Angry Metal Guy
An existence spanning over twenty years in the Japanese underground brings an unsurprisingly bleak atmosphere to Kokyou De Shinu Otoko. From the grim blackness of the cover art to the translation of the title—roughly A Man Dies in His Hometown—Seek doesn’t bring even the smallest shred of happiness to the table. Though considering their trajectory as a long-lived band with no full-length outputs up to this point, the statement feels as deeply rooted in self-awareness as societal observation. In this heavily shadowed house resides three unhappy citizens whose days seem to be no nearer to the end than the ones that came before it. Sentenced to life, Seek had no choice but to carry on and deliver unto us the fruits of their sorrowful labor.
Seek plays a sometimes nasty, often brooding form of blackened, atmospheric sludge that aims to hypnotize through the sounds of suffering. Among their sporadic history of EPs and splits, Seek has displayed both great tendencies to swell in the post-hardcore vein of Envy and crash in the frenetic hardcore misery of the slower, latter-day Converge. Kokyou De Shinu Otoko, takes many of these elements and runs them through a nihilistic sieve. Negative rumination on negative rumination tints each of these eight downtrodden numbers along a spectrum of grays. Those seeking any form of light would do best to look elsewhere. In this house, the curtains match the drapes—black hearts encased in black walls.
KOKYOU DE SHINU OTOKO by Seek
In the face of its lightless assault, Kokyou De Shinu Otoko does a fine job of crafting builds that flow from internal strife to emotional implosion with relative ease. With little to speak of in upfront melody, it’s nothing short of a miracle that the nimble trio can conjure a rhythmic mesmerism from track to track. Utilizing distant and low-range tremolo backings, much like early Shining works, vocalist Suguru Inomoto weaves a rising, bellowing, and shrieking vocal intensity that helps the best tracks find a momentum (“Kuroi Ame,” “Ikyouto,” “Kokyou De Shinu Otoko”). Though Seek may not have the bravado that fills more dynamic releases of this ilk, like last year’s Hexis opus, but the waltzing hammering of “Tonari De Onaji Shi Wo” and the crackling crushing of “Yogiri Ni Utsuru” shake the senses with a workman-like bludgeoning all the same.
However, despite the grip on attention that Seek maintains, Kokyou De Shinu Otoko doesn’t give itself much space to succeed and expand. With the exception of the burst that is “Ikyouto” each of the outings follow a similar pattern of build and percussive crescendo. And, in addition to the frustration that that repetition builds, Seek has chosen a noise-laden ambience to accentuate their sludge, which further fuels the hard-to-distinguish nature of many a moment along this ride. In the brief clean breaks and vocal overlays that hit before the percussive breakaways on “Mejitsu” or open the jangling Zao-chorded “Kuroi Ame,” Seek finds a couple ways to break the fuzz for some differently leaning tethers along the dark descent of Kokyou De Shinu Otoko. The same holds true for the somber refrain that weaves through the mammoth title track that closes the album. But with so few identifying traits, I’m often at a loss for where I even am until the final crash resounds with a fading hiss.
Kokyou De Shinu Otoko doesn’t run too long. Or at least it doesn’t feel like it, which is all that matters. And in that fairly effective runtime, Seek navigates their abrasion and confrontation in a manner that doesn’t always play up to its strongest aspects. I believe Seek does have the solution though, both strewn amongst their past sounds and scattered across the 50 minutes here—there’s a story to tell in their musings about purpose and the concept of home. Alas, contrast takes us from engaged to enthralled, and Kokyou De Shinu Otoko lacks, unfortunately, enough of that to make a return listen wholly worthwhile.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Silent Pendulum Records
Websites: seekjp.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/seekjpn
Releases Worldwide: June 23rd, 2023
The post Seek – Kokyou De Shinu Otoko Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.
Tue Jul 11 19:31:17 GMT 2023