L’Exorcism - Self titled [Violent Revolution International - 2010]L’Exorcism self titled début album is an extremely grim, nasty and occult licked collusion between drum-less black metal guitar discord and seared waves of extreme noise. The project brings together male and female duo Joseph Gates(Slaughter-Fetus, Vargrwulf, RSP & Peiste) & Vanessa (Slaughter-Fetus, Peiste & Bast). On offer here are four tracks that range between around the seven minutes mark to just over nine minutes a piece. To create the album’s muffled, deeply sinister, often messy yet intense atmosphere the duo use a mixture of blacked guitar tones ‘n’ discord, swirling and angered noise electronics, guttural effect peddle feed vocals and some slightly clearer male and female vocals that are all ranted, spat and recited in French. Most of the tracks have quite a swamp, muddled and drifting jam like feel as discordant black guitar chimes mix with effect peddle vocal trails, to get burnt by sudden noise risers and genreal swirls of blacked mayhem. I certainly enjoy the grim, messy and often freefall spirit that’s present through all of the tracks here, but at times it becomes too swirling and shapeless for it’s own good, which sadly means it losers some of it’s effective grim edge and starts sound a little amateurish and out of control in a bad way. I’ve always had a soft spot for projects that mix together black metal and noise in a interesting and original manner, and certainly at times L’Exorcism do manage to do this and create their own distinctive grim sonic world. Through sadly too the tracks offten loose their shape and atmosphere as well. So this is good and grim if a little uneven opening shot, L’Exorcism just need to try and control their sound a little more and I think they could be on to something a lot more rewarding and conistent. Roger Batty
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