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Released on November 23, 2015 via Throatruiner Records
Quite apart from having one of the finest names in hardcore – try saying it fast while drunk, it’s pretty easy to mangle – The Rodeo Idiot Engine have turned in one of the finest and most well rounded albums I’ve heard in some time. Malaise is album number three from these Bayonne based lunatics, following 2011’s Fools Will Crush the Crown and 2013’s truly excellent Consequences. This album takes the blueprint of noisy, technical and emotive hardcore that their previous work laid down so effectively and expands on it beautifully, and with seemingly little effort.
Before we start though, I’d like to talk about record labels. There was a time where labels inspired huge confidence and I bought records by virtue of the label that it appeared on – that was a genuine badge of quality. With a few notable exceptions, that quality stamp has fallen aside as the business of music has gotten more cutthroat and decisions have had to be more financially motivated. The little guys are picking up that mantle instead – and French label Throatruiner is one of those labels. Dealing solely in all things heavy, blackened and hardcore, and dabbling in huge post-metal sounds, the label consistently puts out great releases and demonstrates genuine passion for the people and music. I’d urge anyone with even a passing taste in this genre to check them out and pick up some albums – we need more labels like this.
On to the meat of the review though – and by the good lord is this album meaty. Coming across like a mix of Dillinger Escape Plan, Defeater and Botch, the sheer scope and scale of this album is breathtaking at times. It feels like the most realised version of the band to date. ‘Le Parfum’ roars out of the gate, all feedback, machine gun drums, tortured screams and interesting time signatures, echoing early The Chariot, before settling into a Botch style building crescendo, topped with some distinctly blackened guitars before dropping out into a genuinely creepy outro with a repeated scream of ‘Funeral Affliction!’. It’s a devastatingly effective opener, only topped by the raging chaos of ‘Carrying Icons’ which wastes no time in proving the Dillinger Escape Plan reference true with interesting time signatures, and a wonderful blackened chorus part, which manages to be brutally heavy and yet melodic in a way that shouldn’t be possible. The climax for the song is perfect, all pace and rage, with twin vocals off-set for maximum goosebumps inducing effect.
‘Passing Daemons’ brings the pace down, with a lovely restrained introduction that creates genuine atmosphere, before giving way to some big mid paced riffing and a slightly krieg-y feel, with some yelled vocals that genuinely sound painful in places. ‘Syngue Sabour’ follows and is a genuine highlight; an instance where the band has stepped out of their comfort zone, tried something new and succeeded. Creepy strings and sparse percussion build the sound up over the course of the first section before dropping to near silence and then bursting into a truly epic short song that brings more than a touch of post-metal heroes Rosetta to the sonic palette, before building to a percussion driven climax. It’s a tremendously effective song and a real break in pace from the rest of the album.
A similar approach is taken with ‘Ildoak’, which demonstrates a gradual post-metal style glacial quality to the bleak instrumental build up, before dropping into the feedback drenched noise introduction for angular riff fest that is ‘Makurrak’. ‘Final Relief’ feels aggressive and fairly straightforward in comparison – on any other record this would be a stand-out, but on Malaise its Beecher-like anger feels like a baseline average – that’s how good this record is. Closer ‘Thousand of Nails’ is a basically an extended outro, huge riffs, devastatingly heavy and sporting a viciously emotional vocal performance that gives way into a feedback drenched blackened bleakness and open space, supported by lush dissonant strings. Amaury Sauvé has worked his magic on the production – the production is raw and feels unfiltered, authentic and slightly terrifying, but the chaos is controlled and clear to the ear.
This album is a genuine step forward, and is refreshing in that it pays respect to its influences but steps away from their shadow in a way that is interesting, engaging and emotionally effective. In a year that has seen some great hardcore releases – Loma Prieta, Cult Leader, Birds In Row, Employed to Serve, Ithaca – this is a late entry that enters at the very top of the list and proves to be one of the best of the year. Simply put, this is a great, great record. If you have a liking for hardcore, blackened hardcore or any such things, then you really owe yourself to pick this up. While you’re at it, their back catalogue is well worth your time as well.
