“Sunset in Gotham city, the sky is red as blood. A dark gloom reigns the town as if it knows what awaits. Late at night, a horde of creatures sneak into town armed with razor-sharp beaks, certain that no one will get in their way. Sensing death in the air, nobody even dares to go out. Soon the penguins will find Batman's cave, proceeding with their cunning plan. After emptying the bat mobile’s tires, they sneak back into the woods, leaving no trace to be found but a stench of death and decay.” Taken from Night Of The Penguins
This is a band that insists on sharing composition credits on two songs with Vivaldi and cites 16 Horsepower as a main influence. A band whose members are Flame (bass and handclaps), Killerpenguin (guitars), Killhammer (drums), Ludi McSkank (saxophone), Monsieur Malice(vocals), and Slayerprincess (female vocals). This is the black metal band of the 21st century.
First of all, with names like that, you can do whatever you want. Second of all, the band claims to be 100% serious. After all, penguins are extremely dark and dangerous beings, and this is the album to finally bridge the gap between the confusion encompassing these creatures. Incorporating a wide variety of instrumentation and composition, and fusing it all together with melancholic melodies and unpredictable chord patterns, it’s no wonder why the band is so focused on the beasts of the ice. The vocals literally sound like penguins, especially when the duel vocals with the high screams come in. It’s kind of like in Happy Feet when Mumble tries to sing, except if Dani Filth played Mumble.
For a black metal album, it’s actually quite unique in composition with left field progressive guitar lines mixed in with your usual tremolo picked patterns. The acoustics are definantly a highlight, especially in the song The Return Of The Undead Smurfs (Gargamel’s Revenge II), as they harmonize with each other in a seductive, lucid, and ominous way. The first half of the album could be compared to Immortal’s At The Heart Of Winter mixed with doom and folk elements. As far as the female vocals go, Slayerprincess is nothing special, but thankfully don’t ruin the songs.
Now, the moment we’ve been waiting for. We have arrived at the monolithic Mutant Ninja Penguins (From Hell), possibly the greatest song of this decade. Chugging bass, driving rhythm, hypnotizing synths, and the classic 6/8 black metal drum patterns. You shall headbang. The vocals are powerful as ever, and contain some of the most thought provoking lyrics in recent memory.
Quote:
Trained by the ultimate masters
Possessing all the skills
Nuclear radiation from hell
Turned them into savage beasts
Beaks of the sharpest steel
Chainsaw blades instead of wings
Fear their tremendous rage
In the night they are running amok
Staining their steel with blood
Using the ancient arts
And melting humans with nuclear farts
There is no point praying to god
Because he is already dead
Buried deep in penguin ***
Slowly turning into dust
|
Nearing the end of the song, it goes back into the main riff…along with some finely executed clapping (literally) courtesy of Flame. The album closes with Emigrantvisan, a folky song with random blast beats thrown in for good measure, with a hopeful chant of “Oh yeah!” at the end.
I find myself a better man for blessing my ears with something comparable to Beethoven’s 5th, Crotchduster’s Big Fat Box Of ***, or even the soundtrack to Blue’s Clues. Black metal has not been approached like this musically, and is frankly refreshing. You owe it to yourself and the entire flightless species to listen, cherish, and spread the message. This is only the beginning of the darkness coming, and Satan’s Penguins are enticing enough for you to join them.
