After sifting through yet another stack of electronic promos in the endless quest to discover and discuss, I sometimes question why I write about heavy music. I mean, is this it? Is this as far as we can extend as a cultural anomaly, to become a predictable platform for a predictable angst? I realize that certain sonic heydays have passed for metal, but I’d love to know what the future holds and if it’s worth the ride. I do have other responsibilities to attend to, in theory.
Perhaps I’m simply a jaded man who couldn’t feel less of a connection toward most of what modernly qualifies as metal; after a certain unspoken point, histrionics and hairstyles become a difficult form of expression to justify to our loved ones. Or perhaps it’s the digital-age-old argument that we’re still figuring out how to wade through the muck in the expanding pool of accessibility. Either way, I can attest that discovering fresh sounds is a bit of a modern and most certainly a global chore.
It’s for all these reasons that when I do find something stimulating, such as Huxwhukw from Australian instrumentalists Serious Beak, that the time spent hunting with a discerning eye becomes incredibly valuable in hindsight. In essence, I’ve found something that I’ll keep with me forever.
Simply put, Huxwhukw is a bad-ass, mostly vocal-free record that playfully flirts with several branches of the metal discipline while comfortably interjecting elements of prog- and post-rock. It’s a tight, swirling cyclone of propelling riffs and kick-ass drumming that is breathtaking in its execution. In fact, it’s so heavy that there’s little-to-no distortion for the first five minutes. They’re in no hurry to rush, and like a great thriller you hang on for the ride. When it’s hard, it hits with the impact of a Mastodon, Meshuggah and Keelhaul gumbo infused with Dillinger-grind; when they switch gears they simply allow the music to breathe, empowering the heavier tracks to feel like a straight-on assault from some serious rockers who could give a fuck about an overdub. The only miss on Huxwhukw may be the failed psychedelia of “Fljota,” which comes off as aimless. Never fear, they quickly find their way back.
I’ve been feeling a bit guilty over my Electro Quarterstaff criticism several months back (simply because I’m sensitive like that) but bands like Serious Beak remind me of what is missing from most and abundant in some. They have that ability to be genuinely heavy and technical without somersaulting into a saturated mess of unmemorable wanking. It reinstalls the hope that things are moving in the right direction for metal and that patience truly is a virtue for a demographic of entitled and endlessly dissatisfied consumers. Huxwhukw ends on an abrupt note, implying that the final, pummeling riff of “Taheu Nadryvy, Taheu!” could continue for as long as you could stomach. It fits well for a band whose songwriting process seemingly has no boundaries yet never overstays their welcome.
. . .
This sounds really interesting. The way you describe the album reminds me a bit of Lye By Mistake’s Fea Jur from 2010. Are you familiar with it?
Yes, and I think it’s really good (so much better than their first album). Compared to Serious Beak, LBM has way more fusion/jazz influence, whereas SB has little-to-none of that. Come to think of it, I don’t think there’s a single guitar solo on the SB album. They’re both driving instrumental acts but LBM definitely blurs genres ten-fold.
First off: I like the way you lead into this with issues of fatigue by oversaturation and the relevance/value of modern metal.
I love that cover art, but once again we have a band with a silly name gracing the main article at IO. Obviously it’s not nearly as silly as Weekend Nachos, but still. I also don’t get the album title at all.
Your description sounds enticing, though, except for the “mostly instrumental” part.
i’m fairly sure the silly band name to not silly band name ratio in the bucket of acts we’d call metal is 99:1.
like the cover art; everything else is not my thing.
Good point, in a way, but I think you know what I mean. There’s big gulf between just silly and sure it’s silly but it’s also awesome.
i’m not sure that gulf is all that large – it’s an acceptance of the whole gestalt/shebang that allows people to overlook names because of their comfort and investment. or not – i can’t tell you anything about viking metal because that’s a bridge of stupid too far for me.
but that’s probably true of all music. you have to accept at least a little bit of unreality to submerge yourself in the world they’re crafting.
or the ur example, metallica. like naming a country band “countrytastica”. [checks google, considers registering domain, wisely declines]
How wide is the gulf: a matter of opinion that would not be productive to argue. Good points made. I like some Viking metal quite a bit, but tend to prefer the stuff in foreign tongues, so I can’t accurately gauge how silly it is.
The idea of naming your band after the genre is indeed silly, but you have to admit Metallica sounds better than Countrytastica. A band could call themselves Big Country, or Westerners, and that wouldn’t sound quite so silly.
The point of a band name is to communicate something about that band–genre, personality, etc.–and to do so in a way that’s easy to remember and (in the Internet age at least) easy to spell and Google. So, obviously when I say a name is “silly” I mean it doesn’t appeal to me. Ordinarily, that’s a pretty good measure of whether their music will appeal to me as well, because a band that will appeal to me will likely pick a name that also appeals to me. This makes sense, I hope.
There’s one song with Tim Buckley-like wails. No words but still the use of voice, thus mostly instrumental.
And yes, the cover art is unbelievable. Like Dopesmoker good.
It’s a bit of a silly name but not nearly as self-conscious as Weekend Nachos, I believe. I mean, is it better to be a tad goofy or unnecessarily serious? I always think that bands like Altar of Plagues (whom are great) have these “evil” names that are a bit dated, whereas Weekend Nachos is like calling your band Cum Rag or Pap Smear. It doesn’t mean anything. Maybe none of it does. Whatever. This band still rules.
