Wrong- Pessimistic Outcomes Review

Wrong - Pessimistic Outcomes 

Band- Wrong
Album- Pessimistic Outcomes
Score- 8/10
Origin- Madrid, Spain
Label- Xtreem Music


Anyone in my close circle of friends in the last few months has probably heard of the Black Metal band named Wrong. Ever since i've heard the bands debut album, Memories of Sorrow a few weeks ago on Terrorizer's website, i've been absolutely hooked. Ever since I got my mittens on it, i've been craving to write a piece about it for Metalist. Their brand of depressive Black Metal which is not so much DSBM, as a depressing glimpse onto Black Metal is unique not only on its own merit, but on the merit of its make.

You see, the two bands members, J.L “Phlegeton” Rey and David “DP” (yes, make the porno jokes) Perez are both very far removed from the world of traditional Black Metal. First and foremost, they come from the very small and under-appreciated Black Metal scene in Madrid, Spain. But that's not even it, they are actually both more famous for their main projects which are far removed from the world of Black Metal. Phlegeton for example, is much more well known as the vocalist of Brutal DM band Wormed (fun fact, who played alongside Viscera Trail) and DP was involved with a few important Thrash bands of the Madrid scene , namely Neverdie and The YTriple Corporation.

So, as luck would have it, on the eve of my discovery they were edging on the release of their new album, Pessimistic Outcomes. Now, to write a review of this is both a fan's dread and a reviewers greatest joy. From a fan's prospective, i'd be honestly pissed if they were to muck up the second album. I mean how many bands do you know which had a great debut and then everything went to shits? (The Gathering comes to mind) It's not called the second album block for nothing. Meanwhile as a reviewer it gives me an intersection which is nothing if not interesting to write about. It's the band making their intermediary steps into establishing their band's personality, or, burning the bridge to their first creation to take a turn.

With Pessimistic Outcomes, Wrong took further steps into darkness rather than change direction all together, and I believed it paid off quite well. For those who have made their haj complete by hearing Memories of Sorrow as well, could tell that Wrong´s style is not exactly oldschool Black Metal, nor is it DSBM though. It kind of walks the middle, with a strong leaning towards an organic mix but with very strong depressive elements that kind of remind one of early Shining. Also lyrically, they resemble Shining quite a lot. Though a note I appreciate about Wrong is, that while far from spotless, the lyrics describe depression and darkness in a way that is not overly saturated, but rather relateable. Although the occasional grammar mistake, (and there are some spicy ones mind you,) the lyrics themselves pass a feeling of murky, fogged darkness that is unique to the band.

Anyway, the product itself. How does Pessimistic Outcomes fair against Memories of Sorrow? Or hell, in general in a year where it's hard to be a Black Metaller ( I know I wouldn't like to drop my album the same year Mayhem, Kampfar, and Nocturnal Breed do theirs?) After small sounds of a man grasping for air, you get treated to one of , in my opinion, cool aspets of Wrong's music- the piano. While never intrusive, the piano parts are almost always done to rather annotate and accentuate movements in the music rather than move it forwards. Thru The Grey Path To Nowhere then begins with riffs that kind of show the typicality of Wrong's music. Somewhere between melancholic beauty and absolute suicidal fog to choke on. The tortured cries that suprisingly stem from Phlegeton (if you've ever heard Wormed, you'd honestly not believe it was the same guy. Hell I talked to him and I still don't) befit the music greatly. They're not the most varied of growls, but his vocal style that is somewhere between Abbath, Attila Csihar and Nocturno Culto actually sounds great with the music. I much rather this than most DSBM's supremely high pitched shrieks ala Lifelover and others.

I guess a part of what I love about Wrong is that oldschool mentality of having many influences and kind of putting it in a cooking pot together. There are parts that wouldn't shame a much more by the book Black Metal band, especially in the drumming, but the style of the guitar work and the piano inlays recall to mind a Shining spin on Lifelover (second time mentioning both, yeah sue me.) The second track “His Hatred Breathes” to me encapsulates the beauty the depressive side of Black Metal. The nitty, depressing gritty of digging your nails through life, music to those depressing hours you lay in your bed and pass thought by thought in agony.

Meanwhile, the rest of the album continues largely along the same lines. I guess that this would be a negative for some people. Like, the songs, although not musically, tend to reflect the same types of emotions going through. Yet, what did strike me is that it didn't get boring at all. All through the title track, I was thinking about the music I was listening to, and it hit me that the emotional part speaks to you so well that you don't notice the limited color palette. Between the music and the lyrics, the shades of black are so diverse that you never really find a reason to look for other colors. This is especially clear (the opposite of black, ba dum tishhh) on my favorite track, Dragging My Soul Until The Sunset. While usually I tend to discourage bands from doing a ten plus minutes track unless they really have strong material to fill it all up, Wrong clearly did. They made a piece that really transfers the feeling of a lethargic soul, passing onto the afterlife. The many different parts of the song kind of come together as a journey to the end. 11 minutes of a slow goodbye.

