The Way Of Purity are a band who demand a certain amount of research. Whilst reviewing the album I decided, for what must be the first time ever, to see what other reviewers were saying. I did so, not because I was unsure of my opinion or in need of reassurance – SonicAbuse has always stood somewhat apart from other sites and we are proud of maintaining our own honest interpretation of the music we review – but because when you are presented with a masked and militant band playing fast and loose with a variety of genres it is interesting to know how they are viewed by other critics. What I found surprised me as several sites took great pleasure in castigating the band for their aesthetic qualities and for being radical Christians (one site gloriously missed the point entirely there) while sidestepping the issue of the music altogether. Now I want to make this clear – there are a number of excellent music sites out there, both professional and amateur (like our good selves) but it seems to me that when you are faced with a band like TWOP who are working hard to present a serious message whilst via the power of music then you owe it to the artists to at least get the facts straight.
To clarify TWOP are not some kind of extreme take on Evanescence-esque take on Christian rock. Actually they represent what could be described as the musical wing of the Animal Liberation front and the band comprises four faceless activists as well as their singer Tiril Skardal all of whom are committed to the cause of breaking mankind’s abusive tyranny over the animal kingdom and the natural world. The source of confusion can, in part, be traced back to the many references to God that adorn the lyrics, the band’s blog (found here)and the album’s artwork but then it very quickly becomes clear that God, for TWOP, represents the force of nature and the infinite realm beyond mankind’s knowledge and not the Christian concept of God promulgated by contemporary religious artists. Indeed, the Christian concept of God and Jesus is closely linked in the ethos of TWOP with ideas of evil and cruelty rather than kindness and charity, while politics and greed are two other basic targets for the band. Essentially, however, TWOP’s mission first and foremost appears to be to get people to think rather than to follow. Between the lyrics and the band’s own statements TWOP offer a bile-soaked condemnation of contemporary life and of mankind’s seemingly absolute disregard for the natural world around us and what is most apparent is that there is a fierce intelligence at the heart of the band that demands to be heard, whether you choose to agree with their message or not, and that is reflected in the heavy, confrontational, emotionally raw content of the album itself.
Musically, TWOP are adept although where they describe themselves as black metal, in my opinion they veer more towards a death metal approach with brutal, scything guitars, a vicious and bass-laden production job and synth flourishes which add a great deal of light and shade to the tracks. The album itself clocks in at a relatively compact thirty minutes and the bludgeoning approach, occasional bursts of melody and icon-laden artwork all create a strong impression that you would imagine would arouse the curiosity of most listeners although in today’s apathetic world that is not always a given. Opening with the short, brutal ‘the 23rd Circle breeds pestilence’ you’re instantly hit by a solid wall of guitars and guttural screams. The rhythms are off kilter and recall the brutal might of Meshuggah while the guitars and bass are a dense, thick wall that seize you instantly and the synth adds a touch of sweetness to what would otherwise be a near impenetrably bleak track. After two minutes it’s over before you’ve really caught on to what’s happening and the band hit you again without warning with the brutal ‘Lycanthropy’, a track with vocals so gloriously inhuman they have to be heard to be believed. With absolutely no quarter given, the music ably reflects the band’s own extremist attitude with a sense of violence and danger hanging in the air as each track shreds your expectations of the band and the lyrics preach revolutionary doctrine. ‘Anchored to suffocation’ is up next and the vicious swirling guitars take on a more unusual tone with unusual chords backed by syncopated rhythms and genuinely surprising shifts in tempo and feel which keeps you on your toes wondering what is coming next.
So far, so brutal. The first three tracks see all The Way Of Purity’s key elements falling in to place with the guitars tight, brutal and unpleasant and the vocals torn straight from the band’s isolated place in the world. However, the next track, ‘the rise of Noah’, is something of a surprise with its stunning melodic vocal line and instantly memorable riff. It’s a trick that Cradle of Filth pulled off remarkably well with both ‘Nymphetamine’ and ‘the death of love’ and it works well, giving the listener a moment of respite despite the fact that the song still has a power and depth all of its own meaning that it is no mere concession to some radio-friendly mainstream and it segues straight into the oddly synth-led ‘loyal breakdown of souls’ which is a strange cross between death metal and indie-punk melodies. It shouldn’t work but it does because the band have clearly spent enough time working on their material to know what works is practice and what doesn’t and when an album is pared down to a mere thirty minutes with such ruthless efficiency you can guarantee that what has made the brutal cut is going to be the band’s very best material. Nonetheless, it does sound odd, particularly the first time you hear it, and there is no question that ‘crosscore’ is an album that you need to work at a little to get the best from it. ‘Sinner’ is more straightforward then its two predecessors with a syrupy, doomy feel to the slowed-down mid-section which falls somewhere between a military burial march and the crushing chords of a metal-core beatdown. It’s crushing, vital and infused with the power of the band’s convictions while odd synth elements add their own unique aspect to the track.
Of the remaining four tracks, ‘Egoist’ is a repetitive beast with the hammer-blow riff seemingly attempting to remove your head from your shoulders. It’s mechanistic, recalling the chunky might of Fear Factory at their most mechanistic, and stunningly brutal, while ‘Deathwish’ offers a marginally more melodic approach, although it’s still as aggression charged and hungry as you might expect from such an extreme band. ‘Burst’ sees the album drawing to its close with the lyric “I’m not afraid of going slowly, be only afraid of standing still” summing up the band’s progressive attitude to mixing up genres to get their message across. The final track, ‘pure’ rounds things out with a last, vicious mix of blast beats, chugging guitar and nihilistic lyrics before the album evaporates making you wonder what it was that hit you between the eyes with such force.
As with all albums that have an extreme message there are two levels to explore here. Certainly it is possible to separate the music form the message and enjoy the album on an entertainment level, just as it is possible to enjoy other extreme metal bands without being a practicing Satanist. To do so is certainly no bad thing because TWOP mix it up with the best of them and ‘Crosscore’ is a vital, different album that hits like a hammer to the temple and rages through its all-too-brief runtime with a ferocity that will appeal to fans of brutal and uncompromising death metal with no trouble at all. On a philosophical level the album works too, with the band promulgating a message that will prove too bleak and too extreme for some but which is at least thought-provoking and settled upon a worthy cause. Ultimately, even if you don’t agree with the extreme nature of the band’s approach, taking the opportunity to become informed about a given cause is never a bad thing and if you decide, having read TWOP’s various blogs and posts that their viewpoint is not for you, at least you’ll have encountered a band that expounds more than the traditional liturgy of Satanic imagery and metaphors. However you choose to listen to ‘Crosscore’, as a metal album set apart from the message it is promoting or as a complete work, it is a mighty fine, aggressive and interesting beast and well worth the time and energy.
