(written by Islander)
We have been fascinated by the unpredictable evolutions of the Italian band Viscera///, evolutions so adventurous that it’s not an exaggeration to now call their music experimental.
That’s not to say that they throw things against the wall to see what sticks, or drip ingredients into test tubes to see whether the fluids change colors or explode. They are instead quite obviously very demanding of themselves and very meticulous in their planning and execution, it’s just that they march to the beat of their own drummer; their musical interests are wide-ranging and they’ve never been satisfied by remaining in the same musical space for very long.
Because of that it’s probably not hugely helpful in our introduction of their new album to provide a history of the band’s releases (and the changing musical forays they have represented) across their 26 years of activity. It’s maybe more helpful to just focus on the new music and leave the past behind.
And yes, nine years after their last album, Viscera/// have a new full-length titled 4. Assets for Psychedelic Warfare that’s now set for release on July 24th by Time To Kill Records. And yes, we’re premiering it in full today.
At a very high level, Viscera/// haven’t abandoned elements of their previous manifestations (which include “the glacial heaviness of Godflesh” and “the raw urgency of black metal and grindcore”, to quote the press materials), but they’ve added ingredients of psychedelia and “dark wave”, and they’ve given a very prominent role to clean vocals.
The results are intriguing, exhilarating, strife-torn, stricken, hallucinatory, and desolate, depending on where you are in the album, or even where you are within individual songs. As the band have said about just one song, but it holds true for aspects of the entire album, it’s “a call to dance and grieve at the same time”. (And sometimes a call to tear things apart.)
It will be a test for some of you, because the album’s non-metal ingredients probably outweigh the conventional metal ones. But if you approach it with an open mind, it might become one of your favorites this year (as it has become one of mine).
The album opens with its shortest track, “Wipe Out“, and it opens, in turn, with a vocal sample of a bible-thumper’s rant before the band cut him off with pounding drums, whirling and blaring guitars, and then an outburst of blasting beats, vicious tremolo’d riffing, and scalding screams.
“Wipe Out” seamlessly feeds into “Agents of Kali Yuga“, and the music sounds like that’s what Viscera/// are — representatives of the worst of the Hindu world-cycles, our terrible current age.
The riffing simultaneously quivers and writhes as the drums vividly somersault, creating moods both sinister and anguished. Vicious vocals furiously gnash, and the guitars ring out as if stricken, but the riffing also vibrantly pulsates and frantically squirms, paving the way to solemn singing.
The drummer also rocks, the guitars feverishly shiver, and a guitar solo magically swirls and spirals (but it also sounds distraught rather than triumphant). The galloping grooves are compulsive, and the music is exhilarating, but the moods it generates are distressing and desperate (at least as this listener interprets it).
The album continues with “Radiant“, which was the record’s debut single. The band have said that with this song they sought “to dive even deeper into the hypnotic and gloomy side of our sound, blending heavy riffs with dark, immersive atmospheres”. To do this, they created an amalgam of unnerving guitar interplay, steady beats, and clear-toned singing that’s higher in range than the singing in “Agents of Kali Yuga“.
The singing itself (which is quite captivating) points toward psychedelic influences, but also to certain colors of rock from the ’80s. Slowly twisting and strangely glittering guitars create an unsettling collage that even more strongly links arms with psychedelic influences, and the soloing in this song is an especially striking call-back to psychedelic rock from many decades past; so is the drugged wooziness of the lead guitar that bookends the soloing.
“Radiant” is the album’s longest song, and one of the strongest, even though it’s also probably the most stripped of conventional “metal” ingredients. The music is hallucinatory, strangely mesmerizing, and the seductive crooning suits the music extremely well. (The digital edition of the album includes an edited version of “Radiant” at the end.)
You will figure out by now that Viscera/// have consciously connected the songs, causing each one to flow without break into the next one. You’ll also grasp by now how well the music benefits from a very heavy but very nuanced bass presence, with both the bass and the drums carefully calculated to enhance the music’s altering manifestations and changing intensities.