Overall, the opinion thickens around the last track. This album, while not perfect, is an absolute joy for a fan of Black Metal. Is it an instant classic? No, is it a 5/5 top of the year's list release? Also no, but it's definitely a glimmering new release from a wonderful band, that seems to have their feet and nose in the right direction. I for one, would definitely keep an eye on these ruffians, with 2 great albums in 2 years, they show no signs of stopping.

Satyricon Self Titled Review

Satyricon-Satyricon

Band- Satyricon
Album- (self titled) Satyricon
Score- 2/10
Origin- Oslo, Norway
Label- Roadrunner



If you harken back to Metalist Editor's Alon Miasnikov's word in the 2013 end-of-the-year compilation, he called 2013 the year of comebacks. While many of the bigger comebacks did manage to make great releases, which came to great accolades, such as Carcass' Surgical Steel and Black Sabbath's 13, but there was an unsung comeback album. While the band didn't break up, and did tour, it has been 5 whole years since Satyricon has released any studio material.

Once Black Metal heroes with such timeless classics akin to Dark Medieval Times, The Shadowthrone and Nemesis Divina, Satyricon's reputation has been all but decimated in their last few years of existence. Weak album after weak album, alongside Satyr's many less than “kvlt” endeavors had landed the band more status as the pretty boys of Black Metal rather than the stalwarts they once were. But, after a 5 year break, many thought that perhaps this would be it, that this would be Satyricon's chance to return triumphant and make an album to smack across the face all naysayers. In comes Satyricon's eigth and self titled album, with much hope and anticipation stand on its back.

Yet, unlike many of the other comeback albums of this year, this album falls flat and simply does not manage to impress, regardless of how hard it tries. The first thing you can notice is that, at least to me, the guitar production is, “parve.” (the Hebrew word.) It sounds very plastic and doesn't have that edge that even super polished music has, it just literally sounds like it was played through a very shitty amp. Especially on the heavy parts, you can notice it doesn't have that bite that many other “cleanly produced” Black Metal albums have. Frost also sounds just as dull as on any other recent Satyricon album, forced to maintain much of the same types of drumming he had to do for years now.

The album opens up with Tro Og Kraft, and to be honest, it does the album justice, as it is just as mediocre and lame as the rest of it. There are some parts that would merit a headbang or two, and sometimes Satyr's snarling vocals do get to you, but it all sounds so contained and weak that it has no soul. The album then proceeds with, Our World, It Rumbles Tonight and Nocturnal Flare. As I said before, this album really doesn't change much, and is largely very consistent in its tirades of boredom all along its tiring 52 minutes. Though, Nocturnal Flare had the potential to be interesting if it wasn't preformed so... heartlessly and if it wasn't so fucking long! Jesus, they took a 3 or 4 minutes idea, that would even then not be spectacular, and stretched it to 6 and a half minutes.

The next point of what-the-fuckery came to me with the song Phoenix. Now, some bands take the whole melodic aspects of Black Metal and manage to throw a quality curve ball that spices up the album (key in Shining or Watain) without sacrificing anything, not Satyricon. Oh no, not Satyricon. They took 6 and a half minutes as well, because fuck me right? To make a mid-tempo song which I can only classify as grade Z Katatonia Alternative Rock rip off with guest singer Sivert Hayem. I really have to say that at this point, in my first listening session, I considered giving the album a 1.This song is just an audacious insult tot he intellect of their fan base.

Yet, on the next song, Satyricon show the potential of what this album could have been with Walker Upon The Wind. Brutal, fast, ballsy as all hell, where was this Satyricon in the first 5 tracks?! This song sparked a little bit of hope in me as far as the rest of the album, and hell, even Satyricon's future. If this album was 8 songs of this quality, i'd be singing a whole different tune. Yet the wind under my sails was quickly swayed away by the next song, Nekrohaven. Just again, not interesting, not special, and at this point annoying mid-tempo Black Metal that seems to copy off of itself. I'd be honestly be hard pressed to find such a one note album in recent memory. The vocals on Nekrohaven are also recorded on several different parts a bit differently to give it kind of a robotic sound. This does nothing, and if anything, makes you wonder why they even bothered.

The last two songs again bore you to tears, before letting you go with a 3 minute instrumental part, which by no means is any more innovative than the rest of the album. Just, ugh, really. I can't stress enough how boring this album is, I literally tried to listen to it's entirety at least 2 or 3 times before I managed to finally get through it all in one sitting. I can tell you now that I managed to, i'm not anymore musically complete than I was before succeeding to.



Overall, I do urge you with all sincerity to buy one of the many other great Black Metal releases of 2013, or, if you're just getting into Satyricon, one of the early Satyricon albums instead of this one. Really, in a world where the rising guard of Black Metal is so strong with bands like Watain and Taake, and that there are bands in the old guard which are still releasing balls to the wall material like Gorgoroth and Immortal, there is no place for a band that rides solely on its legacy so vehemently and vulgarly. If you're still in a horrible need of a fix of Satyricon, just go on youtube or on iTunes, get yourself Walker Upon The Wind and listen to it over and over again, it is really far more enjoyable than hearing the entirety of Satyricon's new album. I legitimately gave it only a .5 up from one for Walker.