From A Second Story Window - Delenda
Pretty much everything Blackmarket puts out now is buy-on-sight, and Delenda
The main change is more melody, but not with the usual Swedish riffs or good cop/bad cop vocals. The band simply has too much ADD for that. The songs are staggeringly complex, though surprisingly emotional, with almost no repetition. Thus, they’re hard to remember, but they’re also never boring, with the exception of a piano and singing interlude that I’ll pretend never happened. Yes, there are clean vocals now. Thankfully, they’re mostly minimal. The riffs are more expansive now, ranging from chugging to upper-register palm muting to clean picking to “sheets of sound” textures. “Delenda” means “things to be erased,” and the lyrics, arranged in the form of dialogue, are appropriately apocalyptic. Add a clear, beefy mix, and you have a deep, hard-hitting package.
The Crusher
These Lights Above Us
The best way to experience FASSW, though, is live. A few months ago, I saw FASSW deliver a half-hour blast of energy so visceral that somehow a guitarist ended up hanging upside-down from the ceiling, while not missing a note (regulars of The Pound in SF will know which rafter I’m talking about). I’ve hardly seen a band connect so electrically with its audience. When FASSW comes to town, you go – no ifs, ands, or buts. Until then, pick up Delenda
