Album Review: Black Violence - Extinction Control
Reviewed by Sam Jones
So Black Violence are a pretty recent creation all things considered having started just a few years ago. The band have been doing one or two rounds of the continental European circuits lately having played various pubs, live concerts but also branching out into larger festivals particularly amongst Italian and more international territories. They released their self-produced EP titled Hell Is Coming a few years back and in 2019 released their first full length record Need Of Darkness. Now in 2021 the band have returned to give us their second full length offering of material but what must be said is that this band is not really geared towards a rudimentary heavy metal audience, rather their style is one that blends together aspects of alternative metal, hard blues and pop rock to craft something that is really specific to Black Violence. So let’s take an inquisitive look at this band and what they’ve managed to create via Extinction Control.
So Black Violence don’t give you a conventional heavy metal sound all the way through their performance, even throughout their opening track which I must say does a good job at introducing audiences to their more left-field approach to songwriting. It’s clearly of a hard rock nature however the band are also throwing in Industrial elements here and there to create something that feels a little more eclectic and scathing than your typical heavy metal piece. The guitar work sounds like it’s been given a sandpaper treatment whereby the pickups and fretboards sound like they’ve been grated repeatedly which in turn has created this more electric yet more raw tone. It’s not that the guitar work has this particularly ripping quality, rather it’s as if the riffs constantly have the wah-wah pedal on without the massive distortion that traditionally accompanies it. It’s very different.
I think the production and mixing quality will take a few tracks for audiences to get used to owing to what kind of record we’ve got. From the offset it’s pretty evident that the vocals are at the forefront of the album’s performance however I can say they don’t try to shove themselves down your throat. So, it’s clear the vocals are the primary emphasis of the record’s mixing and we’ve got the riffs effectively backing them up, yet the guitar work is something you have to get used to as it’s not like you’re going to be constantly aware of them in the background at all times as there are periods where the impact of the riffs fall away completely and the vocals take centre stage. Even then the vocals are of a pretty serene and well controlled performance, it’s not a vocal delivery that’s beset on a powerful performance but one that weirdly hypnotises you in conjunction with what the bass is constantly feeding into their soundscape. Fans of straight up heavy metal may find themselves rather offset by what this record offers.
The overall aesthetic of this album reminds me of that 1990s era of alternative metal where bands like White Zombie, Rage Against The Machine and Nu Metal were at their height. It’s not a typical heavy metal record that much we have vastly established, however it certainly feels like a 90s alternative metal record with some metal influences going on as the band aren’t fixated on that hard hitting performance. Instead it’s like they’re creating an atmosphere you can easily become lost in as their sound does possess this strangely dreamlike or floating aesthetic, likely an offshoot of their more intangible guitar work that doesn’t ever seem to hit the grounded earth. I will say however that there is zero difficulty in experiencing this record as the songwriting and atmospheres herein are rather light and require very little effort on the audiences’ part to dive in and enjoy what Black Violence have here. There’s no rush happening here, the band are taking their time and as a result the pacing of their record moves at an easygoing rate so there’s no risk of losing their audience through excessive speed or intensity. In a way that’s nice as sometimes you need an album that’s more than happy to stay with you and isn’t going to leave you behind, especially when you may not be feeling as thoroughly energetic as you might usually be.
The best example of Black Violence’s songwriting and what audiences can expect from them comes from “Bloody Bride”, the longest track on the record. It doesn’t move any quicker or slower than the rest of the album nor does it attempt to include any other elements the album hasn’t otherwise included and thrown your way by the time you’ve reached this segment of the record, and yet the band emphasise their style of songwriting wonderfully here. This album is not going to please everyone I am exceedingly assured of that, but “Bloody Bride” best demonstrates the premiere qualities this band can give you when everything falls into place. Their wish to take their time pays off well here as the riffs and vocals and overall aesthetic all bleed together to create something that shines as a quality example of their left-field alternative metal identity.
In conclusion, this album will divide people. This record is not geared towards a brutal or crushing performance, instead it’s simply there for people to sit back and enjoy. There isn’t anything special or otherworldly or overtly technical going on in the background, it’s a work of music that’s very reminiscent of that 1990s/early 2000s era of when alternative metal was dominating the airwaves. As a result, I think there are going to be people who’ll hate this album as much as there’ll be people who’ll completely fall in love with this album. I seriously haven’t come across many modern albums released lately that managed to invoke such a callback to that late 90s period yet Black Violence managed to do so. I think they’ll gain a ton of fans because of people relieved to learn there’s at least one band out there that’s prepared to revitalise that sound so many people fell in love with back in their childhood and teenage years. Was this album for me? No. But I believe a lot more people will take to it. It’s fun, enjoyable and requires no effort to take in what the band are giving you. A good time to be had all round.
