Jacob's Ladder - 1990

A review of Jacob's Ladder (1990)

(First published on Brutal As Hell.com)

When I consider the word 'horror' in cinematic terms, I think almost instantly of Marlon Brando's Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now. “The horror! The horror!”, his utterance perhaps an expression of a kind of resigned revulsion at the depths of the human condition, witnessed by and yet simultaneously perpetuated by him. Regarding the connection with Jacob's Ladder, both obviously deal with aspects of the Vietnamese war. What further unites them beyond some examination of a historical conflict though, is their investigation of what Roger Ebert described as “the dark places of the soul”. This is something that Jacob's Ladder delves into literally – the battle for the soul of one man between forces of light and dark, the true nature of which is only revealed toward the films culmination.

Where Jacob's Ladder really succeeds is that for much of the film, the viewer is left guessing as to what extent the nightmarish visions of Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) are mere hallucinations, or glimpses into a very real hell that lurks tantalisingly close, behind the veil of everyday perception. From the opening frames (the ubiquitous slow motion, dawn footage of choppers in the jungles of Vietnam), to the grime and squalor of New York (rust, urban decay, the homeless), to the stale bureaucracy of the hospital reception, we are grounded in a very recognisable reality. Singer, clearly still traumatised by the memories of the Mekong Delta, begins to sense a malign presence in his life, a feeling enhanced by vivid nightmares recalling the savage final events of his military service. It isn't hard to imagine these creatures being supernatural, otherworldly beings, but we learn that despite the tentacles and thrashing, inhuman heads, and the chattering, snapping teeth that lunge for him in waking moments, the root of these beings seems to once again be man himself. In this case that old protagonist the Scientist, represented by a “hippy chemist” Micheal (Matt Craven), recruited by the army to add a little chemically-enhanced battle-lust to the grunts on the ground back in the 'Nam.

This facet of the film echoes the infamous Project MKUltra, the U.S government's human research project that ran through the 50s and 60s. This controversial program was designed as an investigation into the efficacy of a wide range of drugs in the application of mind control, among them LSD and BZ (which is mentioned in the film's closing credits). Although BZ was rumoured to have been applied to soldiers in Vietnam, there is no evidence to suggest it actually turned them into killing machines. Nonetheless, there are anecdotal references to a CIA operative who acted as a test subject, and after being dosed with LSD entered a psychotic state in which every passing car appeared to contain monsters. For Jacob, such vehicle-bound creatures almost end his life at one point in the film. Is his battle through this personal hell merely the result of clandestine human research gone badly awry?

Sadly for Singer, munching a tonne of grapefruit isn't going to help him here. As he struggles to make sense of his decaying mental state, and becomes more and more withdrawn and paranoid, he is embattled not only by demonic hallucinations, but by his own girlfriend Jezebel (the excellent Elizabath Peña), who herself takes on some devilish qualities and who may or may not be in league with the Hellraiser-like entities that continue to encroach on Jacob's life. When he makes contact with other survivors from his ill-fated platoon, he seems to be honing in on a truth of sorts. Aided by the redoubtable Lou (Danny Aiello), his philosophic chiropractor, Jacob stumbles toward epiphany...

To say, as the blurb on the back of the case states, that Jacob's Ladder is both mystery, thriller and horror, would be pretty accurate. The way Adrian Lyne (Fatal Attraction, 9 ½ weeks) handles these elements is one of the film's key strengths. Frightening though they are – the dance scene at the party is an excellent example of Jacob's monstrous visions impacting in the most mundane of situations – the moments of 'horror' are kept relatively fleeting. Indeed, the director is careful to never place these creatures in the same shot as Jacob himself, thereby reinforcing his isolation.

