History’s self titled new album is out now via The Flenser. The partnership of Daisy Caplan (Lung, Foxy Shazam) and Leo Ashline (Street Sects) premiered their new duo collaboration, History, via a self-titled album, released by The Flenser on October 16. This frenzied album, a decade in the making, brings together a mishmash of gothic […]
The partnership of Daisy Caplan (Lung, Foxy Shazam) and Leo Ashline (Street Sects) premiered their new duo collaboration, History, via a self-titled album, released by The Flenser on October 16. This frenzied album, a decade in the making, brings together a mishmash of gothic and industrial punk.
From its very first track, “Breadline”, History brings you a devilish Stomp-like organized chaos of sounds. The track blends together a revamped Nine Inch Nails meets Jack White. I would say History does this seamlessly, except they want you to visualize the jagged seams that built this record, like the patchwork of a mad surgeon.
The second track, “Fiscal” literally growls a sound that transports me to sneaking out of my room late at night after my parents had gone to bed, in the hopes of catching the premier for Britney Spears’ new video and accidentally turning on a Marilyn Manson masterpiece that intrigued and scared me to the core. Manson’s ghost haunts History.
The third track, “LandHammers” gives the listener demonic whiplash. From its first beats to the berserk tempo changes, I’m visualizing a tormented spirit from House on Haunted Hill (1999) twitching uncontrollably in a padded cell, while the main victims approach the house’s gates, ready to be locked in for the rest of their short lives.
Track four, “Butter Teeth” melts away like its namesake on a hot frying pan, while track five, “Gaslight” actually gaslights my ears with a destruction of sound.
History rounds out this project with the eerie songs “Clown” and “Fear.” “Clown” has a softer sound that builds anticipation for the climax of the scary movie that is this short album. The final track “Fear,” embodies the sound of a videotape of your most traumatic life event being rewound over and over again by a crazed Blockbuster clerk. Blood-curdling yowls of a screaming banshee replace the melody.
While I don’t see History’s release being an album I’ll ever come back to, Rob Zombie would be a fool to not buy rights to it immediately to get the most frightening score for his next overzealous cult classic.