In Slaughter Natives
Resurrection
6.9
Long time industrialist Jouni Havukainen has returned with In Slaughter Natives after a lengthy recording hiatus. Resurrection is the first new album since 1996's Purgate My Stain, and apparently Havukainen hasn’t spent the last eight years enjoying himself. Resurrection sounds like an album from a guy who has instead spent his time off enduring long bouts of painful physical purification ceremonies and chemical induced meetings with he-who-cannot-be-named. It’s a soundtrack to the mouth of madness.
In Slaughter Natives’ brand of industrial is all about mood and tone. The music consists of percussion and electronic ambience, and the lack of guitar and bass give the album a film score style sound. I actually really like most of what I hear. Some of the more purely ambient songs are not as engaging, but overall the tracks are enjoyable. The most significant gripe is that the songs are all extremely linear, containing very little development and nearly no tempo changes. This doesn’t necessary reflect a deficiency in the songwriting, as this appears to be a conscious approach that contributes greatly to Resurrection’s style and overall sound, and therefore Havukainen’s vision, but it also detracts somewhat from the listenability of the album. Each song, whether it’s one of the ambient or more industrial variety, is based on a single idea or theme that is used repeatedly throughout the song, and although minor changes and accompaniments are sometimes used, what you hear at the beginning of the song is often the same thing you hear at it’s end. However, the variety between songs is good, and taken as one cohesive work, Resurrection does take several turns, even if it takes a long time to reach them.
That said, there a couple of songs that flat out kick ass. “As My Shield” is an upbeat barrage of symphonic percussion and undulating key effects topped with ominous choral vocals. It sounds like marching music for an army of bloodthirsty Orcs. “You Are the Dead” takes a similar approach, with pounding tribal percussion and understated, nearly spoken vocals. These songs are among the most interesting industrial music of the year, and an entire album this heavy would be entirely welcome. Although some of the ambient work is a bit too lengthy, most of the rest of the material is solid, “The Vulture” in particular is a haunting, slow journey through dark landscapes, and the operatic female vocals are a chilling addition to the mood of the song.
Resurrection is an apt name for a comeback album, and In Slaughter Natives has produced one that is quite solid overall. This is a very dark and somewhat unusual album, and although it will have a limited appeal with our readers, fans of more experimental industrial music and/or dark film scores should watch for this one.
