Survival is a Myth

Undoer

UNDOER is uncompromising, noisy black metal though-and-through. The production on the guitars is filthy and […]
By Max Elias
July 28, 2019
Undoer - Survival is a Myth album cover

UNDOER is uncompromising, noisy black metal though-and-through. The production on the guitars is filthy and grimy, making the specifics inaudible in favor of a wall of harsh sound. And the vocals are a muddled demonic screech. The drumming strays into blast beat territory a few times; a couple minutes into 'Vertical Lines' for example. There is some variety in the riffing, sometimes high tremolo riffs are exchanged with the barrage of noisy power-chords, and 'Vertical Lines' does slow down a little when it gets to the harmonics-driven riff. But mostly the song is pretty monotonous and more of a feeling than anything, and I was glad when it ended.

Or I would have been glad if the next song at least started out differently, which it does not. The tremolo-heavy riffing that opens 'A New Anthem' isn't bad, but especially coming on the heels of 'Vertical Lines', feels like too much. The drums are still a frenzied whirr of blast beats and cymbals, and the vocals so soft and incomprehensible that it's hard to tell they are there. I understand that this is the point of black metal in its rawest form; to be jarring, wild, and envelop the listener, and I also understand that in their country (Turkey the black metal tends to be more extreme. My favorite part of this song is probably the frenetic tremolo riff at the beginning that comes back a few times in the song. The ending is interesting also, with a fade you think is going to be the ending leading into what I would actually call a melodic tremolo-picked Middle Eastern-sounding melody. Unfortunately they don't ride that out, but bring the drums and vocals back in for a chaotic, untethered finish.

The last song here is once again indistinguishable from the two preceding; 'Foul Gathering' is another maelstrom of tremolo picking and blast beats, only longer. I get the impression this is not meant to be listened to expecting a disparate collection of songs, but as one continuous stream of music. Around the 3:15 mark, the stream abates (for like ten seconds. These guys can't seem to let moments develop). The drumming is generally more subdued here, relying less on blast beats and more on thrashier patterns. And when tremolo riffs come along they sound almost melodic death metal influenced.

That said, remember the ending of 'A New Anthem´ that brought in the Middle Eastern melody? I think the band would benefit from putting more of that into their sound, It would give their music more nuance and emphasis on the changes in feel. They do it again in a fashion at the end of 'Foul Gathering', fading away on an eerie single-note line.

7 / 10

Good

Songwriting

7

Musicianship

8

Memorability

6

Production

7
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"Survival is a Myth" Track-listing:

1. Vertical Lines
2. A New Anthem
3. Foul Gathering

Undoer Lineup:

Kaya - Drums
Mert - Guitars, Bass
Banş - Vocals

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