Sarin, Kìzis, and Brand of Sacrifice
Sarin
You Can't Go Back // Prosthetic Records
Sarin uses change and uncertainty to motivate their latest crushing Post-Metal release You Can't Go Back. Recorded over a week in London, Ontario at The Sugar Shack, You Can't Go Back saw the band recently part with two of the five members.
The namely opener "Cold Open" uses dissonance as a reflective pause. The rest of the time it drives along with no care for your thoughts and feelings.
"When You Melt" builds expectedly before diving into some delicious riffage. Pausing only to reflect, it's what we do, through change. Build and layer, only to construct another noisy mess.
"Reckoner" again uses a punishing riff to educate. But this time, some sparingly applied vocals are anything but clean. Instead, relief comes in the form of a melodic bridge to variants of the riff.
"Thick Mire" is the only time I'd use the adjective sludge. And then the wall of sound fury comes. It is so much fun.
"Otherness" uses melody opposed with crushing chord work in order to tell a story.
"Leave Your Body" is the uptempo denouement. It optimistically professes that light conquers dark.
As if Mogwai wore BattleJackets, Sarin's You Can't Go Back doesn't get weighed down in it's own heaviness. There is an optimism and brevity to the metal crush. With spring coming, change gives opportunities for new and differing experiences. I only wish You Can't Go Back was longer.
- Drew Cox
Kìzis
Tidibábide / Turn // Tin Angel Records
As a music reviewer, it is quite the unique occasion to get to engage with a 4-hour record. I want to start with this disclaimer right out of the gate, because the record I am getting to write about this time is prolific in this respect but also prolific in the quality of its creative output. On February 12, 2021, Kìzis released her sophomore record Tidibábide / Turn through Tin Angel Records. Prior to this release, Kìzis released Kijà / Care (2018) under the name Mich Cota which sought to reflect on recovery from trauma and oppression through love and action. As opposed to the 11 tracks in the prior record, Kìzis delivers 36 tracks of techno, poetry, pop and Algonquin dance reflecting on what it is to live as a trans and Indigenous person in a world which she understands has the capacity to experience great changes still approaching.
Now, this is 36 tracks and I am restricting myself to some specific highlights in the record that particularly stuck with me. Nevertheless, it might be best to start with some general remarks. Tidibábide / Turn is a remarkably ambitious record in its scope and dedication, quite openly collaborative in a community-oriented way that brings a wide number features - the one that blew me away was Billy Ray Belcourt, one of my favourite poets; or for instance, PEACHMAN, who Kìzis met as a Toronto taxi driver and included as gospel singer in “Sister Flower 2.” Though the record is prolifically long, this length is its biggest detriment to the listening experience and can render it somewhat inaccessible to back-to-front listening session - this alone made the reviewing experience somewhat daunting. Now, getting that caveat out of the way, I was pleasantly surprised to see a strong consistency in quality in the record beginning to end. And nevertheless, it is important to understand this uncompromising creative exploration is something that Kìzis did for herself - thereby, to respect and honour this record for what it is, it is important to recognize it as a vulnerable invitation to a thoroughly intimate and collaborative process.
As for tracks that stuck out to me through the record, I narrowed it to 12 tracks that I get to glimpse over (an LP by itself!). “Side of the Road” is one of the catchiest and prettiest tracks in the record, with the constant refrain “love is what keeps me alive” vibing to a dancy track and then elevated to an emotional core with a stringed instrumentation. “Kiss For The Valley” starts with some real good adlibs leading into hushing celebratory that culminate halfway through with the refrain “I can’t explain what it is has become how we live'' which builds-up such power in the track with all the voices participating in reverberating these words. “Higher Self” is also a gripping track with some excellent vocal production giving a cascading texture to the booming bass beats, this is only accentuated be the incorporation of strings and ultimately all of it comes together in letting the track’s instrumentation breathe out all of its elements. By themselves, “Sister Flower (One Comes to Us)” and its sister tracks cover an hour of music in this record - each version of this track is unique and has its very own musical moments that are thoroughly genre-bending and experimental, but they never stop bopping hard. “The Exquisite Party Girl Anthem” is one of my favorite tracks in the record, as the vocals and strings converge quite well with the beat, which for sometimes keeps the track together - but as the track moves on, you can slowly see this song deconstruct all these elements. “Amanda” was featured as a music video for the record, and it is certainly a notable track that embarrassed the strong techno aspects of the artist’s work, where all the different loops interslice the song into oscillations of sounds, always coming back to voice and beat. “Turn” is the titular song to the record, and it is one of the most deconstructed tracks which starts with simple choral vocals over which many instrumental freeplay and vocal ad libs take it to a few different directions: from an arpeggiated cave rave section to a catchy pop hook with the line “So the sun doesn’t make you lose control.” “PERSONALITY!” is an unique track that incorporates the sounds of disco with poetic readings, while the readings by Billy Ray Belcourt and Tenille Campbell are quite delightful, the instrumental portion of the track goes astonishingly hard to achieve a dynamic and on-going groove. Lastly, there is “Nika” which is one of the Algonquin dance songs that Kìzis includes in the record - and I want to give a quick honorable to “Dawemà” at the beginning of the record - but I particularly want to mention “Nika” for the degree of bassiness given to the drum’s rumbling as it makes the song be embodied in an unique way.
