This is the debut album by solo Chinese avant-garde extreme metal act Smiqra.
Brought to us by the artist behind the Ὁπλίτης (Hoplites), Smiqra take the more avant-garde aspects of the last Ὁπλίτης release Παραμαινομένη and runs with them. Rgyaɡ̇dźé! is a 42-minute explosion of avant-garde metal that’s dizzying.
Rgyaɡ̇dźé! is a very non-standard record, and that’s putting it mildly. It’s ripe with progressive, punk, jazz fusion, experimental, mathcore, and metal elements that are chaotically thrown into a vortex of insanity, only to somehow emerge the other end as the sort of over-the-top extreme metal that’s mind-numbingly overstimulating. There is such a lot going on here. It’s mathcore mayhem, with tech death’s precision, an experimental edge, expressive avant-garde eruptions, and progressive grindcore structuring. It’s the sort of thing that by all rights should be an absolute mess, but in reality it’s pretty damn good. It’s got that distinctive core Ὁπλίτης sound, yet is also different enough from that project to warrant the separate name. Some tracks could almost be Ὁπλίτης songs, while others definitely sit on their own branch of this vibrant tree.
The music is intense, with blasting drums and angular adrenaline-soaked riffs. Woven throughout these are things such as maniacal solos, squealing saxophones, progressive synths, drum ‘n’ bass, and much more. The songs are creative and frenzied, providing few hand holds for the listener to grab before they’re off. It’s a frenetic assault that takes the multiple ingredients that are intricately smashed together and somehow comes up with something remarkably tasty.
I find myself thinking of Rgyaɡ̇dźé! like an instrumental record, but it isn’t. There’s actually a great diversity of vocal styles on display in fact, as befits the multifaceted style, from harsh barks to spoken word to cleans to much else. There’s a Mike Patton influence to my ears, but certainly not enough to amount to a mere copycat performance.
As with Ὁπλίτης, I find I really have a taste for this artist’s musical talents. Smiqra may have a larger emphasis on evocative avant-garde mayhem, but the music is cut from the same cloth as the more blackened Ὁπλίτης. It gets a firm seal of approval from me.
This resolutely won’t be for everyone, (most people in fact), but if you like your music extreme, chaotic, and inventively abrasive, then Smiqra is for you.
For lovers of the atypical, Rgyaɡ̇dźé! is a great listen.
A few different bands popped into my head when listening to this, at least in places. So, if you’re a fan of the faster aspects of acts such as Atheist, Carnival in Coal, Ephel Duath, Fantômas, Frontierer, Igorrr, Imperial Triumphant, Ingurgitating Oblivion, Jute Gyte, Plebeian Grandstand, Pyrrhon, Sigh, etc., then you may find something quite special here.
Wonderbox Metal 