Jucifer and Show of Bedlam Split is Twice as Dangerous
Undoubtedly en route to somewhere as they perpetually seem to be, nomadic duo Jucifer (originally from Georgia) stopped in at Akdar Studios in Bernville, PA, in June 2009 to put the four tracks to tape that would become their portion of a Choking Hazard Records split with Montreal natives Show of Bedlam, for whom the split marks their first outing. Jucifer’s four songs are raw and more aggressive than their Relapse studio material has been over the last couple albums, and Show of Bedlam take traditional doom rock plod and add a modern sense of foreboding to it that comes across through the roughness of their own production.
What the two bands have in common is female vocalists. Jucifer’s Amber Valentine offers Khanate-style screams on rumbling slowed-down opener “Hiroshima,” and settles into a thrashing semi-shout thereafter, where Paulina Richards from Show of Bedlam keeps a more melodic edge to her voice à la Made Out of Babies’ much-lauded singer Julie Christmas, though the music behind her is far less given to experimentation and a track like “Miss Johnny Shirt” is left mostly to Richards to make it stand out. She does, if in a way we’ve heard before. Show of Bedlam’s five tracks are distinguished by their pace and empty feeling – feeling, not sound – and where Jucifer brought distorted chaos and frenzied riffing on the Napalm Death-esque 59-second cut “Good Provider,” the relative stillness of Show of Bedlam closing cut “Doppelganger” feels drawn entirely from a different universe.
It’s a suitable pairing, then. Jucifer as they appear here are reckless and furious, and Show of Bedlam offer a more disturbed, malevolent take on doom. Each band offers something different enough from each other, but they’re tied together as well sonically. Show of Bedlam’s riffs, provided by guitarist Guillaume Pilote take a back seat to Richards’ vocals in the mix, which I’m not convinced was the right move (I never am), but they give a decent showing all the same, propelled lurching forward by the rhythm section of since-departed bassist Kevin Jones and drummer Nick Richards, both members of the even-more-somber Quebec outfit, Towards Darkness. I’d be interested to hear them in a more elaborate production setting, as Richards seems keen on multi-tracking vocals and I don’t doubt they could do something distinctive with that, self-harmonies and whatnot. As it is, they won’t appeal to everyone, but I’m sure they’ll gain plenty of friends along the way.
The same could be said of Jucifer, I suppose. For one, I dig the buzzsaw thrash of “Invincible Armies” and the groove of “Soldiers of White Light,” on which drummer Edgar Livengood puts his crash cymbal to excellent use carrying the rhythm of the song, but there are plenty of people who for whatever reason have been polarized the other way from Jucifer. Rest assured this split is not for them, although if you’re a decided non-fan and all you’ve heard of the band is the two albums they put out on Relapse, you might want to check this out since it’s different enough from that aesthetic to perhaps change your mind. And, since “Hiroshima” and “Good Provider” also show up on this year’s Throned in Blood full-length on Nomadic Fortress, it might be a good indication of where they’re at now. I haven’t heard that record, so I can’t really speak to it one way or another.
For this release, though, you get to hear a new take on a band you may or may not have previously encountered, and a band just making their start. Jucifer’s attack is well-honed and sharpened, and Show of Bedlam, in comparison, still have some growing to do (of course, they’ve been around a much shorter time), but the two bands complement each other well, making this split a cohesive sampler of what each can do.
Tags: Canada, Choking Hazard, Georgia, Jucifer, Montreal, Quebec, Show of Bedlam
