Photo by Maren Sundt Hansen

Okkultokrati - "Hard to Please, Easy to Kill"

September 21, 2016

Photo by Maren Sundt Hansen

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I’m done thinking that I know what Norwegian ahrdcore bands will do. Some, like Nag, keep the loose association of bands’ furious black-punk approach alive. Others, like Haust, will join up with ex-members of Ulver and get arty. And some, like Årabrot, um, do videos about licking ass. (Side note: more analingus in all metal, please).

And then there’s Erik Svarte’s Okkultokrati, who have perhaps flung themselves furthest from the original template with always-fascinating results. “Hard to Please, Easy to Kill” from the band’s upcoming Raspberry Dawn is no exception. A thrumming bass and post-punk drums anchor the song while keyboards fade in and out of existence and Henning does his best David Eugene Edwards impression. He winds up sounding more like King Dude, but that’s certainly not a bad thing. The overt gothiness of the song offers connective tissue with this year’s Bloody Hammers release, and the upcoming self-titled by Take Over and Destroy. The song offers nostalgia for those who went through a powerful goth phase in high school, while offering a vision into an alternate timeline when the 80s never ended, only got weirder. It must be heard to be believed, and if it doesn’t float your boat, well, don’t let that discourage you from checking out more Okkultokrati – I’m sure they’ll sound like a completely different band next year, just as they always do.

The band has this to say about the track.

“Hard to Please, Easy to Kill”. That phrase is directed towards the masters. Your superiors.

Feffe, our synthist, made this song. According to him, the sound is “credible 70s synth meets non-cred 90s black metal synth.” Tangerine Dream, who everyone holds dear, being the former. But if you grew up as a metal kid in Norway in the mid to late 90s, you’ll hear some hints to the likes of The Kovenant.

This, along with the vocals getting more harsh and grim as the song progresses, adds up to Emperor In the Nightside Eclipse feel we all love. As for the bass and drums, we just keep the Okkulto-beat through the whole thing. Like a futuristic Motorhead.

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