There are some disturbing notions and scenes which have nothing to do with fell beasts, which adds to an increasingly claustrophobic and paranoid tension, The shadow of human experimentation spreads from the field of battle to the grotesque depths of a hospital where the residents resemble thalidomide victims – another indictment of science perhaps?Nonetheless, there is a supernatural element which keeps us guessing until an ending that, in lesser hands, could have slipped into mawkishness. Luckily though, Tim Robbins does a great job as the suffering Jacob, and by the end of the film it would take a wooden heart not to feel he doesn't deserve a little peace. The somewhat scary Elizabeth Peña does a nice job in not committing completely to either side of her personality, thereby keeping the guessing game going right to the end. The supporting cast have a familiar look to them, but Danny Aiello as Lou stood out for me. Sometimes rambunctious, sometimes wise, Jacob sees this manipulator of spines as his own personal overgrown cherub. 'Lou' though...which biblical name does that remind you of? As Lou says himself, with his final piece of advice to Jacob -

“So, if you're frightened of dying and... and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth”.

Is Lou, Jacob's saviour, possibly not so much Cherubim, as Lightbringer? While the exact nature of his role is never made explicit, he does illuminate a way out of the hospital, in the bowels of which Jacob faces the inquisitor-surgeons that seem to represent these dualistic devil/angels.

Although Jacob's Ladder reveals itself to be a complex film that seems to suggest a reality torn between the earthly and the fantastical, its portrayal of the cycle of guilt that seems to anchor Jacob within his personal hell, seems strongly evocative of religious ideas of guilt, sin and repentance, of punishment and purgatory. Always, despite the Old Testament intensity of his hallucinatory foes and paranoid visions, the common thread is that mankind, in his cruelty, predisposition towards violence and affliction of suffering against his fellow man, holds both the keys to his own damnation, and at the same time his own redemption.

GEHENNA - Unravel (2014, Indie Recordings)

When I've read reviews of Gehenna in the past, much is often made of their status as a 'second tier' band. They have been around (albeit with numerous personnel changes) since the days of the second wave, but are rarely spoken of in the same breath as their more illustrious countrymen. Earlier works toyed with symphonic stylings, although in truth they could never quite lay claim to the micro-genre like, for example, Emperor with In The Nightside Eclipse. Later on, death metal increasingly became part of their sound. There tends to be long gaps between records for Gehenna, and maybe this accounts for the shift in style on Unravel compared to previous full length WW. Whereas that record, powered by a typically austere display of blasting from Frost, marked a reduction in the death metal element of their sound, Unravel moves further away again from their mid-period style, toward a pure black metal which instantly reminded me of Ondskapt's Dödens Evangelium.

The adornments of the earlier records are virtually non-existent on Unravel. This is black metal in a very pure state, just the vocals, drums and guitars, with a nicely balanced warm and granular sound, sufficiently earthen in tone and not particularly heavy on the treble. The pace tends toward a bustling mid range in terms of speed, with the drums placed more sympathetically in the mix compared to WW. Overall I really like the balance of the components, and Sanrabb's vocals, which tend toward a harsh yet abject bark, offer a nice bridge between the warmth of the guitars and the slightly muted percussion.

After a brief and nicely minimal piano based opening, the guitars practically sigh into life on The Decision, in such a way which reflects the almost world weary, forlorn atmosphere that permeates the music. The tendency toward holding back rather than spewing forth is a constant theme, and really aids the listening experience of the album as a whole. I love fiery black metal like Immortal, or 1349, but sometimes it is great to hear a record which does not attempt to invoke fire and thunder, but instead aims for a sepulchral, ashen tone. At times, Gehenna slow proceedings to a doomy morass, such as with A Grave Of Thoughts and closing track Death Enters. I say 'doomy', but they resist the temptation to emulate the likes of Faustcoven and entwine genuine doom within the black metal. Instead these tracks are still very much still black metal, but reduced to a despondent, syrupy trudge. These slower pieces are well judged and offer a nice counterpoint to the tempo throughout the rest of the album.

This album represents a fairly high standard of mature, mid paced black metal that invokes a deathly and abject mood, with nice changes of pace and a well balanced mix. In criticism it might seem a little one paced at times, but this is offset by songs being generally trimmed to a good length. The playing is of a good standard as you'd expect from experienced musicians in this genre. Although there is nothing ground-breaking in terms of originality, Gehenna have made one of their most well rounded records for some years.

“Breathe

Fill Your lungs

and stagger on

into a thick black ocean” (Nothing Deserves Worship).

