Review Summary: The Klown Army, Pogo, Doink, Ronald McDonald, Captain Spaulding and Pennywise getting together in a Norwegian forest and just drinking and kicking back, riffing and raffing, just you know laying down some hard jam in the Marka forest.
As merchants of the macabre, Virginia based loony bin recipients Bone Fragments get off on putting out twisted albums of melodic black metal with an emphasis on clowns, clowns and even more clowns with the dark carnival of souls providing the backbone of their musical delinquency. The fabric of this most delicious concept lies in the band's supreme ability to conjure up authentic carnival themes in their music. With sound samples, lyrical concepts, amusement park atmosphere and carnival-esque synth/guitar melodies melding into a black metal format, Bone Fragments push extreme music to the next level.
Their second album "Dark Amusement" is a orgy of clown debauchery and decadence wrapped around a healthy dose of misanthropy and violence. Taking the wholesome themes of candy, childhood jubilee and prize booths and fastening them with sinister undertones, Bone Fragments pushes the boundaries of the weird, the dark and the metal. The album's concept is based around a melancholy clown named Jollybean who although he hates his job, remains attached to the carnival to please the fancies of all those in attendance. Little do they know though is that he hates them. He hates the audience, he hates the carnival and he ***ing hates being a clown. After the shows he retreats to his den in the bleak sewers where he lives in pitch black solitude, undisturbed by all. One day a child wanders into his den. Frightened and alone the boy stands like a statue, paralyzed by the clown's glare, then he turns to run awaybut falls down. Falling down proved to be a fatal mistake because this clown has a taste for human flesh. Jollybean and his compatriots descend upon him and feast upon his flesh....
Imagine if the Klown Army, Pogo, Ronald McDonald, Captain Spaulding and Pennywise got together in a Norwegian forest. Just drinking and kicking back, riffing and raffing, just you know laying down some hard jam sessions. "Dark Amusement" is the bi-product of this unholy carnival of dark souls. A twelve track affair, "Dark Amusement" is a carnival themed take on the bestial sounds of black metal.....Clown Metal...if you will. If you loathe clowns then you had better stay away. MWHUAHHHHH......MWHUAAAAAAAAA.....
Musically speaking this is pretty traditional in the black metal realm although not quite as fierce as one might expect. Harsh screams, tremolo picking and fuzzy atmosphere are present but Bone Fragments opt for a doomier approach with a keen sense for melody. Riff patterns are thicker and often slower paced with keyboard and guitar melodies sinking in from time to time to provide the carnival-esque backdrop. Vokills are vitriolic, expected of a agitated clown ready to say *** it all. Remember Pennywise peeking out of the sewer? Yeah, that scared the *** out of me too. I pissed my pants. The guitars and vokills are complimented by a solid rhythm section which composes of a earthy bass tone and stingy drumming patterns. Minute long interludes are strategically placed through the songs to keep the cannibal clown vibe going. You feel like you're walking through the house of mirrors when you jam to these keyboard segues. You think you're safe but then you see the reflections of all these clowns on the mirrors who then proceed to rip out your intestines and eat you till your a mangled hunk of meat.
There aren't really any distinct standout tracks album. This flows better when you listen to it all in one sitting rather than just one or two at a time. The context of the songs sits better with the listener if you engage it as the concept record that it is. It's easy to listen to this and formulate your own ideas of sinister clowns running amok and wreaking havoc upon the innocent as the full fifty minutes pulsate through your ears.
