Absurd
Facta Luquuntur
[No Colours/Darker Than Black]


Style: Most say black metal influenced by punk/oi, but I say punk/oi influenced by black metal. NSBM.

This album gets most of its "hype" from two places:
1. This is Absurd! The German Neo-Nazi band who killed that guy.

And

2. It's impossible to find! Hand-numbered and limited to 500 copies.

Number 2 is no longer true however, as this CD is being reissued by Darker Than Black Records with the two songs from the Totenburg 7" and a Blood Axis cover(!) Number 1 is still very true, and the band is more outspoken about their Nazism then ever.

Hype aside, this release deserves most of the attention it receives simply because its an enjoyable piece of youth-anger entertainment. Two kids who take themselves far too seriously, and release an unintentionally fun, catchy, and absurd bunch of songs. Where else in all of black metal will you find a song called "Dreamin' of Love"? This is pure tongue-in-cheek fun.

The songs switch form heavily distorted, Bathory influenced black metal with a "groovy" marching tempo, to heavily distorted, clean-vocal hardcore punk songs. Though most of the time the two styles are mixed. No instrument is really well performed here (the guitar solos are particularly bad) but this is a small detail in the face of the enjoyably grooves the band is capable of creating. The vocals switch from sloppy black metal shouts to somewhat out-of-tune clean singing. They also switch from German to English.

Obviously this album is not really "good" in the usual sense (well played, well produced) but this does not take away from the enjoyability of the album. Absurd's spirit makes up for their lack of talent.

Some people just can't stand this band though.

Grade: Absurd fans: B Non-Absurd Fans: F


© 2001 raagoonshinnaah