Repeat Offender

All too often, black/punk hybrids are trapped by rawness. The inherent extremeness of the fusion's modern foundation in Ildjarn plus the contemporary no-fi of Bone Awl (et al.) inspired plenty of bands to record the harshest noise possible with sticks-and-stones instrumentation. Which is fine, there's absolutely a fanbase (and market) for that - in addition to the axiom that artists should make the music they want to make.

And, I am ecstatic when I hear a black/punk artist who pushes a bit out of that archetype. As demonstrated by the album and track titles, Repeat Offender is a bit scarier and a bit more disturbing - bringing in abuse, harsh sex, and stalking into defined black metal riffs with punky sneer and veneer. I don't mean to imply voyeurism on the subject matter - if anything, Cruel Master sounds like the kind of band that pulls off the "this is pretty horrible" aesthetic rather than celebrate it. If you're not on board with that or if domestic abuse is a line too far, then steer away from this demo.

For those still interested: Repeat Offender is a solid four tracks of bass-heavy sleaze. It's the way to start with Cruel Master's catalogue; the previous series of demos lean too far into the amateurish stereotype of black/punk. This demo is extremely riffy - the break on "Sleazy Fuck" sells this sound so well, liked Midnight crossed with Boston hardcore. The drumming is primitive and basic, but I'm not listening to this kind of metal for the technicality - I want to feel dirty, and this does it.

Originally posted to RateYourMusic. Edited for Metal Archives.