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Ludicra: Another great love song
06/04/10 || Khlysty
As the time closes for the release of Ludicra’s new record, “The Tenant”, and seeing as GD has already covered their first and penultimate records, it’s fitting that we review here their second full-length, the evocatively-titled “Another Great Love Song” (heretoforth to become “AGLS” in this review). For reasons not easily explainable here, I’m gonna break the review into different “chapters”, so that you, the readers, will be able to assimilate in an easier manner the wisdom rained upon thee. Ready, then? Let’s roll!
1. Style, Or Wherein One Finds The Female Mysteries Of The Imagination
Ludicra plays, basically, black metal. Their first record showed them to be highly indebted to Thee Great Old Ones of the genre –e.g. Darkthrone, Gorgoroth et al. Well, here one will still find these influences running through the songs, BUT… Ludicra slowly but surely find their own voice, peppering the basic blast-and-tremolo-pick-and-rasps recipe with acoustic passages, clean vocal harmonizing, doomy breakdowns, even some parts that remind me of Agalloch at their more “rock” mode. So, yeah, this is black metal, but it’s obviously informed by outside ideas and influences, making the record sound comforting and uncomfortable at the same time.
2. Songwriting, Or Wherein One Finds The Evil Truth About “Dynamics”
As I said above, Ludicra tries –and generally succeeds- into merging trad black metal’s cold fury with elements that make their music more “warm” and “human”. Of course, don’t even fucking THINK of “AGLS” as something, y’know, easy and approachable, ‘cause this shit will rip your face. What Ludicra does here is streamlining the songs into coherent blasts of fury, interspersed with moments of –relative- calmness and even beauty, that enhance the overall effect of desperation that the band tries to achieve with this record.
Most songs are over six minutes long, with quite a few parts in them, but everything runs smoothly, without jarring or out-of-place changes, while the passing from furious passages to more controlled ones and vice-versa is done with confidence. The band explores dynamics and mood, without ever presenting the listener with silly puzzles and/or obtuse “traditionalisms” that usually kill black metal. I must also add that the “organic” production allows the songs to “breathe” and not be turned into buzz-fests, an element which works for the band and the songwriting.
3. Instrumental Acumen, Or Wherein One Sees How Good PMS Works With Metal
Let’s be serious, here, okay? John Cobbet’s credentials (Slough Feg, Hammers Of Misfortune) Ross Sewage’s work with Impaled and Exhumed, Aesop Dekker’s passing from Agalloch, all these are fucking BIG creds for Ludicra’s instrumental arsenal. Christy Cather is also one hell of a shredder, up with the best when tremolo-picking her guitar to hell. As far as vocals are concerned, Laurie Sue Shanaman has an impressive scream-howl, some interesting low growls and workable cleans that harmonize in an okay way with Cather’s backing vocals. The band’s tight and avoids wankery, but adds great little moments of instrumental and arrangement brilliance into every song.
4. The Bottom Line, Or Wherein We Uncover Injustice And Lack Of Good Taste
When one talks about USBM, one usually refers to Leviathan, Xasthur, Wolves In The Throne Room, Averse Sephira, maybe Cobalt, probably Nachtmystium, even Krallice or Agalloch or Velvet Cacoon. Usually people forget Ludicra, which is a damn shame. See, this is one of the most interesting, creative and powerful bands in the genre; but, be it that they’re on Alternative Tentacles –a quality label, but hardly one to be associated with metal-, be it that don’t tour a lot, be it that they’re from Frisco, be it that the stars ain’t in the right position, they never gained the appreciation they truly deserve. Anyway, with the hope that now that they’re on Profound Lore, things would get better, I strongly suggest that you do yourselves the favor of discovering and properly adoring Ludicra. Believe me when I say that they deserve it.
- Information
- Released: 2004
- Label: Alternative Tentacles
- Website: www.ludicra.org
- Band
- Laurie Sue Shanaman: vocals
- Christy Cather: vocals, guitar
- John Cobbett: guitar
- Aesop Dekker: drums
- Ross Sewage: bass
- Tracklist
- 01. The Only Cure, the Only Remedy
- 02. Let Thirst the Soil
- 03. One Thousand Wolves
- 04. Why Conquer?
- 05. In the Greenest Maze
- 06. Time Wounds All Heels
- 07. Aging Ghost