P.S. And this is coming from a guy who used to play in a band called Brown Bath.
I dig the band name. I also like the name Weekend Nachos, if for any reason because it’s so incongruous with their lyrics and approach — check the cover of “Unforgivable.”
Blotted Science is another entirely instrumental metal side project worth checking out, in particular The Machinations of Dementia (2007). Alex Webster goes flat out nuts on that record.
FMA — r/e mostly instrumental, an interesting perspective considering that when you play metal for most non-fans the first thing they say is I’d like it without the vocals.
Blotted Science totally shreds.
In the end, a great band will triumph over a bad band name. And So I Watch You From Afar are another phenomenal instrumental band with a wretched name, yet I’ll never hold that over them because they make great music.
Well, yeah, it might appeal more to non-metalheads. But metalheads like the vocals. And I’m not so sure that non-metalheads would like metal without vocals as much as they say. What they really mean is they want different vocals, as in boring ones.
FMA: Obscure reference title!
It’s some Native American culture reference:
The Huxwhukw and Gwaxwam�, the man-eating raven, are supernatural birds and are the servants of Baxwbakwalanuksiw� the Cannibal-at-the-North-end-of-the-World.
OK, now I think that’s awesome. Thanks!
From the same website:
“The Huxwhukw uses its long, snapping beak to crack open the skulls of men to eat their brains or to pluck out their eyeballs.”
It’s a good, (moderately) creative band name and way more refreshing than a million more “Black” this or “Death” that’s or pick-a-single-word-out-of-the-dictionary names. And that cover justifies absolutely everything. Stunning.
Once again guys…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XM3vWJmpfo
I feel your burnout. More often than not, I’m listening to something 20+ years old or older for inspiration, and I’d say about 1 out of every 25 or 30 records I try is worth a damn, much less multiple listens. This disposability is as much a testament to our times insomuch as the availability of music as opposed to the quality–there are other genres to keep me busy for a century. Searching out that left field masterpiece though, makes it all worth it. I must say that more often than not, records from “down under” bands (both AU and NZ) have a much more experimental quality than either NA or EU bands. This is well documented. I can only assume isolation, lack of product and influence and boredom fuel these wacky fuckers (or copious substance(s)abuse) into works of keen intelligence, musicianship and experimentalism. If this happens to be another one, well then shit, let’s crack a beer and get to it. I’ll have to check this out.
Thanks for the kind words Aaron, it is much appreciated. It’s funny, your introduction basically mirrors the foundation of the band.
Three of the four of us played in a grind band together before Serious Beak, where we all struggled with the same distaste for bands who choose to play a very penned-in, generic style of metal. There are too many bands with not enough ideas to go around, and that makes for sterile, boring music.
Luckily, we all have a plethora of musical styles beyond metal to inspire us. We just try our best to write music that we would want to hear. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
PS: the album is available for free download here for anyone interested: http://bit.ly/sXoSrU
Hey Arron, awesome review.
Just for some additional information about Serious Beak you can get the digital album for free (name your price) at our band camp. http://artascatharsis.bandcamp.com/album/huxwhukw
And ‘Full Metal Attorney’ if we knew all we had to do was drop the singer or have a silly name to change our live demographic we would have done this years ago. Instantly got rid of all the fuck wits. It’s really nice seeing people dance ‘TO’ the music or sitting down closed eyes and loosing themselves or however an individual wants to express his or her self. Not just following whatever is expected of them. I guess without a front man shepherding the audience…….
Cheers again
Gene
You’re just being mean man. I’m sure the old crowded wanted to bang their heads in time… they were just… rhythmically challenged.
Well now, that was the nicest way to insult someone I’ve seen in a while. You are quite clever, and I don’t mean that sarcastically.
You’ve won me over enough to give it a shot, in fact, and the album art inspired a blog post slated for tomorrow.
I will dl this and throw a few bones your way. Thank you for the fantastic tunes, committment to excellence and refusal to follow the tried and true path. Cheers yourself.
I believe the band’s name comes from the movie Encino Man. The scene where Dave (Sean Astin) and Stoney (Pauly Shore)are talking about why Robin is dating Matt Wilson:
“Well, he’s got the buff spikes chillin’ on top of his melon, obviously, right?, – dude, he’s checking her cheeks! oh oh! – he’s got the serious beak, and his own personal holding company full of fundage, bro, that he weases off of me…”
I deny this vehemently.
I think Nick G is on to us Lachlan!!
Thanks FMA for giving it a listen, we all really do appreciate it. It doesn’t matter if you like it or not as long as you give it a go.
And thanks again Aaron (sorry I spelt your name wrong before) and to anyone that read this review and decided to check us out (*)>
If any band members are still monitoring this thread, who did the cover art? It is amazing.
That would be the incredible Caitlin Hackett of New York. She is incredible.
http://caitlinhackett.carbonmade.com/
Thanks. I actually saw that on your blog and am in contact with her to do some work for me. She is amazing.
Here’s the entire painting. Fucking epic:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aUigGMjU718/Tv72EUZVKaI/AAAAAAAAAe4/Fl9i8HS5f74/s1600/SeriousBeak-artfinal.jpg