Straks by Battery 9

Straks contains everything you have come to expect from Battery9: a dark, menacing audio universe of “found sounds” and machines, screwed-up electronics, meaty, repetitive guitar riffs and distorted vocals — balanced with very quiet ambient electronica or cynical humour. Creator Paul Riekert takes out the whip again and rages against human stupidity — and perhaps at the pain that comes with being of the same species. The lyrics deal with the dark and absurd parts of the human psyche en examine things that cause discomfort in polite company. Underneath the layering and processing the album is almost minimalist in its approach; identifying and sticking to the essentials, and discarding the rest. One gets the feeling of a controlled purification process that has taken place, capturing the essence of Battery9 with all complexities in tact.

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