80%

BURZUM - The Ways Of Lore (2014, Byelobog Productions)

In all honesty, this record should not be getting a review on Metal Archives. The reason why is obvious - it isn't metal. However I have decided to take the opportunity to post my thoughts, and therefore hopefully counterbalance the somewhat unwarranted exposure this record will get within the realm of ambient electronica. 

First up, I'd like to state that this is not an offensively bad record by any means. There are some good moments on here, especially Autumn Leaves, in which the gently cosmic keyboard tones are augmented by a simple yet evocative acoustic guitar and bass pattern, and then later with one of the rare examples of distorted guitar utilised on the record. This augmentation works well because it draws the ear away from the silence behind the sparse rhythms which infuses the record. So many of the tracks suffer because dynamically speaking, they offer little, while musically speaking their reductionism draws attention to the fact that what is on show is often just not very interesting. 

Vikernes' prison material Dauði Baldrs saw primitive keyboard work allied to the occasional equally primitive percussive element. While his early explorations in this new style were restricted in scope for obvious reasons, in the intervening years there has been a disappointing lack of progress in his electronic work. The keyboard elements are more polished and evocative of a 'cosmic' atmosphere, but are noticeably simple and fairly repetitive. These loops of more atmospheric synth are joined with simple piano-like tones in a format which is repeated more or less for the entirely of the record. Again, pleasant enough but not that interesting. 

One of the weak points of the record are the vocals of Varg. On Heil Odinn he produces a murmured attempt at singing that, while raw and honest enough, demonstrates a lack of melodious quality and strength that reduces its impact. On Lady In The Lake, he tries a spoken type of vocal style. Again, for all his many qualities, I don't believe his spoken voice , which is given a kind of hand-over-the-mouth muffled treatment, is particularly compelling. The Coming Of Ettins begins with the already familiar swathes of cosmic keyboard, before more chatter from Varg. Once again, these hushed tones are muffled in an inexpert fashion and placed in the mix in an uninteresting way. Simply put I just didn't find the style he adopts adds anything to the sense of mythic lore he is attempting to capture. The Reckoning Of Man follows this template once more - keyboard nurdle and spacey synths, the Count speaking another passage in English. At least he uses a tiny bit of reverb effect this time. If there is any great poetry to his lyrics I cannot say, for I found the spoken word fairly hard to follow. On Heil Freya we are once again 'treated' to Vikernes singing, as he attempts to introduce a ritualistic quality to proceedings. His singing is once again fairly tuneless and uninspiring. Ek Fellr (I Am Falling) is another opportunity to showcase his somewhat tremulous warblings. I admire him for attempting to introduce this element but unfortunately his lack of tunefulness acts as a barrier to the attempt to evoke a sacred, ritual atmosphere.

In summary I'd say that although there are some nice moments of contemplative ambience, and Varg certainly has a reverence for the material which shines through, the repetitive dynamic and predictability of the record makes it unlikely to be one which I revisit too often. Most of the tracks follow a formula that relies heavily upon the swathes of spacey keyboard, which unfortunately start to sound very similar to one another, thereby reducing their impact in invoking a dreamlike atmosphere. I'd like to have heard more of the acoustic guitar which works so well on Autumn Leaves. He has obviously improved his playing no end over the years and I think greater use of the guitar would take some of the emphasis away from the keyboards which become rather boring by the final track. The greatest failing though is with the vocals, as mentioned at great length here. Simply put they are not strong enough to warrant such prominence within such a sparse sound field, and the man cannot sing to a degree that makes him compelling. If he had managed to find another person to sing many of these tracks would have been improved greatly, and he could have concentrated upon expanding the atmospheric element of his work. 

So there's some hope Vikernes may eventually come to fully realise his atmospheric vision, but this record, while an honest attempt, will only garner interest because of the use of the Burzum moniker, and not because it stands out in the densely populated field of dark ambient electronica. Anyone wishing to hear a superbly realised example of ethno-ambient soundscapes could do worse than checking out the solo work of Karl Sanders.

