Hardware – Skatological Cyber Death Cult [Nekromantra Records]

Hailing from the depths of experimental and weird extreme metal, Hardware were a quite unique Mexican band. With only some demos and one EP, they left their mark on the early 90’s underground scene, showcasing a sound made of chaotic and violent death metal with grind leanings, psychedelic vibes, orchestrations, and proto-industrial soundscapes.

One has to imagine a vortex made of oldschool death metal, grind, 70’s keys and prog/psychedelic passages, and doomy moments, informed by Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath, unsettling feedbacks and dissonances, in order to grasp the idea of their sound. A demented and unhinged version of Chrome could be an apt example, but it wouldnt do justice to the uniqueness of the band.

Skatological Cyber Death Cult is a 2CD compilation of all of their material, even some unpublished-before live tracks, releases by Nekromantra Records. Here we find more than two hours of music not for the faint of heart, but aimed to the lovers of lo-fi production, out-of-there songwriting with eerie qualities, and brutal attacks akin to noise.

The first 8 tracks come from the 1990 demo Cyber Death, and they fully encapsule Hardware’s sound: The Unknown is a marriage between death metal assaults and psychedelic keys, The Ultimate Solition has a weird, oneiric and acid vibe that works well within the band template, and Cyber Death is a perfect example of their progressive leanings amidst the brutal chaos of their sound.

Then, we have the Soul Vortex EP: after a quite cinematic intro called Welcome To The Soul Vortex, which sounds very contemporary thanks to its film-score sound, we have a collection of somewhat more redefined, but still raw and violent, tracks. Further The Hills Of Dreams explores the weird, lysergic vibes already mentioned in a very effective way, the Title Track is a trip into trans-dimensional madness via grating guitars and the usual spectral keys.

The live tracks are a perfect case for the reason why the band could be subscribed to deathgrind without much of a problem: here, they sound like early Napalm Death or Carcass on acid, maybe even more unhinged, violent, and evocative too, than in the studio tracks. The songs become a journey, varying from fast-paced attacks to slow, ominous dirges.

The second disc opens with the demo rehearsal Technological Faith, which contains many songs already present in their live version at the end of the previous one. The orchestral intro Eternity’s End is not far in sound from the ones used by Hocico (it would be interesting to find out if that’s by chance, or the EBM duo knew about Hardware), until it degenerates into the more progressive approach of the following tracks.

Free-form jam sessions meet distorted riffs and blasting drums in a cacophony closer to krautrock, than actual metal music. The production of the demo is even rawer than the past, so much that it sounds like harsh-noise, and the pieces are instrumentals with less prominent keyboards and more upfront distorted guitars and drums. Strong riffs and articulated solos complete the workfraime of the demo.

The disc ends with the band final demo Further Down the Vortex, which follows suits keeping the instrumental sound, while adding groove influences and a more complicated rhythmic pattern influenced by tribal music. We are far from the oldschool death metal sound of the beginnings, now closer to jazz and ethnic music. We find a way more prominent progressive sound too, with mesmerizing melodies and interesting labyrinthine structures.

Compilations like this one are a gem for the lovers of obscure, experimental, takes on otherwise codified genres, that would be lost in time and among other more well-known names if not for the dedication of underground labels. Maybe it would have been great to have an actual studio album from the band, maybe the magic would have been lost, and this is all the material that was meant to be, but surely the curious listener, and the explorer of outsider, creative, experimental, extreme music, has a lot to feast upon here.

Release: Novembre 15th, 2024.
Text by: Davide Pappalardo.

Provenientes de las profundidades del metal extremo experimental y extraño, Hardware fue una banda mexicana verdaderamente única. Con solo algunas demos y un EP, dejaron su huella en la escena underground de principios de los 90, mostrando un sonido caótico y violento que mezclaba death metal con influencias grind, toques psicodélicos, orquestaciones y paisajes sonoros protoindustriales.

Para entender su propuesta, hay que imaginar un vórtice de death metal oldschool, grind, teclados setenteros, pasajes prog/psicodélicos y momentos doom, inspirados en Pink Floyd y Black Sabbath, con feedback perturbador y disonancias. Una versión demente y desquiciada de Chrome podría ser un ejemplo, pero no haría justicia a la singularidad de la banda.

Skatological Cyber Death Cult es un recopilatorio de 2CD que reúne todo su material, incluyendo temas inéditos en vivo, editado por Nekromantra Records. Aquí hay más de dos horas de música no apta para corazones sensibles, dirigida a amantes de producciones lo-fi, composiciones excéntricas con atmósferas inquietantes y ataques brutales cercanos al noise.

Los primeros 8 temas pertenecen a la demo Cyber Death (1990), que encapsula perfectamente el sonido de Hardware: The Unknown fusiona agresivo death metal con teclados psicodélicos; The Ultimate Solution tiene una vibra onírica y ácida que encaja en su propuesta; y Cyber Death muestra sus inclinaciones progresivas dentro del caos brutal.

Luego está el EP Soul Vortex: tras una intro cinematográfica (Welcome To The Soul Vortex, con un aire a banda sonora), sigue una serie de temas más refinados pero igual de crudos y violentos. Further The Hills Of Dreams explora vibraciones lisérgicas, mientras que el Title Track es un viaje de locura transdimensional con guitarras ásperas y teclados espectrales.

Las pistas en vivo demuestran por qué podrían encajar en el deathgrind: suenan como un Napalm Death o Carcass en ácido, incluso más descontrolados y evocadores que en sus grabaciones de estudio. Las canciones se convierten en un viaje, alternando entre ataques veloces y lentos cantos fúnebres.

El segundo disco abre con el ensayo demo Technological Faith, que incluye versiones en vivo de temas anteriores. La intro orquestal Eternity’s End recuerda a Hocico (¿casualidad o influencia?), antes de derivar en un enfoque más progresivo.

Sesiones de jam libre se mezclan con riffs distorsionados y baterías explosivas, acercándose más al krautrock que al metal. La producción es aún más cruda, casi harsh-noise, con instrumentales dominados por guitarras y batería, aunque con solos articulados y riffs potentes.

El disco cierra con su última demo, Further Down the Vortex, que mantiene el sonido instrumental pero añade groove y ritmos tribales, alejándose del death metal oldschool para acercarse al jazz y a las músicas étnicas. Aquí el sonido progresivo es más prominente, con melodías hipnóticas y estructuras laberínticas.

Compilaciones como esta son joyas para quienes buscan propuestas oscuras y experimentales dentro de géneros ya codificados. Quizá habría sido genial un álbum de estudio, pero tal vez el encanto estaba en lo efímero. Para el oyente curioso y explorador de música extrema, creativa y outsider, hay mucho aquí para degustar.

Lanzamiento: 15 de noviembre, 2024.
Texto por: Davide Pappalardo.