Gonemage – Handheld Demise (Post-Black Metal Noise Pop Chiptunes Glitchery)

 

This came in by chance. No, actually, it’s like the second or third submission by this guy, except this time I didn’t pass on it lol (art is too cool). Gonemage is actually the brainchild of a number of people, though technically it’s primarily run by one of the dudes in Cara Neir (search up the review I did on them some weeks back). The sheer immensity of the list of collaborators on this one (seriously scope the list in the Bandcamp link below), including glitch master Angel Marcloid, is enough to chance it for anyone, but the techniques and variety it exhibits are what will keep you around.

   

The chiptunes revolution is like late 19th-century Gothic literature. It’s still around, not as much a dominant fad, and therefore those who remain are making it more inventive. No longer does nostalgia and gimmick work alone, leaving acts like Gonemage to craft a respectable style. Handheld Demise is part of a trilogy I won’t get into because, honestly, it’s convoluted as shit. Perhaps the major detail you should recognize is that the music is simultaneously cryptic and traditional. Thus a post-black metal freak will not find their wants lacking, yet even an OS punk fan will dig the chip. It’s like the bridge has finally been made architecturally sound between nerd and metal culture after almost a decade of crafting this genre into a realized form. My only complaint is that the elements of cleaner singing do not have a place here; not because they’re contrary, but rather because the skill is lacking. This is a personal irritation of mine, when clean singing can and will amaze, yet the individual(s) attempting do not possess the training. That’s an easy fix, and honestly it’s not as big of a deal as I’ve seen before because, really, there’s too much to listen to here to care. A number of the riffs are mind-bendingly stellar and by the time you feel just slightly annoyed it goes away in blissful glitchery.

 

Gonemage Official Facebook

Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls

Gonemage – Handheld Demise
Fladh Productions, WereGnome Records, Xenoglossy Productions
Cover Art: Juan G. Vizcarra (BlindCherub)
4.3 / 5