Punk’s dungeon era shows no signs of slowing down yet, newest evidence being this tape by a dude from Santa Fe, Argentinia – first self-released on his bandcamp this summer – which is now being reissued via the ever-busy niche label Grime Stone Records and blends in seamlessly with their roster in creating a sound that juxtaposes the most basic and DIY true- and black metal spoofs with some mid-to-late eighties-style punk moshing and tons of cute and goofy eggpunk fun and melodicism. Also, over on the guy’s bandcamp, you’ll find even more of that same greatness in the form of a new Split EP with Corazón Sombrío, which, as the artwork suggests, seems to be the inverted, extra black-hearted mirror version of that same dude? Anyway, this is compulsory listening for any serious dungeon afficinado.
This is the third release already in just a couple months by this blackened-/dungeon punk act frome wherever in the US and just like its predecessors it’s yet another first-rate addition to the microgenre which approaches the stylistic signifiers of black metal from an uncommon post punk- and death rock angle to create a sound that’s in equal measure atmospheric, dense and layered while blasting a respectable crater in their own little patch of spooky dark forest all the same.
The californian label Grime Stone Records has long been way ahead of the curve when it comes to the more quirky ends of blackened- and dungeon punk releases and even if the musical merits of the bands and projects featured didn’t always manage to keep up with their lofty ambitions, these folks have also brought us some undeniable contemporary classics by the likes of Bloody Keep and Drýsildjöfull. The newest cassette by Curta’n Wall is yet another strong contender for the latter category, being a prime example of the more playful and egg-ish – though also in a way quite traditionally dungeon synth-inspired – end of the genre spectrum, drawing on some of the strongest tunes in their already quite prolific discography as a rock-solid basis for their insane sonic escapades while toning down some of the cheesiest (previously often unbearably so) aspects of their sound just enough to hit a certain sweet spot with me. While parts of their previous work have struck me as more novelty than substance, this record has finally grown a healthy amount of real meat around its bones.
Now i suddenly remember that, like, two weeks ago, i was thrilled as hell to see a new Nourishment EP being released and then apparently failed to bookmark it and forgot about it in the last couple weeks’ relentless flood of new releases. Happens to me all the time. Well, better late the never i guess. The sonic parameters on this one stay roughly the same for the US-based blackened-/dungeon punk group, althought the production values appear to have been improved a tiny bit here. As before, the new record captivates with a distinct spin on the genre that once again appears to take plenty of inspiration from contemporary, dark goth-infused post punk and oldschool death rock.
An awesome dungeon-themed artifact comes to us from a Montreal group who take a major leap from their more purist black metal-leaning 2020 debut tape to a more ambitious punk-flavored endeavor that also aligns pretty well with the more blackened subsection of the current dungeon punk landscape, most notable last winter’s Bloody Keep LP and the likes of Warlock Corpse or blackened synth punks Drýsildjöfull, though Conifère certainly put their very own flavor on their epic crusades by way of a strong late nineties post- and emocore undercurrent being the common thread running all the way through this tape.
