Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Black Elk - Black Elk

Year: 2006
Label: Crucial Blast

Have you heard this one yet? Christ almighty, these motherfuckers know just how to pull together the elements of sludge, noise rock, and crust punk. The songs show a real mastery of the elements, they know when to push forward and when to pull back, there's a real sense of control over what are surely chaotic songs. They are routinely compared to Jesus Lizard, Hammerhead, Guzzard, Dazzling Killmen, Karp, Soundgarden and Black Flag. I can get on board with most of those names, my only beef is the Black Flag mention...I mean seriously...who (besides B'Last of course) even comes close to sounding like Black Flag? Rhetorical question dudes, nobody. Enough with the Black Flag comparisons, alright? If your band plays anything remotely close to hardcore, than, yes, you are influenced by Black Flag, but you sure as shit don't sound like them, and you don't have the "put your head down, and plow through the audience" mentality that they did.

Enough Black Flag worship, I got off track. 

Black Elk fucking rule. They have a new record coming out in October on Crucial Blast which promises more destructo-rock.

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5 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 16, 2008 at 9:26 PM

    Yeah, this album is amazing. I've been blazing it for a few weeks now. Gotta agree with you about the ubiquitous unjustified Flag comparisons, and this is a good example. I just can't really hear it here. However I have to disagree with you saying that B'last are the only band that comes close to their sound. I only just recently discovered Annihilation Time's "Bad Reputation" ep and it's blown me away. I think it's better pseudo Flag than even Power of Expression.

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  2. GraySeptember 16, 2008 at 10:23 PM

    i hear you. i too have got some annihilation time rattling about my ipod, and i can see the comparison, but the overarching point is just that the first time you hear black flag almost everyone has the same reaction..."what the fuck"? it's so caustic, those guitar solos are so alien (to the genre), the lyrics were so nihilistic (even with the humor), and most importantly their entire delivery (from packaging to touring) was so intense, once you figured it out, there could be no other band to compare.

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  3. ipecacSeptember 17, 2008 at 11:12 AM

    you know who really sounds like black flag?

    black flag

    and these guys:www.myspace.com/blackfag

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  4. AnonymousNovember 12, 2008 at 9:21 AM

    yay black elk. They just had their album release party at Berbati's. I definitely hear the JL... not sure if I agree with the DK idea. hmm. i'll go think on it.

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  5. AnonymousApril 23, 2011 at 9:59 AM

    born against comes to mind, but black elk seem more drunk and less angry...
    good stuff though.

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