Salò; an amalgamation of the remnants of No Kilter and The Ocean Fracture; have clearly resisted the 21st Century metamorphosis of ‘alternative music’; the invariably pop-punk, melodic whinges of boys who can’t see through their fringes; and kept to the deliberately grating and provocative sounds of their predecessors.
‘Hunger Artist’ kicks off the show; effectively grabbing you by the face and screaming at you until the aggression has overtaken practically every orifice.
You don’t have room to breathe, stop, move and take stock of what’s just begun, as the all-important opening track is a brave and daring choice.
It would be enough for those of a weaker constitution, to warrant the removal of the headphones and reading a book instead but for those who, in the years gone by, had accustomed their ears to the sounds of abused guitars, incessant bass, and unrelenting drums; are savvy enough to recognise this song as being thrown in at the deep end, and preparation for what’s in store.
It has to be said, that this song, and the chaos which ensues, is only just held together by a loose underpinning musical melody; while the rest of the song runs rampant.
It is effective in commanding your attention to the point of reminiscence of the fascism their name connotes; yet by its end we are left with the impression that the trio had better gain some control over their music if they’re going to come out the other side.
Needless to say therefore, ‘2-3-74’ brings the EP down a few notches… or then again, maybe not.
The smoother vocals are drawled out over a simple and effective melody; yet the bruising guitars and bass; and the undoubtedly very bruised drums offer little reprieve from the first volley.
This is clearly a record designed to make you uncomfortable; it has its pleasing elements – it has to in order to survive – but the pace and the violence of the music are still relentless.
In short, Salò still have your head spinning; but as a listener, you’re not quite sure you want it to be.
The control over their music has still to be won; and indeed is almost lost completely in ‘Pickman’s Model’.
Rozario described it as ‘post-hardcore built around a simpler, more melodic foundation’; and while the melody is certainly stronger, the EP is almost lost on this track.
The vocals, though offering juxtaposition between screaming and singing; don’t excel at one or the other.
Rather than the carefully crafted, meticulously sculpted expression of frustration for which the genre has become a synonym, ‘Pickman’s…’ wavers along an already poorly-constructed path.
Yet, then ‘Useless Marksman’ and ‘Iphis Breathes / Black Contrail’, swoop in to say the day.
The instantaneous drumbeat and gelling guitars of the former finally sound like this music is created with purpose, rather than a barely contained explosion of noise.
The vocalists surpass themselves in every way; they control the tone, the atmosphere of their record in this one track, they lay down the multi-faceted textures that make and good record, of any genre.
But it is ‘Iphis…’ that steals the show, the vocal endeavour, though not as strong as ‘…Marksman’, is nothing to be sneered at.
Characterised by a staccato rhythm this song jars, but in a way that we want it to; that we could easily become infatuated with.
Then it all changes, and you are floored.
By some divine stroke of inspiration, Salò have created a beautiful, hypnotic, and completely impressive instrumental.
The band has seemingly reined in their demons, and their hard-won victory has borne something eerie, dangerously hypnotic, and undeniably sensual, this track finally owns the fire of the rest of the EP.
But rather than ending on this last, gorgeous ember; ‘VALIS’ is our farewell.
In true Salò style, we are bidden adieu by the door slamming in our face, though on this final note; the mastery they achieved in ‘Iphis…’ stays with them.
Salò’s first EP is unsettling; it’s chaotic and unorganized and an unrelenting invasion of noise; aggression and total raw power.
It frightens you and captivates you fifty different times within certain tracks; and is the dominant partner in the music-listener relationship.
The greatest problem this record faces is its structure and control; one of the most important tools for hardcore musicians.
These boys run the risk of scaring off many a listener before they get to the complete surprise that is the second half if the EP, but the critique that the music is so aggressive, powerful, and so completely insane that control is difficult to achieve…
Somehow I don’t think that these boys will mind.
Words: Jennifer Farquharson