So, there it is, some comments and thoughts on probably one of the most ambitious records I’ve had the opportunity to review. While challenging as front-to-back listening experience, Kìzis does offer something unique, vulnerable, personal, and collective in this record - it would be hard to say that there is anything like it, because there simply is not. Kìzis is an uncompromising artist in claiming her own work for herself and her community, as the music is the embodiment of that togetherness that resonates through the record’s lyricism and enveloping sound.
- Simone A. Medina Polo
Brand of Sacrifice
Lifeblood // Blood Blast
Brand of Sacrifice have been making waves in the Deathcore scene since 2018, and they only seem to get stronger and stronger. They have earned a level of respect in the scene that is only reserved for truly special bands. In their short time as a band, they have already shared the stage with highly revered acts like Carnifex, Cattle Decapitation, Rings of Saturn Etc. Their legend continues to grow with the release of their second full length, Lifeblood. Like the album before it, God Hand, this album is entirely inspired by the anime series Berserk, giving the album sinister and brutal themes that match the crushing sounds that go with them. There are lots of industrial moments scattered throughout the album, which is not something you would typically come across in a deathcore release, giving its listeners a breath of fresh air! Brand of Sacrifice take advantage of their elevated status in the scene to pull in some insane guest vocalists for Lifeblood, gathering a wide array of sounds from the Metalcore and Deathcore communities. Now deathcore has lots of bands that have very similar sounds that can be hard to differentiate, especially when it comes to breakdowns, but Brand of Sacrifice leave no doubt in the listeners mind with their unique approach to the sub genre. This fact, in my opinion, is why they have been so successful.
The album is kicked off with the short but savage “Dawn" immediately kicking in with an industrial/ Nu Metal riff the likes of Vein, or Code Orange. The lyrics deal with grief and self hatred. Next is the ruthless “Demon King”, delivering spitfire vocals, along with stunning gutturals and devastating pig squeals! The riffs and drum work on this song are equally as quick and punishing, as are the lyrics of being a tyrannical demon lord over earth. Next is “Animal” which starts off slow but quickly build up into a frantic banger, with breakdowns that will have you swinging limbs and stomping feet! The lyrics are about fighting to maintain the last shred of civility, and not succumbing to the primitive, animalistic nature deep within. My personal favorite track of the album is next, and it goes by the name of “Altered Eyes". In my opinion, this is the heaviest track, loaded with slamming breakdown riffs that are sure to cause a ruckus when they finally get to perform it in front of their dedicated fans. Now we have the first feature with “Prophecy of the Falcon" with a guest spot from Frankie Palmeri of the metalcore monsters Emmure. This one is another good example of the subtle industrial sounds that can be found on Lifeblood, paired with unmerciful breakdowns and hair raising vocal performances! To give a small break from the deathcore onslaught, “Perfect World" soothes the listener for a short moment then it’s back to the brutality with “Mortal Vessel”, a fitting title as Ben Duerr, vocalist of Shadow of Intent, is seemingly but a mortal vessel for the monstrous voice that he possesses! His delivery of filthy shower drain like vocals is a match made in heaven when paired with Kyle’s beastly screams! Brand of Sacrifice bring us another feature from the upper echelon of Metalcore, this time with I Prevails Eric Vanlerberghe on the song “Foe of the Inhuman”. I love the duel vocals on this track, paired with electronic-like breakdowns, and some nice angelic chanting sampled throughout. “Vengeance” is next and it is the most unique sounding on the album, thanks to Jamie Graham of Viscera. His harsh but beautiful singing takes the song places that no other song on Lifeblood dares to venture. The song is about the ugliness of hatred, and how seeking vengeance will often leave you blinded. The final feature on the album is a heater, with Tyler Shelton of the beloved Florida beatdown team, Traitors. This song is ravishing and blazing quick, laden with Tyler’s pissed off howls and Kyle’s devilish pig squeals. “Corridor of Dreams" gives us one final calming instrumental break before we dive into the closing title track, “Lifeblood". It starts off with a howl fit for a wild demon dog, before spiralling into chaotic blast beats and chuggy riffs. This song is about ascending in life on the blood of your enemies, which I think is a message to not let haters and nay sayers get you down.
Don’t be surprised when you see Lifeblood on every Deathcore fans top albums of the year, as the album has already been putting up impressive numbers and receiving praise from a wide array of musicians! All these achievements are even more impressive when you consider the fact that they are an independent band! Brand of Sacrifice just might be the best thing to happen to Canadian Deathcore since Despised Icon!
- Justin Olson
