The Body – I Shall Die Here




So first off, let's just get this out of the way.  I freaking LOVE this band.  Over the course of 15 years now they have proven to be one of the more innovative bands in extreme music.  Tons of EP's and splits with all kinds of collaborations, and some pretty great collaborations on some of their full lengths as well.  There is always something new and different coming from them.  If you like your bands predictable and you want to hear the same release over and over again, look else.  The Body is not for you.

This album literally had me hooked in about 10 seconds.  “To Carry The Seeds Of Death Within Me” opens with a shriek, electronically treated vocals that sends a jolt down your spine and lets you know you are in for something good.  The entire opening track gets under your skin, it itches and fizzes and doesn't feel quite right, all while feeling like exactly what you need.  This album is a collaboration with The Haxan Cloak, aka Bobby Krlic, who is a producer of electronic music.  To listen to these songs, I can't imagine them any other way.  Electronic music can meld with heavier music so well when it is done right, much like the last Batillus album.

The vocals are all shrieks and screams, or at least that is what they sound like after passing through the electronic filter.  It gives them that same feeling of not quite feeling right all through the album, and it is a master touch.  The music is ambient at times, while at other times heavy and thudding and plodding as you would want it to be.  It feels like its made by artists who truly understand each other and created music that would work, there is nothing that feels forced or feels like it was just decided to throw some electronics on the track.  The music moves between being creepy, foreboding, doomy and for brief moments, light, before that light is crushed and extinguished and the listener is left feeling as though there is no hope.  Exactly what you should feel from an album titled “I Shall Die Here”.

There are spoken word moments, I don't know if they are sound bites from movies or whatnot, but they are creepy, the voices are manipulated, and they add wonderfully to the overall vibe.  “Alone All The Way” opens like this, and then gets heavy and ominous.  “Hail To Thee, Everlasting Pain” starts off in a similar manner, and the song feels exactly like an ode to pain.  There is nothing wrong with experiencing darkness, with fully embracing how it feels to be at a loss, in misery or despair.  You learn about yourself in those times, you learn how to deal with the fact that life is not all rainbows and unicorns.  It's worthy knowledge to have about yourself.  This album could well be the soundtrack to that education.

Six gorgeously crafted tracks, about 40 minutes of listening pleasure, and a journey you need to take.  That's what this album is.  Expand yourself, expand what you listen to and what you consider music.  You will allow yourself to find gems like this.  - ODIN


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