Sound You'll Never Hear

The title of the release has a certain amount of daringness in it. It presupposes the idea of an oxymoron, an existing non-existence. But here I am, sitting in front my computer, enduring the confusing contrasts, the distracting melodies, the overall impertinence of two Norwegian musicians. Yes, Norway again. The home of strange bands like Solefald, Ved Buens Ende, Ihsahn and whatnot. Even though the trend of black metal has calmed down a bit, especially in respect to this Scandinavian country, it is still possible to see some obscure band washed on the shores of the metal scene, whose concept is a new take on an actually rather narrow conception. A “Sound You'll Never Hear“ is anything but pleasant, it is raw, it is demanding as well as a welcome contrast to all the polished stuff that floods the airwaves.

Leaving physical limitations aside, humans are generally able to enjoy the performance of this band in one way or another. Whether they are pleased by what they are presented with is another question. SCS are different, even though the basic rhythm models follow well known patterns. They head into a different direction, break with what can described as ordinary and this has not so much to do with some rambling about the “mother's kitchen floor” – a parody of the basement black metal? – as with the confusing to and fro on this album. It is Darkthrone reinterpreted, the old-school black metal re-arranged and underground concepts put upside down. How wonderful would it be to have some actual lyrics at hand, to look for some potential schizophrenia, to dive deep into these obscure realms that are opened by the band without any difficulty it seems. Yet, we the audience have to sit tight and listen to the performance of this band; something that is so amply presented on the cover artwork. L'art pour l'art.

The setting of the music is actually quite conservative. No keyboards, synths and similar elements have found their way into the compositions. Very basic in its premise, but executed with a strange versatility. Solefald meets Darkthrone meets In the woods..., but on a level that is difficult to actual grab. It lacks a bit of insanity or maybe a certain conceptual unconventionality, it does not have the consistent aggressiveness and it also does not have these extreme vocals, these extreme differences in the approaches. Yet it is a bit of it all.

Death of the Creators, and this might be a bit misleading, opens the album in such a way as to attempt to set the stage for some kind of old-school black metal. The riffs, the abrasive sound of the guitars and this “middle-finger” attitude point in this direction. A first disturbing element would be the lyrics – “on my mother's kitchen floor”; repeated several times. One short and rather disturbing interlude later, SCS continue with their particular type of music. Or do they? Well, it is up to the track “Enemies of the Sound You'll Never Hear” to push the music in a surprising direction. Those who happen to be familiar with the debut album of the band Naervaer might acknowledge the impact that a trumpet can have on a composition. Here the effect is the same. The alto horn (!) helps to set a contrast to the noisy and raw sound of the guitars; something the vocals, despite an emphasis on clean nature, are unable to. Sadly, this instrument plays only a marginal role. Is only allowed to appear on some rare occasions. It is actually also the only facet, whose part is allowed to break out of the general spirit and flow. Similar to Carpathian Forest's experiment with a saxophone, also here the roles are basically set and carved in stone.

Also marginalized is the use of samples. A rather short one is allowed to make an appearance in the last composition. Judging from the sound it could have been taken from a horror movie or some other flick. Another element that has to be brought up has to do with the manipulation of the voice. “Wreck”, the longest track on this release, offers something that reminds on Ulver; “Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell” and later. Both elements are some kind of contrast to the general direction and come as a surprise.

Are these all the references that can be brought up? Has this band been placed in a somewhat proper place? Hardly. It is easy to mention other projects, give hints towards other directions, to more recent outputs, whose progressive nature makes them stand out amongst the ordinary and tiring quality in the black metal genre. With a descriptor like “Avant-garde Black Metal” all and nothing is being said at the same time. It lures the listener into some kind of uncertain certainty that a peculiar type of art would create something new, fresh and previously unknown. Well, SCS move towards a new direction but do this from a rather safe position. They do not break with their origins; do not reinvent the black metal genre anew. Instead, they have rearranged and merged parts together that few bands like to do on such levels. A strange release, definitely, but really recommended to those who prefer extreme metal with a twist.

Based on a review originally written for ‘A dead spot of light (Number 22)’:
http://www.archive.org/details/ADeadSpotOfLight...Number22