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The
latest issue of Terrorizer magazine includes
Switzerland’s Impure Wilhelmina in its article about
sludge metal. That’s also the genre assigned to them in
their Metal Archives page. I do not completely disagree,
but somehow this album sounds much cleaner and
controlled and dynamic than I ever recall the subgenre
being. The vocals are clean too. They eloquently sing
the melodies, swing the verses and carry the tunes with
a feeling that lacks all the negativity typical of
sludge metal. And the guitars, especially the guitars,
play too many evolutionary chords, and they do so with
feeling and technique. It’s stunning. The riffs roll out
from this band as if that was the simplest task. A tune
like “Hide Your Anger, Give Your Mouth” has enough
arrangements and notes to fuel three EyeHateGod records.
And they are all quality too.
The
recording itself substracts from the grit. It’s sleek, but it
has enough punch and bass to give Prayers and Arsons enough
sludge metal weight. Let’s call this band post sludge just for
kicks. Impure Wilhelmina has three prior full-lengths. I can
only assume those recordings are packed with the dirty stuff.
That said, this is an adventurous album. Ambitious in scope and
grand in execution, Prayers and Arsons succeeds were lesser
bands would have come as blank shooters. It’s certainly a heavy
album,
but the songs also evolve in such a developed, intricate, and
post metal fashion.
The Impure
Wilhelmina of today has certainly left the lowbrow simplicity of
sludge metal far behind. These songs are typically parted in
sections, whereas the riff that starts constantly mutates
several times per song, finishing off in a complete different
form. More often than not the riffs are scorchers. “Hide Your
Anger, Give Your Mouth” for instance, is pretty much a technical
hardcore song sans breakdowns. The abrasiveness of the
Wilhelmina sound is in full bloom here. Their technique in
bragging display. “Travel With the Night” shows the band
arranging complex riffage. The song develops for the first
minute and then spends the next five deconstructing the same
notes at different tempos. This is perfect example of the
refined songwriting of this damn fine Swiss band.
Official Site
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