Silencer - Death - Pierce Me
Given my recent review of Diagnose: Lebensgefahr, I thought I’d revisit Nattramn’s previous project, the legendary Silencer. This Swedish band only had one album, Death – Pierce Me (Lupus Lounge, 2001; reissued by Autopsy Kitchen, 2006), but it’s a touchstone of depressive black metal.
In addition to the music’s general high quality, the production is surprisingly beefy. It’s hardly polished, but the low end has girth and definition that’s usually lacking in this kind of stuff. The result feels strangely strong; it’s not all “kill me, kill me, kill me.”
There’s lots of that, of course, but there are also troublingly straight-up NS lyrics: “Crush the Shield of the Hexagon / Condemn the Sons of the Law,” and “The Consumption Of Six Million Stars / Cyclonic Winds In Septic Wars / Shed Are The Blood Of Jewmans / Slay The Lion Of Juda / Revive The Night Of Crystals!”
I struggle with the issue of great music by people whose ideologies I find repulsive. Superb though this album is, knowing its lyrics, I would not pay money for it. And I’m surprised that Autopsy Kitchen carries this, since Jeffrey seems like he’d be anti-racist/NS. If you disagree with this interpretation, or if your political/moral compass orients differently, it’s available at the label’s webstore.
