As a species, we should’ve moved way beyond meme-slam by now. Slam in its base form is already monkey-brained nonsense; why dumb it down even further? Are the ‘funny’ samples really what elevates these half-dimensional caveman chugs? Nevertheless, you can argue Disfiguring The Goddess are among the pioneers of the style, as if that’s to be proud of. They’re more deathcore now, and there is some greater artistry at play, but the lineage is there, especially in the self-awareness (?) of it all. Call the added atmosphere and electronics a means of breaking type if you want, but mainman Cameron Argon’s alias of ‘Big Chocolate’ tells you all you need to know, really.
Still, without the self-evident belief that Bloom isn’t entirely more than that, this would be getting thrown headlong into a Round-Up, if not ignored entirely. 17 tracks may give pause, but there has to be something going on within them, right? Same goes for the tossed-around label of ‘experimental slam’, oxymoronic on paper but not devoid of possibility. Plus, this is the 10th Disfiguring The Goddess album, which on its own implies enough of a spark to sustain the project for this long. It’s all hoping against hope, but it’s hope all the same.
Then again, maybe that’s a mistake. Luckily it doesn’t take long to get clued in, when the first handful of songs dashes in samples from SpongeBob, Mr. Rogers and To Catch A Predator, all apropos of nothing. Look past those and the thudding slam and deathcore palette offer precious little else. Even when Bloom tries to branch out and incorporate new production styles and sounds, it hardly feels like a bold new frontier being cracked. And, naturally, it’s 17 tracks long; that should speak for itself, ultimately.
At the very least, Bloom doesn’t seem as though it’s out to waste your time. Argon does seem like a musician who cares about his craft, and what could’ve ballooned into some two-hour ordeal of nothing but repetitive slugging, doesn’t. It’s not that far off it, though. It’s a casualty of the sound itself, where there’s only so much to do with mantle-deep chugging and a deliberate pace. Moment to moment, it’s so easy to get lost in the shuffle, particularly amid 17 tracks that can feel pretty unceasing. If there’s anything you remember from this album, it won’t be its straight metal moments, almost all of which blur into an undefined hammering with little to say.
Oh, but this is an ‘experimental’ album, remember? So obviously that means that’s where Bloom’s best parts are, right? …well, credit where it’s due—the album does put in the legwork to differentiate itself from most slam. On paper. That is to say, Bloom’s richer spread of sounds is supposed to impress because it’s there at all, not because of what’s done with it. Something like Echoes Fade, I Remain’s glassy, atmospheric overlays aren’t integrated very well; if nothing else, they only dampen the ongoing heaviness. As for Pleasure Island, it’s split up by a number of reggae bars that sound as though they’re playing underwater, with little rhyme or reason. What’s more, Bloom never even feels committed to going outlandishly big with it; it’s always some small, light production touch left to sit idly, rather than create a wedge or a diversion. It’d probably be a mess if that were the case, but it’d be noteworthy.
In fact, the production on Bloom is really nothing to marvel at, full stop. It gets a good vocal performance from Argon, who can reliably produce the suite of bowel-loosening growls that this style demands. Otherwise…again, it’s nothing special. It might even be less than that, actually, thanks to the muddiness of old-school death metal butting up against what’s clearly intended to be contemporary, and achieving little in the way of compromise. The drums on Goddess Box and Permission To Be Claimed can sound painfully underpowered, and the guitars have far less shape and outline than they probably should. It leaves Bloom feeling directionless, almost to the point of obliviousness of the lack of purchase it has.
And sure, it could be worse. Had Argon chosen to set his wackier impulses loose in greater quantities past just the first leg, Bloom might’ve genuinely been dreadful. As it stands now, it’s not good, but in ways that don’t bring one’s entire worth as a musician into question. Still, as a means of justifying how Disfiguring The Goddess are now 10 albums deep, Bloom faceplants regardless. No emotional needle is moved; no tremendous feats have been achieved. For all that this album wants to be, it doesn’t get very far with any of it. Thus, you’re left with another part of a scene that has many of them, but barely any that instigate excitement or even forward movement. Meme-slam; deathcore; whatever you want to call it, Bloom is built to be forgotten.
For fans of: Crown Magnetar, The Browning, Party Cannon
‘Bloom’ by Disfiguring The Goddess is released on 31st July on Seek & Strike Records.
Words by Luke Nuttall
