STRANGER FRUIT review - The best thing to come out of 4chan
(Reviewed by Melody Werner)
Stranger Fruit is a 2018 negro spiritual inspired black metal album by Swiss band, Zeal & Ardor. Released by MVKA Records; Z&A was initially a solo project by the band's frontman, Manuel Gagneux--who got the idea for the band from the predictably racist 4chan (no, really). Which is kinda hilarious, considering the band is pretty left ("A-C-A-B, let a brother daydream / Pigs in the street, like pigs in heat / 'Bout the police (Fuck 'em)"). The story Z&A bases its music on is "What if the slaves coming to America turned to Satan instead of Jesus?" No, really. And it kicks ass.
While in my review of Ship on Fire, I credited Manuel for his instrumental skills (probably not enough), those are drawn into greater focus with Stranger Fruit. There are several instrumental or ambient passages on this album that are just wonderful, and help to make SF a well-paced out experience. You don't just have Gagneux screaming his brains out for 50 minutes, which could become monotonous. Stranger Fruit truly shows his versatility; the guy's got an impressive set of skills. If there was any doubt that Zeal & Ardor is not a novelty band, this album ought to dispel it all.
I really love Gagneux's vocals too. He has this great, commanding, raw voice that suits metal perfectly. Every song on this album, I was grooving too though--this isn't a noise album. I think it's actually super accessible, even if it's weird and awesome because of that. Z&A seems like one of those bands that has something for everyone, like Foo Fighters or Rage Against the Machine, even if I don't think those bands are all too comparable sonically. The lyrics (also by Gagneux) are superb, helping to craft vivid imagery alongside the more musical elements. My favorite songs off such a rock solid tracklist have to be Ship on Fire (of course), Don't You Dare, Row Row, Servants, Gravedigger's Chant, and Built on Ashes. Built on Ashes being the closest the band gets to a ballad with, and it works really well as both a ballad and a closer. Its lyrics are EASILY the saddest on the album, but that's bound to happen when it alludes to Abel Meeropol's poem, which the album and title track draw their names from. When I finished listening to this album front to back, I still had this stupid fucking smile on my face for like 20 minutes straight after. It's so good.
Stranger Fruit is a cracking album and deserves all of the success it has gotten for the band. While Manuel has said their expectations are low for future releases, I'm down for wherever they go next. And I totally wanna see them live just to say I did. I hear they're an excellent live band. Zeal & Ardor's Stranger Fruit gets a 10/10.
Masterpiece
Summary:
If you're even theoretically interested in metal, Stranger Fruit is an essential listen.
Stranger Fruit is a 2018 negro spiritual inspired black metal album by Swiss band, Zeal & Ardor. Released by MVKA Records; Z&A was initially a solo project by the band's frontman, Manuel Gagneux--who got the idea for the band from the predictably racist 4chan (no, really). Which is kinda hilarious, considering the band is pretty left ("A-C-A-B, let a brother daydream / Pigs in the street, like pigs in heat / 'Bout the police (Fuck 'em)"). The story Z&A bases its music on is "What if the slaves coming to America turned to Satan instead of Jesus?" No, really. And it kicks ass.
While in my review of Ship on Fire, I credited Manuel for his instrumental skills (probably not enough), those are drawn into greater focus with Stranger Fruit. There are several instrumental or ambient passages on this album that are just wonderful, and help to make SF a well-paced out experience. You don't just have Gagneux screaming his brains out for 50 minutes, which could become monotonous. Stranger Fruit truly shows his versatility; the guy's got an impressive set of skills. If there was any doubt that Zeal & Ardor is not a novelty band, this album ought to dispel it all.
I really love Gagneux's vocals too. He has this great, commanding, raw voice that suits metal perfectly. Every song on this album, I was grooving too though--this isn't a noise album. I think it's actually super accessible, even if it's weird and awesome because of that. Z&A seems like one of those bands that has something for everyone, like Foo Fighters or Rage Against the Machine, even if I don't think those bands are all too comparable sonically. The lyrics (also by Gagneux) are superb, helping to craft vivid imagery alongside the more musical elements. My favorite songs off such a rock solid tracklist have to be Ship on Fire (of course), Don't You Dare, Row Row, Servants, Gravedigger's Chant, and Built on Ashes. Built on Ashes being the closest the band gets to a ballad with, and it works really well as both a ballad and a closer. Its lyrics are EASILY the saddest on the album, but that's bound to happen when it alludes to Abel Meeropol's poem, which the album and title track draw their names from. When I finished listening to this album front to back, I still had this stupid fucking smile on my face for like 20 minutes straight after. It's so good.
Stranger Fruit is a cracking album and deserves all of the success it has gotten for the band. While Manuel has said their expectations are low for future releases, I'm down for wherever they go next. And I totally wanna see them live just to say I did. I hear they're an excellent live band. Zeal & Ardor's Stranger Fruit gets a 10/10.
Masterpiece
Summary:
If you're even theoretically interested in metal, Stranger Fruit is an essential listen.
Comments
Post a Comment