Whenever I come across any work in the underground that comes along with the tag “avant-garde” I tend to get just a little nervous. Nervous because it can easily be that the band in question is throwing that phrase on in order to sound like they’re accomplishing more than what reality presents to us with that being a scenario I’ve found myself frustratingly in the midst of time and time again. On occasion, though, there is an act that manages to bring glory and justice to the idea with a performance that’s as monumental as it is powerful. In virtually every form, that’s just the very beginning of what Misanthropic Rage has to bring forth with their upcoming fourth full-length album.

With a band as accomplished already as this with every work that’s come before this fresh effort showing us what the very name of Misanthropic Rage carries with it, there shouldn’t be any doubt whatsoever that this band can pull off virtually whatever sound they wish to bring to life. Hence, when I came upon the term “avant-garde” attached to their new record I found myself with slight hopeful optimism while still preparing for something that doesn’t quite live up to such a promise. In classic fashion, the universe sought to prove me to be as wrong as possible with every step that’s taken throughout the seven tracks of “Hallucinatory Phenomena” capitalizing on all that this band has been building themselves up to for years now. It’s tempting to say that this is the sort of record we never could’ve expected from this band, but that would make the band’s journey up to now sounding like it didn’t live up to expectations which couldn’t be any further from the truth! The absolute menagerie of glorious offensives, seductive passages, and haunting magics that are strewn for the utter entirety of “Hallucinatory Phenomena” make for what has undoubtedly got to be the most compelling creation from this treat of the underground that goes by the name Misanthropic Rage with it being every possible way in which there’s no chance anyone who finds themselves lost in the halls crafted here could ever walk away wanting more.

This is a creation to lose oneself in so that Misanthropic Rage can build you back up from the brink, making you all the more intertwined with the real magic and madness that’s at play for every second of this vicious, compelling, and fascinating effort. There isn’t a shred about all that was brought forth in order to bring the maddening excellence of “Hallucinatory Phenomena” to life in excruciatingly wondrous detail with all that’s brought to the table in these seven tracks the very definition of awe-inspiring in the absolute darkest sense, and I can’t get enough of it!

“Hallucinatory Phenomena” releases on May 13th via Godz ov War Productions!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Hallucinatory Phenomena” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Misanthropic Rage on Facebook here.