The Sanctimonious Hypocrites of Reality
Self-Inflicted Violence
•
March 5, 2015

SELF-INFLICTED VIOLENCE is a one-person Blackened art Metal project from Adam Magnox from the United Kingdom. As with other British Black Metal, there is an heir of classiness and even eroticism to this music. "The Sanctimonious Hypocrites of Reality" marks this man's second full-length release in the past five years. But what you'll come to find in the music of "The Sanctimonious Hypocrites of Reality" is that a lot of that time in between the last release did not go to waste.
You don't really get to experience the full SELF-INFLICTED VIOLENCE experience until the album's second track "Duplicate". "Influx" is an accessible instrumental track but it doesn't really give a good representation of the band like "Duplicate" does. You'll be able to tell by then that something very different is being brought to the table and that SELF-INFLICTED VIOLENCE is not your ordinary Black Metal band.
Those delicate and melancholy clean vocals you hear on songs like "Lost" and "Blender" are the majority of what populate the vocals on this album. I could see how someone could think that these softer vocals would bring a Metal album down but I would argue that they rather redeem the album in a lot of ways. They may not be the best sounding vocals of all time but the soft singing actually adds this Gothic Rock vibe to the songs on "The Sanctimonious Hypocrites of Reality". There are parts of songs like "Lost" and "Siren" that really remind me of several Alternative, Shoegaze and Post Rock bands from the 1990's like SLOWDIVE and MY BLOODY VALENTINE.
The album's heaviest melody "Carousel" reveals a more savage and bleak side of Adam Magnox's creative abilities. This kind of higher-tempo blackness comes in short supply on "Hypocrites of Reality" but there's more than enough to go around on SELF-INFLICTED VIOLENCE's "Carousel." The seemingly innocent carnival noises at the songs conclusion leave a sickeningly sweet taste on your tongue. This song still carries the same kind of sleazy darkness that hangs over every song on this album. This kind of Black Metal has a sexually charged energy to its violence and depending on the kind of person you are, you may find this hideous or kinky.
SELF-INFLICTED VIOLENCE manages to provide a well-balanced recipe of eeriness, heaviness and Progressive melodies that didn't leave me underwhelmed. If you prefer a little more elegance and moodiness to your Black Metal or if you might want sharper edges to what you've gotten familiar with in Post Rock, give SELF-INFLICTED VIOLENCE a decent rotation in your stereo speakers.
7 / 10
Good

"The Sanctimonious Hypocrites of Reality" Track-listing:
1. Influx
2. Duplicate
3. Blender
4. Noumenon
5. Siren
6. Carousel
7. Recluse
8. Lost
Self-Inflicted Violence Lineup:
Adam Magnox - Everything
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