tuscoma

Tuscoma Make Mincemeat of Metal Norms

tuscoma

For every OSDM revival act popping up lately, there’s another group surging into uncharted territory with the rest of metal squarely in the rear-view mirror. These unhinged future-seekers strain at the fetters of classification, pulling disparate influences into violent collision, barreling at full-tilt into the murky depths of the unknown. Here be dragons, perhaps, but here be also Tuscoma.

The New Zealand duo are Fargo’s woodchipper, mincing the corpses of post-hardcore and black metal into a fine red mist: Joe Wright’s deranged drumming and Kurt Williams’ frenetic guitars and demon-possessed vocal delivery serve as the raucous machine’s whirling blades of death. To prepare for their debut album Arkhitecturenominus, stream the title track in an exclusive premiere below.

Wright’s upbeat tom groove would fit seamlessly into a bouncy indie-punk romp, especially as Williams’ anticipation-garnering feedback comes into the frame. Wright’s chords, dissonant and cold, are quick to dispel any sense of joy; the duo hammers on the progression as a butcher’s cleaver splinters bone.

Tuscoma are precision-wielders of repetition as a songwriting device, mercilessly pounding the listener’s spirit into oblivion. Though the music is brimming with dynamism, the two musicians maintain an edge of inhuman detachment via the essentials-only approach to their performances on the track. There’s nary a trace of noodling from Williams, and Wright’s tempestuous rhythms, themselves replete with notes, are bereft of any fills or embellishments. The resulting effect is unsettling yet enthralling, unindulgent and austere, while at the same time organic and compelling as only the strangest of chimeras can be.

Arkhitecturenominus releases on August 16th. Pre-order in vinyl format via Antena Krzyku. For more Tuscoma, check out the video for the album’s first single and opening track “Aerial Views Over Barcelona.”

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