LIGHT EATER: AUTOTROPHISM EP REVIEW
Today we are talking about the Meanjin/Brisbane Sludge Metal band Light Eater and their Debut EP AUTOTROPHISM. "If you haven't run into us yet, our sound is built around two bass guitars, too many pedals, effects-processed leads (and vocals!), and a general disregard for subtlety. We drift in the swampy space where stoner, doom and sludge meet shoegaze, industrial and noise - a thick primordial amalgam of atmospheric riffs, screeching leads and vocals that howl, yelp and bark." AUTOTROPHISM
opens on (empty), a fifty-nine second introduction of screeching guitars, light cymbal work and bell action which builds up into a chaotic mess. The track honestly makes me think of a horror movie with a creaking screen door and the killer walking over the wooden porch while the victim hides underneath, their hand over their mouth to stop themselves from whimpering. This may be a dramatic take, but I felt uncomfortable throughout the entirety of (empty).
Waking / sleeping, They are reaping, Freezing / burning, No one learning Breaking / fixing, Nothing mixing, Stopping / turning, World unfurling.
Empty leads you into Pocket, a mammoth twelve and a half minute track. The static vocal effects sent shivers through me as I listened, a stark
contrast to the near "bored" style cleans, at the beginning of the song.
There is something distinctly Pink Floyd-esk that lays in the undertone,
peaking through at opportune times. Around the five minute mark the whole track shifts to something with gothic dark wave groove inflections, and I found myself swaying in my seat with eyes closed, taking in the music. Pocket is gritty and holds thick in the air, for want of a better word. The drawn out guitar lines and sparse drum in the middle of the work in tandem to create a heaviness that feels inescapable and suffocating. As the energy of Pocket shifts to something more energetic in the later two-thirds you are pulled back into the groove dark wave feeling once more as the track finishes on drawn out guitar, holding you in a place of slowly slipping into darkness. As stated below empty is a social commentary piece on the cost of living crisis that we are currently experiencing in this country, and how we are fighting a level of corruption that runs so deep it is hard to find a place to start to evoke change. This is the world in all of its glory, An empty pocket is the name of the story, As we cascade down there's just no hope, Prepare for death at the end of your rope, Pocket is empty, Nothing is plenty.
AUTOTROPHISM serves as an irreverent soundtrack to the absurdity of the end times - covering equally serious issues like the cost of living crisis, dropping your weed in the carpet, or getting cursed by a Logan witch.
What the fuck? The fuck is that? Walking down the mangrove track? Two pale wenches, In hooded cloaks, It's not Halloween, Not even close. What I think is potentially one of the creepiest laughs I have ever heard will start off your experience with the aptly named Eagleby Bog Witches. Menacing
howling, crow caws and chuckling pull you straight into the uneasy feeling that the track incites. Drowning guitars and rhythmic drums give the illusion of being followed through the boggy marshes by hooded
figures, tripping and falling only to find the figure right in front of you. The best phrase I can think of to describe Eagleby Bog Witches is 'atmospheric horror' as it extracts primitive feelings of fear and self preservation. While the vocals are use an impressive variety of techniques, the sounds that sell this song are the shrieking and wailing. I must admit that somewhere in the back of my mind there was a chuckle happening, having grown up around the Logan area I understood exactly what the band means by a Logan Bog Witch. Now it's time To bid farewell Goodbye witches I'll see you in hell Wait a second What's that smell? Are they still here? I really cannot tell Did I get cursed? Or maybe worse? Will I wake up in the back of a hearse? Oh shit... There they are! Getting in a brown '89 Ford Telstar.
Trigger warning for discussion of drug use. I lost my smokes the other day Left 'em out on the front lawn Dry 'em out cause it fucking rained The coffin nails are callin... Driving to work, Middle of gridlock I fire it up And now I’m fucked. As intended I was incapable of taking Smoke Vom seriously. Having never been a smoker myself I can't fully understand the chaos and heartache of "dropping your chop bowl onto the carpet" or "greening out" but I have known enough ruffians in my time to hear the stories. Smoke Vom starts with the chilled out and calm environment that you would expect before turning to despair of the lost chop. Once the story shifts to the idea of the green out, Jake pulls in a remarkable and somewhat disgusting technique into his vocals where he sounds like he is actually going to vomit. Finally the track shifts one last time to pleading of someone begging to stay safely outside of the vomit radius. Smoke vom, nose runs The smell makes participants of everyone Smoke vom fountain Through my fingers firing puke out like a gun Smoke vom, oh fuck Evacuated all my nutrients Don't puke on me Get away noooo.
All Photos By Seabass Media
Light Eater will be performing at the PFR Lounge, Fortitude Valley on October 2nd with The Matador and Freya. PFR Lounge is an 18+ venue, with tickets available online at link below or at the door:
For Fans Of: Chat Pile, Pink Floyd and Sleep
8/10
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