It's pretty rare to find a band in the raw black metal/punk scene that stands out in a way other than simply just being better than most. Though bands like Grinning Death's Head and Sump are great, it's impossible to deny how bound they are to the rigid confines of blackened punk's aesthetic. There's nothing inherently wrong with this -at all for that matter- but it certainly makes things more exciting when a band like Sexdrome comes around and shakes the foundation a bit. Initially known as Pruneface, Sexdrome along with their aforementioned black/punk peers were integral players in a scene that developed in the later years of the 2000's, taking the metal underground by storm. Their eponymous demo was great, if not lacking a bit in the personality department; at the time, Sexdrome were still essentially Bone Awl imitators. This is the point in their story where things get exciting.
Returning a year later, Sexdrome's second release Grown Younger seems like the work of a completely different band. Of course, the music was still rooted black metal and hardcore; you could hear vestiges of that in the foot-tapping punk stomp of "Strung Up", and "Moriah", but as a whole Grown Younger is more unique -and unhinged- record than its predecessor. More often than not, it's simply the sound of Sexdrome going completely off the rails. They are sloppy, and intense in the most endearing kind of way. In between sections of raucous hardcore and raw black metal, songs like "Always First" are
almost melodic- but the throbbing bassline that permeates the jubilance is fraught with anxious morbidity. There is no reprieve from the insanity of the album which presents itself in a myriad of ways, and it turn it can certainly be a task to complete the record. There is something genuinely frighteningly about Grown Younger; from Loke Rahbek's feral hardcore roars to the asylum-esque ambiance that the record cloaks itself in, Sexdrome will leave you with a chill down your spine. That however only speaks to the effectiveness in which these Danish sickos perform, and anyone who can walk through this proverbial house of horrors will certainly find it a journey most rewarding.
