Chicago based cybergrind act Blind Equation return with their third full-length album A Funeral In Purgatory, a dark and ambitious mix of abrasive electronics and ferocious live instruments that retains the eclectic feel of their previous efforts.
Led by vocalist and lead songwriter James McHenry, Blind Equation have made a name for themselves in the thriving cybergrind community with their sound that draws more from the 8-bit soundtracks of video games like Castlevania and Chrono Trigger than expected influences such as Emperor and Cradle Of Filth. While their last two albums had plenty of brutal moments, A Funeral In Purgatory turns the aggression up to eleven with far more gothic and death metal influences poking through the synth-based noise.
Whereas their last album Death Awaits kept the extreme metal meets chiptune concept pretty straightforward, occasionally keeping things fresh with dashes of hyperpop and breakcore, A Funeral In Purgatory borrows from artists as far apart as Meshuggah, Nightwish and Machine Girl for a diverse and devastatingly heavy sound. Opening track ‘This Eternal Curse’ sets this new era of Blind Equation apart with chaotic blast beats and piercing retro synths backing McHenry’s vocals which veer wildly from a black metal style screech to heavily autotuned and saturated cleans. While the original vision of Blind Equation is still very much intact, A Funeral In Purgatory immediately sets itself up as a confident and combative step forward.
Although their metal influences are more apparent on A Funeral In Purgatory, Blind Equation still manage to keep their uniquely 8-Bit voice intact, experimenting with multiple different electronic genres. Bringing in the energy of early 2010s crabcore acts like Attack Attack! with metalcore inspired guitar riffs and danceable electronic drums, the track ‘It Feels Like The End’, featuring experimental rapper JOHNNACUS, and the more industrial inspired, deliberately paced instrumental track ‘Mourn’ both bring their own unique styles of synth infused noise. While not as focused on diverse synth textures as their previous album Death Awaits, A Funeral In Purgatory injects its blazing extreme metal sound with a shot of 8-bit energy.
Closing track ‘Incomplete’ takes a more nuanced, blackgaze inspired sound, closer to bands like Møl or Deafheaven than many of Blind Equation’s less serious cybergrind contemporaries. Clocking in at just over 6 minutes ‘Incomplete’ is one of the band’s more ambitious tracks, using layered, rich synths to drive the track’s main melody, the more traditional metal instruments are free to go all out with chugging riffs and wild blast beats creating a brutal bedrock for McHenry’s screeching black metal vocals. While many of Blind Equation’s other tracks put their synths on par with the vocals, creating a back and forth between the two lead instruments, ‘Incomplete’ shines when the 8-bit bleeps are pushed back and given the opportunity to compete with the guitars and percussion.
While keeping the band’s core concept intact, A Funeral In Purgatory leads Blind Equation down a dark path more focused on ferocious black and goth metal sounds than the video game inspired synths of their previous work. Blending a hearty dose of 8-bit drive to their brutal mix of extreme genres, Blind Equation prove that cybergrind is more than just a gimmick for the terminally online.