Absolute of Malignity

I myself have said it, but apparently there is a charm to lo-fi productions. For fans of black metal, who have listened to the genre for over a decade at least, its easy to understand why they’d be comfortable listening to a lo-fi produced band. That isn’t to say that the majority of black metal bands poorly produced there records back in the day, but there was more room for the so-called bedroom black metal style. Bands that we now consider legendary were also easy to accommodate, despite plausible poor production values. Why? Simply because the accessibility of the genre has grown tenfold since the days where bands like Darkthrone ruled the roost, though they still have a loyal following to this day. The inaccessibility of genres like this a decade ago meant that bands were forced to record their material any which way they could, even if it meant producing poorly structured records with evidently useless, for all intensive purposes, production. ‘Transilvanian Hunger’ is the biggest example of a record that exhibit’s a poor production, and yet still manages to have a comfortable position within the history books. These documents don’t lie. The style that allowed lo-fi songs to be so comfortable isn’t as accessible anymore, but it once was.

I imagine the fans who see lo-fi music as charming and personal will like this band, Japan’s obscure Absolute of Malignity, or The Absolute of Malignity as they can also be known as and which I will be referring to them as from now onwards. According to the heated discussions on production values, this style, though not the same as the style used on epics like ‘Transilvanian Hunger’, still has a place in the scene today. In actual fact, one section of the crowd claim that this is the best form of black metal and precisely how it should be structured. Whether I agree with this statement or not is still up for debate itself. I appreciate it when its done with class, but not when it’s the only means of production. I understand not everyone has the money, or even the means to use expensive equipment to record their songs, but they could at least accommodate the cleanest style possible in order to allow each section of the instrumentation to be clear and concise in its portrayal of the lyrical themes. I understand and accept that this won’t always be easy when it comes to a genre like black metal, since distortion is usually its number one friend, but still argue that aggression can be achieved without resorting to lo-fi production values which can make the sound cheap and inaccessible. There are, of course, people who argue that if you cannot take the heat, you shouldn’t be in the kitchen. This age old argument is a reasoning for why people should not criticise this style of play, but its nonsense.

Everyone is a critic. By standing up for this method, you yourself are a critic. You’re stating its essential nature to the music and with it are prepared to argue, until death do us part, that this so-called essential production makes the music what it is - supposedly brilliant. Lo-fi production is no longer original. I don’t think its meant to be. Bands like The Absolute of Malignity use this style to operate within a certain framework of black metal - this being raw black metal. The “raw” sub-genre isn’t widely used because of its inaccessibility, a theme which I will continue to harp on about, but when it is use, it tends to sound as tedious now as it did on the day on its unwanted conception. Please, abort it! I’ll pay, I swear. Oddly enough, there are times when certain bands fall into our laps who blow all our pre-conceived notions away - Japan’s The Absolute of Malignity are one of those. Whether or not my opinion of this chaotic band is based around the fact that they’re obscure or not is unknown, but it is likely. This personal rendition of raw black metal is taken to ridiculous levels of obscurity. So much so I cannot tell you how many members this band has, who plays what, or what is even played within the band!

There is obviously no room for keyboards. This style does have its moments of tender ambiance, such as on ‘III’, which exhibit’s a nicely structured combinational play on guitars. One playing a repetitive riff that rings out over and over again, the other adding a sense of dynamism to the song. This style does not accommodate keyboards, it does not welcome much change either. If you’re looking for experimentation, look elsewhere. This Japanese band are a tribute to the olden days. The days where Darkthrone still commanded the respect of everyone. I’ve encountered many bands like this before and rarely ever do any of them leave me with the feeling that I’ve just listened to a legend unfold in the making. Although The Absolute of Malignity do not make me feel as if I’m listening to the stuff legends are made of, they do leave me feeling pleasantly surprised. Bad production, unusual samples of women having orgasms, inaudible bass for long periods, pounding drums that act like a barrage of ammunition and essential guitars alongside some very clichéd vocals. This Japanese band are obscure and that’s the way they like it. The term “underground music” was created for records like this.