MoE – 3
You know, there was this one time we received the then newest full-length by the much-hyped Årabrot, who even makes sure on their own site you know they’ve been “ridiculed and ignored by the press” and hated by the “glossy black metal establishment” in their home country of Norway. Having actually reviewed their 2010 release Revenge, we can state with absolute certainty it’s probably because their earlier work actually sucked. How does that apply here? Well, first off, the label who released some of their stuff, Fysisk Format, is the same one who sent this album we’re checking out here. Congratulations on your bravery. Second, MoE is of the same genre, generally, as the abovementioned Norwegian noiserockers but, in our opinion, they do it a hell of a lot better. Having toured over a huge portion of the world already, including a recent stint involving Melt-Banana, it seems they have something special going on. Because, let’s face it people, you have to if you can successfully play noise rock in Japan, which is practically the true birthplace of a genre that has millions of suckers stomping on pedals like they can do it better. Listen to us clearly, you can’t.
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MoE, however, titled after the last name of their bassist Guro Skumsnes Moe, can, oh yes they can. We’re not talking classic 1940s American gumption “Yes We Can”, we’re talking dirty, loud, chaotic, and yet structured assaults of sound that work effectively on all levels. See, a third reason we mentioned Årabrot above is, at least when we heard them back in 2010, they lacked a perfect harmony in their noise, primarily because the vocals were pathetically frail and limp. We went in expecting to be covered in mucus and defiled, but instead came out dry, with fluid congestion that took a few days to calm. To succeed in noise rock you either have to have your vocals to the level of insanity with tons of effects, raw like you’re dying of syphilis, or possibly so crazy and inaccessible most folks wouldn’t listen to you in the first place. Combinations of any of these three equals success, and without at least one your sound will surely fail.
We were actually sent two albums to consider here, but the one’s a little older for our usual approach, though you can check it out here (hint, it’s definitely worth it). After a number of releases, MoE were finally picked up for a pro release on Fysisk Format, and here it is, 3. The trio takes the noise rock approach with a level of safety, so as such don’t expect much in the sense of the unique. But, and here’s the key, you better expect the genuine, because these guys play some fine noise. 3 contains a total of seven tracks, each with its own direction and covering practically every type of approach one can find in noise rock. You have your moments of sludge drag, speeding, churning bass that blends into nonsensical chord assaults, and yes, those vocals, she’s got it. Guro understands her carry exceedingly well, and moves coherently from one approach to another, staying within the general realm of the harsh, occasionally using her vocal cords to pull a flower out of toxic waste, but only so far that she teases you with it on your lips and then pushes you back into a pit of hatred. The sheer amount of variety here is plenty for most fans, but in the future we hope to see them do something unique, which is the one thing 3 lacks, as there really isn’t anything that’s going to have you questioning the future of the genre. This guy (editor) actually got to see Årabrot pass through Virginia at a last-minute house show a few years ago, but it would have been a much more splendid evening had it been MoE, though don’t tell those other guys we said that, yet.
Written by Stanley Stepanic
MoE – 3
Fysisk Format
4.3 / 5
