At best, it would be a mild understatement to say that the underground has some truly weird and unprecedented corners that see the genre twisted into forms unrecognizable, outside of the box, and undeniably strange. It’s where exceptional talent can writhe in obscurity as well as where their art can propagate and expand to become all that its creators intended it to be without any shred of fear of corruption in some form or another. Many times over do we see bands come around delivering a vision that is off-kilter and something that we do not see often with plenty tapping into inspiration that most will not see coming. Throughout its debut, Labor of the Negative tap into that madness and much more.
When bands put forth their first album, it’s almost critical that a statement is made in order for incoming listeners to get a solid idea of what this new entity is about. Many times over do we see that done to varying degrees of success, but it’s not all that often that we get something that feels as fierce and maddening as it is intelligent and calculated. Throughout the seven tracks of “The Triumph of Time and the Disillusioned”, it’s made apparent in every subsequent minute that Labor of the Negative is a band that can do both in tremendous form. While a decent stretch away from the craziest and most complicated creation of black metal that we’ve come before, there’s little way one can doubt the machinations that Labor of the Negative executes to an impressive effect. Deeply intertwined with philosophical concepts, it’s in this focused piece that we see black metal take on a form that is irrefutably pointed for the intensity that it seeks to bring to the table, but it’s simultaneously that we see it offer us something twisted. Something that makes you think and nervous without ever truly knowing what it is that has put you at such discomfort. Whereas many seek to deliver a cold vision of intensity, blasphemy, madness, or some combination of the three with their form of black metal, it’s with “The Triumph of Time and the Disillusioned” that Labor of the Negative sought to put forth a listen that preys upon a different corner of our minds. And they’re quite effective at doing so.
By all means, Labor of the Negative has a lot of room to grow, but it must be said that the groundwork that’s been put forth here is nothing short of a fantastic example of black metal following its own path. Labor of the Negative tapped into an inspirational theme that we don’t often see in this style of metal, yet it’s through immaculate calculations and more than enough insanity that this record boasts a text that expands the mind as well as corrupts.
“The Triumph of Time and the Disillusioned” releases on August 7th via I, Voidhanger Records!
LISTEN to an advanced track from “The Triumph of Time and the Disillusioned” on Bandcamp here.
LIKE Labor of the Negative on Facebook here.