BLANCK MASS- ‘World Eater’
That cover art says a lot. Yes, Benjamin Power- one part of neon noiseniks Fuck Buttons and the man behind Blanck Mass– has a history of making music with bite, but ‘World Eater’ truly bares its teeth. Opener ‘Jon Doe’s Carnival of Error’ sparkles into life but there’s something off-kilter in its music box melodies, a swirling oddness, and it soon accelerates into the discombobulating pound of a thousand hissing radios. From there the record blooms into an even more industrial monster, all whizzing, whirring, and hard metallic sounds. ‘Rhesus Negative’ is dark dance made of leering fairground sounds and ‘The Rat’ could have been a pretty pop song in a former life but now, sullied and dirtied and chopped and screwed, sounds like something that would give Trent Reznor nightmares. There is a little respite- ‘Please’ is a lovely, bubbly Aphex Twin-esque trip, so shiny that it’s initially overpowered by what’s around it but destined to be one of the best remembered cuts here. And, in the nicest possible way, ‘Silent Treatment’ could be an unused effort from the last Bon Iver outing. But even at its most pleasant this a record ready to take your hand off. ‘World Eater’ is a wolf at your door then, a dog shedding spit and blood as it chews on your speakers. A beautiful roar.
