Review Summary: The sound of dread.
Almost every avenue of heavy metal music has been explored and re-explored again, but one path never trekked is the one lacking metal’s key component: guitars. I’m sure it almost doesn’t even seem plausible, and if it is, is it even worth giving a listen? Utopianisti (which is Markus Pajakkala (multi-instrumentalist/composer/producer) and guests), in a set of experimental songs, puts the idea to the test by harnessing the bass clarinet as his foundation backed up by a Frankenstein drum set he created using stacked cymbals (cutting out any ringing), a 14” cut-in-half floor tom for his bass drum, and some cajon snares (He always uses hard felt mallets for drumsticks). The record contains some guest growling and screaming vocals, throat singing, and plenty of interesting adornments like disorienting flutes and oddly enjoyable squeaking (“Wóókh Ztadás”). All put together, this is an incredible surprise and this early on in 2017 “Brutopianisti” might already have locked itself into the running for most interesting release of the year.
It’s heavy, it’s aggressive, it’s grim, and it’s certainly metal – Utopianisti has proven himself as a master composer, but he’s truly outdone himself here summoning something so haunting and dreadful it sounds like it was coughed up from the underworld. Each track takes on a life of its own, toying with different elements to compose some frighteningly interesting music. Most of these concoctions works better than expected – like “Zigévom*dá Zwógh” which could be a System of a Down song if they fully embraced their experimental side, or “Zwaáakh” which you might call Jazzcore with its overtly metal sound - while others might fly a little above our head – like “Zh*mi B*gi Dá” which begins strong but then changes over to what sounds like demonic caroling. There’s never a dull moment within this piece, with witchdoctor chanting and ghastly atmospheric effects scattered throughout to accompany the already abysmal music.
One constant highlight throughout is Markus’s multi-instrumental talent and his cleaver song-writing abilities. I mean, this guy can seriously jam on a ton of instruments. Check out “Hóllò,” which is basically a 4-minute drum solo with mind-boggling off-kilter time-signatures – and if you thought that was intense, it might seem like he was just warming up when you listen to the full-throttle drum-work on “Bóm Zói!” There’s also a wild flute solo on “Bhómega” which gets so frenzied it sounds like he’s possessed as he frantically plays. Personally, I love the bass clarinet solo on “Brümigá Hügu” because it’s an instrument present on every single track, but once he decides to aim the spotlight on it, it becomes one of the most powerful and heavy tracks on the record as he desperately tries to keep up with himself on the drums.
On a post he made on the record, he attempts to come up with genres for the record: “Extreme Woodwind Jazzmetal, Avantcore, Pseudo-acoustic Avant-garde Math Punk.” – all of which are contenders, as this record covers a ton of ground, and I’m sure we could come up with so many more. He’s uncovered something that could be wildly expanded upon, possibly even by himself. If he doesn’t though, I hope someone else will be trying to, because after jamming to this record over the past week, I’m convinced Woodwind Metal could be the thing of the future, leaving guitar metal in the past (I mean, probably not, but it does kick a lot of ass).
