Ehnahre ‘The Man Closing Up’ CD 2008

Ehnahre 'The Man Closing Up' CD 2008Here we have a new collective from Boston’s musical underbelly (formed from ex-members of Kayo Dot and Forefedglass amongst others) pursuing a path of improvised, experimental Death/Doom. The promotional skit that came with the CD describes the band’s debut album as a mix of brutal death metal and contemporary torturous doom with use of orchestral instrumentation that pushes the band’s sound one step further.

Whilst this serves as a fairly accurate summary it doesn’t shed light on the strikingly discordant free-form jazz improv that runs throughout the 5 tracks. To put simply the music never sits still for more than 10 seconds, constantly in a state of polymorphic transmutation. Hitting the same clinically insane styling’s as The Dillinger Escape Plan did with their debut, but where they forced a thousand notes a minute down your throat with a hyperactive rage before unseen. Ehnahre switch between a quasi-drunk plod to a cerebrally melting death metal blast.

The off-kilter styling’s are genuinely disorientating at times, like Charlie Parker on ketamine conducting both Khanate and Cannibal Corpse at the same time. However it is the use of orchestral arrangements within the twisting dynamic convulsions that form the structure of these tracks. The band have appropriately stripped any individual title to these songs and instead opted to call them ‘Part I’ to ‘Part V’, which is very apt considering the experimental nature of the music presented.

The band have to their credit, credited a unique sound, a little lofty in its art house ambition but unique all the same. For this we should applaud and take notice. However I ask you, when an album is this far from it’s boundaries rarely is it fully appreciated in during the era it was created, a sight of the future? Who knows…

Label: Sound Devastation Records
Website: N/A

Scribed by: Andrew Sloan