If you haven’t quite had your fill of bands who take a fierce disdain for humanity and twist and contort it into the filth that we now call music, then feed your inner nihilist earholes with Noosed’s third release Butcher, on Trepanation Recordings.
As a relatively new project there’s a fair amount of anonymity to the collective but research revealed they come from Galway and have separate projects, Rodger “Rodge” Mortis with Ruairi O’Baioioghill, Stonecarver and Reilig (not to mention Black Monk Records) and “Mand” with Rotcart. The duo take crust punk with angry shouts and give it an industrial noise twist – think Godflesh or Ministry crossed with Napalm Death – creating an energetic racket sure to make them ones to watch on the live music circuit (once it reopens).
Noosed’s rather positive and sunny outlook is that “humanity is staring through the hangman’s noose” and this quite frankly accurate sentiment is successfully reflected in Butcher. Seven short bursts of cathartic metal seething with nihilism comprise this short but efficient album, beginning with ‘Rot’ which starts low, slow and formidable with drawn-out cords and heavy-hitting drums building into a sludgy groove which rides over repeated soundbites. ‘Piss’ surges forward in a galloping frenzy with hints of the energy of Ministry, a vibe which continues with ‘Scum’ – when the drums get harder, it rivals the intensity of Napalm Death (perhaps the title ‘Scum’ is a reference) and yet has a dancey vibe throughout. Serving up Godflesh realness, ‘Believer’ is slowed down and darker but peppered with blastbeats. Some may recognise dialogue from The Omen before the tone swerves towards a blackened vibe in ‘Hoist The Noose’. ‘Leave Something Witchy’ picks up speed with pummelling drumbeats hurtling ferociously onwards to final track ‘Butcher’, which climaxes in a cacophony of soundbites and noise.
Judging by the previously swampy recording of 2019’s self-released EP, the band have come a long way, but Butcher still has the coating of sludgy filth. It’s pretty much guaranteed that when these guys are able to play live it will be a fucking sick time and not just because we can go to gigs again!
Butcher is out now on Trepanation Recordings. Order here.
Words: Abi Coulson
