Band: Project Nefast
Album: SEX MONEY POWER
Genre: drone metal
Year: 2017
Label: Tartarus Records
Sex. Money. Power.
Project Nefast blow me away yet again. Their previous effort, Dogma, was a monstrous exposé of psychedelic bliss, and here we see the band taking their sound in a new direction: drone metal. Consisting of four hypnotic tracks, SEX MONEY POWER is a half-hour journey into a world of wailing feedback and distortion. I'll break it down track-by-track and also delve into the accompanying music videos...
The album opens with the absolutely crushing "Mislukkeling." This is pure, unadulterated drone metal. Wave after wave of harsh guitar noise crashes upon the listener in an unrelenting bath of chaos. The drummer gets a few shots in as well, but rather than providing structure, he only adds to the disarray. And who would have thought that there would be a music video for this? I don't think I've ever seen a music video for an instrumental, but Project Nefast pull it off. The video trudges along slowly, keeping pace with the music. The plot is simple: three masked men (Nefast in the flesh) sit around a table playing monopoly. Two of the album's central themes are represented in the scene: MONEY (monopoly cash raining down on the men) and POWER (the array of weapons on the table, including a pair of... well, scissors). Overall, I would say it matches the track perfectly and gives us a little glimpse into the minds of this Dutch trio.
Check the video here.
Next up is "Pastorale." On this track, Nefast lead us into a nice little psychedelic jam. Somewhat reminiscent of their 2016 album, "Pastorale" builds intensity over its nearly 10-minute running time before slowing down and running out of steam.
A jolt of noise announces the third track, the titular "SEX MONEY POWER." Yet another shift in musical direction, "SEX MONEY POWER" builds a wall of psychedelic noise which all but drowns out the vocalist. The drummer provides structure to this droning wall of sound by blasting away at a steady pace. Once again, I am reminded of Dogma, but it still seems fresh. The music video displays a darker side of the band. Shaky, black-and-white footage follows a pair of women as they engage in the nightlife of the urban sprawl. Everything seems pretty lighthearted as the duo walk the city streets, clearly high as fuck. The footage is intercut with shots of a playground, particularly focusing on a slide. As the tension in the song finally explodes, the women break into an argument which ultimately escalates into a fight at the playground. The whole thing is filmed in such a way that it feels unnerving, and the action follows the swell of the music perfectly.
View the video here.
Finally, we have "Ziektebeeld." A steady drum-and-bass beat provides the stage for a rant ( I presume in Dutch) by a seemingly crazed vocalist. It almost feels like a one-sided argument, as if he is trying to reason with himself. The guitars chime in, providing a layer of psyched-out droning. Some electronic elements are also utilized towards the end of the track. The album ends very abruptly. The shift from droning repetitiveness to absolute nothingness is quite a shock, yet in my opinion is not out of place.
Project Nefast end the album on an odd note, but that seems to be the point. Society craves sex, money, and power, but these things cannot fill the void within us all. They leave much to be desired (or maybe I'm just full of shit on this one). I highly recommend you listen to this trio's discography. You can stream SEX MONEY POWER from their bandcamp here and purchase a cassette copy from Tartarus Records here. Full support for these Dutch metallers!
Rating: 4 / 5
Top Tracks:
SEX MONEY POWER
Ziektebeeld
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