Rorcal – Silence (18th Century Post-Sludgecore Artistry)
Had some really bad promos this month. I almost settled a few times, almost did it, I swear to God I almost did. But I will not! I…WILL…NOT! Glad I abstained, because the new one here from Switzerland’s Rorcal is exactly what I was waiting for. No more compromising! I can’t believe I got that close, but I held out. Actually, I was just at the beach for like a week so I didn’t have time to write a review in the fisrt place, but at least it happened something like I wanted. See, the trick to reminding myself we only review the best around here is to give in to that “gut feeling.” Something feeling stale or average? Don’t review it sir. So, Rorcal, review it sir. Taking the best of post-hardcore and sludge, I was actually familiar with their work before but their cover art was always lacking (sorry boys).
Not this time. Not only does this piece of art history capture the essence of their sound, it captures the essence of your mind after listening to it. Silence is a philosophical battering. Some bands try out that angle with a dose of angst, but end up just sounding angsty, and there’s a huge difference. The latter is whiny teenage complaints, the former a total smothering of hope. Rorcal weave malevolent swarms around the listener to accomplish this goal. Like locusts devouring flesh down to bleached bones, the sound can be overwhelming for its sheer vigor. Rorcal reveals your losses and casts you into the same abyss where Silence was crafted, making their mantra “hope is a lie” a purist fact, and there is nothing but an affirmation of humanity’s frailty when confronted by an album like this. Is succeeds in all possible ways at tearing you to pieces.
Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls
Rorcal – Silence
Hummus Records, Sludgelord Records
Cover Art: Johann Heinrich Füssli (Henry Fuseli)
4.8 / 5
