BLACK ELK (Always A Six, Never A Nine) CD
Here we have the second album form Portland's aggro-wreckers BLACK ELK that has been released by Crucial Blast in 2008. I never had the chance to listen to their debut album, but 'Always A Six, Never A Nine' confronts the listener with a load of heavy dissonant riffage, delivered with the subtlety of a plane crash. Of couse, one could compare the band to the usual suspects like Unsane, Hammerhead or Jesus Lizard, but BLACK ELK is much more than just a copy of those band. Some of their included ten songs are surprisingly melodic and the structures are fine tuned with the help of unexpected guitar harmonies and other instruments like a piano. There is just enough complexity to keep you listening from start to finish, and enough driving force to keep your adrenalin boiling the whole way. The vocals of singer Tom Glose remind me to the legendary Rites Of Spring. He offers more than the typical psychotic standards that are well-known in the noise rock genre. This album definitely grows with every spin and it could happen that you discover something new after the next listening session. A very good release, a slab of dirty, heavy and meaty rock. If you find it then buy it. That's all!
(KK)