IMPETUOUS RITUAL - Unholy Congregation Of Hypocritical Ambivalence (2014, Profound Lore Records)

‘Play it loud’ might sound like a trite suggestion in the world of death metal. Yet to all those saddos (like me) who are unable to blast the latest offerings on a quality home system, the humble headphone must become the medium with which to absorb their music of choice. If you are a headphone wearer about to listen to Impetuous Ritual’s recent release ‘Unholy Congregation Of Hypocritical Ambivalence’, then as I said at the beginning of this review; turn it up - as loud as you can take it…

The reason for this became clear to me on the third listen of this record. I absolutely loved these Australian’s debut ‘Relentless Execution Of Ceremonial Excrescence’, and had been eagerly awaiting the follow up for much of the last four years or so. After the first listen, it was obvious that while retaining all the key elements of that debut - namely the clangour and clamour of bestial war metal of death and a dirge-heavy expression of unrelenting, cavernous doom – that rather than invigorate or brighten the overall aesthetic as bands often choose to do (see the latest Portal for an example), Impetuous Ritual had instead taken their cue from their other project, Grave Upheaval, and shrunk further back into the tar-black immensity of the underground realm from where they draw the wellspring of their inspiration.

There are some out there who will listen to this and find it all a bit much. Fuck them. The secret is to turn the volume up loud enough so that you are truly immersed in the reverberating, thunderous sound field, which, far from being ‘badly produced’ or ‘lo-fi’, is actually a carefully realised and perfectly balanced sonic miasma that, rather than meekly stepping toward, you need to let yourself fall into. Once you locate your bearings in this tumult, allow the vicious, barbaric and dismal ritual to pound away at your psyche. The booming bass drum, which tends to be utilised in black metal rather more than death (in my experience), swells ominously across the vast cavern (for surely this spewed forth from a subterranean realm) in which Impetuous Ritual invoke the savage torments of this most atavistic of death metal expressions.

Going through the album track by track is fairly meaningless – here and there the lumbering doom or blasting sections are pierced by tortured shred or swelling reverberating drones, and the vocal styles range from cadaver-priest chants to occasional horrific shrieks as heard in ‘Inservitude of Asynchronous Duality’. But while tracks are distinguished by their own dynamics, the album works best when experienced as one long immersive trawl through a battle-scarred, charred and smoking landscape where graves burst open and the undead rise to the exhortations of unholy necromancy. Well that was my impression…suffice it to say that devotees of earlier Incantation, Portal, Grave Miasma, Abruptum, Encoffination and the like, will find this a richly rewarding listen which, for myself at least, draws me ever further into its black heart upon repeated listening.

Just turn it up. LOUD

85%

MELEKTAUS - Transcendence Through Ethereal Scourge (2004, Grotesque Productions)

There's a whole lot of noise out there in regard to internet file sharing. Well this review is testament to what happens when the interweb/music connection really works. To put it simply, download band x, listen to band x, band x absolutely slays, go to website x and buy cd of said band. Without file sharing there's a great deal of music I wouldn't have been able to hear. Discovering new music, such as the 2004 album Transcendence Through Eternal Scourge, is a life passion. When it is as good as this slab of ferocity, I praise the wonder of the information superhighway and spend my money on a product of the band's. How can that be a bad thing?

Oh, the review...well I mentioned the sheer ferocity of the album. In a world full of bands who blast it takes something stupendous to stand out. What Melektaus achieve here is a level of unrelenting viciousness, propelled by a snare drum which almost literally slices, and a kickdrum which pummels to perfection. Production on the whole is spot-on, Melektaus refreshingly choose a sound which allows each instrument to be heard with clarity without sacrificing the requisite rawness. A nice change from the current wave of almost miasmic death metal, such as Impetuous Ritual, Portal and Encoffination, who bury their discord in shrouds of lo-fidelity and feedback. Not that I don't love that sound, but in this instance it is great to hear each component clear from the grave's choking influence. The vocals lack variation but are pretty balanced within the mix, and are not overused or over-emphasised so as to detract from the music.

Melektaus' devotion to razor sharp grinding death is occasionally pared back to reveal, often through doomier sections, a hint of the epic grandiosity of Nile or Behemoth. But where those bands often move beyond traditional death metal structures, using keyboards and ancient instrumentation to hint at an archaic time of war and conquest, Melektaus do not stray beyond the traditional guitar/drums/bass sound. It's actually a relief to hear so focussed an aural assault - no need for any filigree here, this music expresses itself through a barely controlled violence that occasionally reminds of the straightforward savagery of vintage Slayer.