Speaking of which, “At the Buddhafield” is quite a change. It functions as a kind of interlude, but not one you could predict. It includes another vocal sample (a conversational one), tinkling piano keys, pattering ticks and clacks, streams of woozily wailing melody that are both ethereal and sizzling, and other oddities.
From there the flow takes us into the album’s longest song, “The Messiah Complex“, one in which singing trades off with furious screaming and the music morphs repeatedly. It becomes expansive, even doomily grand; it softens and rings in beckoning ways; it features old-school psychedelic riffing and jumping post-punk grooves; it mesmerizes; at times it reminded me a bit of David Bowie circa Station to Station; the singing both here and elsewhere also reminded me of Morrissey from The Smiths.
Viscera/// then take us into the up-tempo “El Magico“, in which blasting drums, scorching vocals, dismally slashing chords, and frantically pulsating notes are dominant. The song’s moods become even more heavily shaded with sorrow as the pacing slows and the beats eventually vanish; the mood of the abraded riffing remains dour when the drums mount a grim march and clean vocals fly high. Overall, it’s a heart-aching song, but it really digs under the skin and stays there.
And that leaves “Autoberserk“. It’s probably sufficient to quote the band’s statement about it:
“‘Autoberserk‘ is an uptempo, vibrant lowlife anthem where arena-rock energy collides with our typical dark and hallucinatory vision. Wicked melodies, obscure thoughts and psychedelic tension intertwine in a track that feels both euphoric and deeply unsettling; a call to dance and grieve at the same time”.
Well, we’ll add that “Autoberserk” really will get your heads and legs moving, and it includes a great guitar solo. (In my promo edition of the album, it also eventually goes quiet for quite a long time before the music revives for a very trippy and haunting instrumental outro.)
Have you had enough words? Hopefully not, because we have more — but this time the words are from Viscera///:
In all of our releases, the seeds of what comes next are already there. The ideas for a new record begin to take shape almost immediately after the previous one is released. In that sense, 4 is the natural successor to 3 (2017), although it is even more closely connected to the City of Dope and Violence EP (2018). That EP marked the moment when we realized we could fully embrace a more psychedelic and melodic direction without worrying about how it would be received. For the first time, we felt completely free to write more intimate and atmospheric music. Of course, melodic doesn’t mean soft.
With that in mind, 4 turned out to be both the most demanding and the most rewarding album we’ve ever made. Several songs were discarded, while others were rewritten almost from scratch more than once. We never cared about rushing the process — we only wanted to be completely satisfied with the final result. That’s also why we deliberately scaled back our live activity for a while.
Meanwhile, the bleak years of the pandemic and the turmoil that followed naturally fed the album’s apocalyptic, LSD-infused atmosphere. We remain faithful to our dark, introspective outlook, because humanity never fails to disappoint.
Ultimately, our goal has always been to create a synthesis of all our musical influences. We may have come closer than ever with 4, but the journey is far from over.
And with that, please enjoy our premiere stream of the album in full:
VISCERA/// Album Line-up:
Michele Basso: vox, guitars, electronics
Marcello Bellina: guitars
Gian Lorenzo Cantù: bass
Federico De Bernardi di Valserra: drums
VISCERA/// Current Line-up:
Michele Basso: vox, guitars, electronics
Riccardo Brembilla: guitars
Gian Lorenzo Cantù: bass
Federico De Bernardi di Valserra: drums
Time To Kill will release the album on vinyl LP (variant editions), digipack CD, casssette tape, and digital formats, and you can order it now at the locations linked below:
PRE-ORDER:
https://viscera3stripes.bandcamp.com/album/4-assets-for-psychedelic-warfare
https://timetokillrecords.com/en-us
VISCERA///:
https://www.instagram.com/viscera3stripes/
https://www.facebook.com/viscera3stripes
https://viscera3stripes.bandcamp.com/