-timed, urgent, old school (no double bass here),
fast enough drumming. Yeah!
And then
there are the vocals of Gunnar. Listening to his chaotic rage is
as vivid an experience as the first time you bumped your head
against a wall, you got arrested or you daddy slapped your silly
face. As with any good ol’ D-beat there isn’t much in the way of
melody and the emphasis is placed in the force and the speed.
There are certain moments that approach the metallic rock and
roll of Motorhead, especially those that are peppered with
subtle guitar solos, but a tune like “Capitalism is Terrorism”
is as debt indebted to them as it is to Discharge. And that just
goes to show you that Motorhead could be as D-beat as they are
metal.
Official Site
MySpace |
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