As I said, this made such an impression I literally went straight online and purchased a copy. So picking out highlights is difficult, but suffice it to say that the sheer quality of the work here means that attention never wavers. There is a surgeon's precision at work here, but with the threat of butchery ever apparent. Anyone who has heard Dominus Xul will recognise the roots of Melektaus' brutality, but without the more primitive sonic approach. I was often reminded of Impetuous Ritual's use of twin guitar discordance and as mentioned the short doom passages hint at Nile. However none of those bands utilise quite the same levels of hyper-speed intensity. Comparisons in this regard take me to more black metal oriented acts such as 1349 or Sammath.

Overall, if any of the bands referenced in this review appeal, Transcendence Through Eternal Scourge will doubtless resonate. If you haven't heard any of the bands above, but the thought of vicious, blasting and sinister death metal that hints at the epic but never waivers from brutal concision appeals, then this unheralded classic surely deserves some of your time. 

PORTAL Swarth (2009, Profound Lore Records)

The elusive pursuit of the truly original is something that binds much modern music, and death metal, for all it's supposed extremities, perversities and anti-mainstream posturing, is no less bound to all too common forms and modes. Thank the multifarious Dark Lords then, for Australia's Portal. It's Death Metal Jim, but not (quite) as we know it...

This is album number three for the faceless ones, and despite a somewhat 'improved' sonic fidelity, this remains a dense, churning, cacophonous maelstrom of a record that ticks the same boxes as previous full lengths 'Outre' and 'Seepia'. Themes of cryptic Lovecraftian menace combined with crawling, creeping passages, skittering drums like miniature tornados; riffs of technical yet unconventional atonal savagery; roaring vocals lurking in the mix courtesy of the grandfather clock-headed Curator. There are a couple of moments where hideous bastardized travesties of melody rear their heads, like deformed children's songs ('Writhen' and the album highlight 'Omenknow'), and there seems to be less of the 'black ambience' that characterized their previous outing. Essentially what Portak have done on 'Swarth' is to 'streamline' their sound, to refine their ghoulish outre. Whether they eventually make the leap into truly uncharted territory, melding their horror-drenched crawl with some new stygian dynamic, remains to be seen. But for now, no-one out there sounds quite like them.

85%

RESIDUAL ECHOES s/t (2005, Holy Mountain)

If you're a fan of overblown druggy chaos in music, whether it's Acid Mothers Temple, and the overwhelming sound of Kawabata's guitar-Overlord overload; or the reverb 'n' echo laden narcotised dub-noise stomp of Terminal Cheesecake; or the righteous holler of prime Comets On Fire; or hell even the dirgey lo-fi wierdness of Twin Infinitives era Royal Trux - if that kinda stuff takes yr fancy then Californians Residual Echoes' self-titled debut WILL rock your dirty little head full of smoke-addled synapses.

Things proceed with a Fuck Buttons-esque pulsing and some radio-sounding chatter, before a clattering of drums lurch and tumble before gradually forming into a coherent driving rhythm, around which forms clusters of various bleeps and squeals... tension and release as the drums settle into a steady snare bash... the riff emerges from the soup, the vocals are all yelp and slur, the band sounds like it's playing in a giant biscuit tin somewhere deep unnerground...about half way in and we've calmed down to a lazy, watery jam, frazzled quasi blues, bubbling and buzzing along, before the final passage returns to more sonic maelstrom. Screaming distorted wind instrumentation and random crackles and pops see out the first number, and it should be obvious to anyone in the know by now where this here ride is going to take us.

The album continues in this vein; ultra lo-fi basement noodlings, interludes of Kosmische style drone, frantic drums, storming passages of scuzzy flanged and phased psyche-stomp erupting from the murk. Vocals indistinct and unfathomable. Space-blues-noise improv. This bunch really know how to lock down a groove when they need to pull some form out of the roiling mass though, and boy are they having a ball doing it.

A must for fans of the above, and anyone who likes the idea of throwing Midnite Snake and Cave into some kind of sonic blender and snorting the results.

90%