Kūka'ilimoku

Hawaii is hardly where I think of when it comes to black metal and hardcore punk. Kūka'ilimoku aren't all sunshine and pleasant sun-soaked vibes. Their jet black offering of black metal is bolstered by the raw aggression of 80s hardcore punk. It's a good formula for something so barebones and brazenly raw. Kūka'ilimoku pull no punches with their speedy to-the-point onslaught of riffs and snarled rasps. The punk tendencies is a nice touch, it saves it from slipping into the Mountain Dew swilling world of disposable bedroom black metal. While decidedly no-frills, this self-titled demo is better than it has any right to be. It's all in the attitude and knowing his way around a riff, I suppose.

Kūka'ilimoku sound like Darkthrone by way of Ildjarn by way of early Black Flag. The rudimentary black metal onslaught is given an extra kick by the inclusion of hardcore punk. While there are guitar sections that feel like they could be pulled by a Reagan bashing 80s hardcore band from California, a lot of the punk energy comes from the simple but ever energetic drums. Kūka'ilimoku have every reason for their punk leanings, the themes being rooted in traditional Hawaiin religion and mythology as well as anit-colonialism. There's also some noisier undertones here. In "When it Becomes Permanent," the blackened hardcore drops out with the drums carrying a swirling mess of braying noise. The vocals are straight out of the second wave, with a caustic snarl raging over the riffs.

Adding hardcore to this sort of very roughly recorded black metal is a clever way to circumvent the bedroom black metal syndrome. There's no shortage of shithouse bedroom offerings these days, with anyone being able to record a demo from their bedroom. You don't even have to pay for Reaper and great things are possible with that sort of modern DAW without ever having to leave the comfort of your house. Of course, the problem with all this is anyone being able to record means lots of people will anyway despite not being ready as a musician and not the slightest clue about mixing. Kūka'ilimoku features an exceedingly rough mix, but the hardcore energy elevates it above the bedroom-tier with their punkier inclinations giving momentum and an in-your-face edge. While I've heard a lot tighter, the guitar is by all means competent. Most importantly, there's some super fun riffs here and the balancing act between punk and metal is executed with ease.