Every fortnight, we check in with all things heavy on RTRFM’s Critical Mass show.
Corrupted are one of the more unique and interesting and elusive bands around. Since 1994, they’ve wrecked necks and eardrums with a sludge/doom base, with flurries of crust punk, acoustic guitars, harp, elements of post-rock and instrumental ambient pieces.
Though hailing from Japan, the lion’s share of their lyrics are in Spanish; only a few singles and EPs have English lyrics, and 2011’s Garten der Unbewusstheit had track titles in German, English and Japanese. Since day one though the band has adhered to a strict ‘no interviews, no professional photos’ policy, which makes finding out information about them extremely difficult. So bear with me and I’ll try and piece together the details of their new EP Loss.
After Garten der Unbewusstheit, longtime members Talbot and Hevi (guitars and vocalist respectively) left and were replaced by new guitarist Mark Y. and fill-in live vocalist Taiki. Some recent live footage featured Rie Lambdoll (solo artist and part of electronic/noise duo Crossbred) on vocals, arousing speculation that Rie was the new singer. Then more info and an Instagram clip came out, revealing the new vocalist, ‘Mother Sii’, who had previously sung in crust punk bands Nationstate and Lastsentence.
So with a new lineup established, this EP is the perfect teaser to introduce the new collective to the audience, right? Well, kind of, because supposedly this is the last recording to feature Hevi on the vocals. And some are saying that live vocalist Taiki is still in the band but was unable to perform due to illness, hence the fill-ins of Rie Lambdoll and Mother Sii. Or maybe it is Mother Sii? I guess we will have to wait until a new full length to figure it out, but for the moment: Loss.
A 2-track 7?, side 1 of Loss is the clear standout. Starting off with light droney guitars, howling wind and whispered vocals that grow desperate and aggressive before a speedy heavy riff kicks in along with pounding drums. It’s like black metal meets free jazz, sound such is the nature of the chaotic structure. The vocals (whomever is doing them on this release) are excellent and the production perfect. Then, as it all starts to pull itself together and resemble some structure, the restrictions of the 7? format kick in and… it fades out! Talk about a tease. Unbelievable.
On side 2, the band showcase their more ambient and atmospheric sound: clean guitar drones mixed with the distant vocal screams. While it’s interesting, and I do like those bits on previous Corrupted releases, it doesn’t really add much here; the missing half of side one would be a much greater listening experience.
As a fan I really enjoy this and hopefully it appears on a future release in a longer format, but at just about nine minutes length (with half being ambient), I can’t help but feel that some might feel slightly short-changed by Loss.
Critical Mass airs every Wednesday from 9PM (GMT+8) on RTR FM 92.1 in Perth, Australia.
