Gremlens - Demons Ripped My Flesh
It’s sad when an artist’s release is so poor it makes you question yourself whether the artist’s previous body of work was as good as you remembered. Thankfully, in this case the previous releases held up, though they couldn’t relieve the poor taste in my mouth following Demons Ripped My Flesh. Suffice to say, Gremlens’ latest album (released on February 11th, 2022) should be avoided.
Mother Forgive Me starts the mood admirably, albeit lazily, with its krautrock-like sample use ranging from Death Grips to Jay Z. Who's Got You? Is a torrent of Kanye West samples encapsulated in a boring wall of noise, as is an unknown sample on Hated. Between both these tracks, the only thing differentiating them are the samples; the technique is precisely the same. Moreover, the same type of auditory manipulation is used through many other songs throughout the album, and it becomes stale. Even the noise itself becomes dull, as it’s overused on songs such as 6 + 6 + 6 Noise. When there is live instrumentation, such as the percussion towards the end of Houie Douie, the bells during The Camels are Coming or the saxophones on Shit to Care About; it’s difficult to tell whether it’s original or not. Nonetheless, it works best during these moments, such as the lovely closer If I Was Free.
Sadly, Gremlens latest release is entirely dependent on samples. Neither the samples themselves, nor the way they are manipulated, are original. It’s vapourwave levels of “bad.” A shame, as previous Gremlens efforts were overflowing with creativity, even if they were comprised of ripped material. This time round, it’s difficult to discern what’s original and what’s copy pasted. I can at least say it’s enjoyable; the Royal Trux levels of noise are still amicable. Such a shame the album is an enormous step back from their previous releases; one could easily assume it was a different band. Let’s hope the shift in quality is temporary.
Below Average
Listen to it here:
Gremlens - Demons Ripped My Flesh
