Battle Hymns II (studio album) by Cancerslug

From DriftingOrpheus 08/16/2021 19:02

There was once a time when Cancerslug was a whisper. An underground, seemingly occult legend that was forged in the deepest swamps of Alabama. Their music was self-released, self-produced and polished with their own sweat and blood. It was in a word: relentless. In 1999, the subsection of Horror rock and Horror punk had seen its resources sucked bone dry. The Misfits of the late 70's and early 80's had long since been the standard bearer of a genre which had seen its numbers slowly dwindle. That's not say Cancerslug's music should be lumped in with any contemporaries. The band was a beast of its own, but at the time, they didn't make much of a splash outside of their stomping grounds in the south. Theirs is a mythos that grew and shrunk simultaneously throughout time. At the forefront of it all is lead singer/writer Alex Story, who's seen eras, lineups and even bandmates (drummer Mike Horgan) come to pass. His vision for what Cancerslug could be was enough to brand the band "the most vile band on Earth". Despite the perfectly fitting moniker, there was a distinct method to the boundless madness. A formula that was incapable of replication; a chemical synthesis of fury, repugnance and supernatural power that was perfected on 2004's 'Battle Hymns II'.

There's a raw, unpolished disregard that permeates through the veins of 'Battle Hymns II'. The devil-may-care production only enhances the material and the legacy it leaves behind, like a piece of cursed media or an unreleased 911 call. While rhapsodizing about 'little angels who want to be sex crime victims' and 'lasting a single minute more with pagan whores', the band leaves in spits, slip-ups and guitar feedback that bookends tracks like recording session timestamps. Lead singer Alex Story's howl corrals the sonic storms of crashing cymbal hits blended with scraping guitar strings and gives them direction. It's no secret that the band tends to re-record tracks from their past and reimagine them in different colors. Interestingly, the re-touching of traversed lands worked for the group as each entry brought a different energy that rarely disappointed in the early days of Cancerslug. There's a thickness to the production here; a heavy, corrosive presence that aids in the culmination of something wholly unholy. Still, melody isn't compromised, truthfully, it's just the opposite. To dissect it further in a musical sense would be an injustice to the very essence of what the album offers. It's devoid of form by intention, ancient in its nature and the equivalent of unearthing a malevolent curse from centuries ago and having it embody a 22-track album. A more appropriate way to observe 'Battle Hymns II' is through its prose. Deeply abrasive, satanic and nihilistic, Alex Story's lyricism is the perfect accompaniment to the already haunting sonic disposition. Some selections include, 'Sex Crime Victim', 'Demon in My Pants', 'Blood on Satan's Claw' and 'Creation Teardrops'. On 'Cycle of the Wolf' Story details, "The hunger burning in these veins to feed, to fuck, to live unchained, to bend the back and walk the earth on all fours." Despite its rather obvious connections to the commonly known werewolf myth, there's a frightening reality to the delivery, as if Story and company mean it in a literal sense, possibly alluding to the animalistic nature of society's most depraved. Creative subtlety is rife on the record (something that modern Cancerslug sorely lacks), but Story makes room for a healthy dose of skin-crawling bluntness. He writes on 'The Raven', "Taking baby out for a treat tonight, fuck her up the ass with a switchblade knife; I don't know if it's love but it's alright." The track has little in common with Poe's tale (other than the call and response of Nevermore), but Story's version remains on of the album's most visceral accounts.

Other parables of woe include 'So Many Dead', where Story screeches, "I put on the mask, I take up the knife I put on the gloves, I'll take your life; I am a fucking force of nature". The band effortlessly typifies the uncomfortable reality that percolates throughout 'BH II'. That's precisely why they occupied such a unique space amongst the Horror rock landscape. Their approach (in their prime), complete with a bedeviling delivery, convey the image of an act that may not know where the performance ends and the actuality begins. In other instances, Story honors his idols such as Italian filmmaker Lucio Fulci on 'Cat in the Brain', a song inspired by the 1990 horror film of the same name. The band even employs a softer touch on the record (by their standards) with 'In Dreams', a (dare I say) touching story of longing and repudiation. Story croons, "I can feel the fear inside of you; I'm amazed by your strength and pride and you will be forever by my side; No, there'll be no more pain so dry your lovely eyes." The album's magnum opus is 'Death's Call', a track so audibly haunting that Story's ghostly bellows seem to emanate from the attic above, through waterlogged plaster at 3AM. Nihilistic fervor takes hold with Story's declarations, "Everywhere I go, death comes calling to take me home; I will die alone and death comes calling to take me home." The nauseously named 'Fetus Milkshake' is a molten, sluggish account of a self-performed clothes hanger abortion told with unnerving explicitness. "When you are safe in mommy's womb, don't let the clothes hanger bother you; When you feel your limbs being torn away, don't feel bad you'll find them down the drain." Despite its unabashed ugliness, the hypnotic sway of 'Fetus Milkshake' give it the qualities of a diabolic lullaby. Story takes no position on the issue. He merely remains an observer. He's happy to just report upon horrors rather than analyze them.

Soon, the edge faded, the anger dwindled and the ferocity that separated Cancerslug from droves of gimmick bands that tried to reinvigorate horror-inspired rock and roll died off. It was replaced with vulgarity for vulgarity's sake. Shock value songs instead of the hair-raising mystery and mythology that encased the group in its heyday and all that remained was a pale reflection. There's blame to be shared in both camps, the band's and the blame of our expectations. People change, and ambition quells but few can deny the horrifying enigma Cancerslug once was. A beast that stalked the nights on internet forums and in the basements of horror aficionados everywhere. It's unlikely that Cancerslug will make much of an impression on music platforms or that it will even resonate with anyone reading this. Still it must be documented that their brilliance and bottled hate once inspired joy and dread in those who faced their music. Even the most docile and non-confrontational of individuals would know the face of true rage which the band communicated seemlessly during the early oughts. That's the kind of ruthless insight Cancerslug would spew when its revelry knew no bounds and its carnage took no prisoners. 'Battle Hymns II' is one of the most striking, deftly-aimed, sensational albums of the 21st century and so very few know of its power. It's meant to be listened to through the most imperfect of equipment and in the most hostile of environments. Be careful and tread lightly when you speak its name, for you must be prepared for the sinister, soul-blackening contents held within.

"I've got my innocence.
I'm gonna fuck you with it and I won't stop until I am through."

- If I Should Die Tonight

Standout Tracks:

1. Death's Call
2. Fetus Milkshake
3. The Raven

92.5