Review: “Hiljaisuus” by Mustasuo

Two years after we reviewed their sophomore album “Katharsis” which they recorded with Keijo Niinimaa (Vomiturition, Goatburner, Morbid Evils) who also handled mixing duties before the record was passed over to Brad Boatright (Leeched, Integrity, Gatecreeper) at Audiosiege for mastering, Finnish Blackened Crust trio Mustasuo have returned once more to bring plague and pestilence to these lands. Formed in 2015 in Oulu, Finland and named after a local city district (“black swamp“), 2016 saw the release of their debut full-length “7” and a split seven-inch with Napalm Ted before sophomore album “Katharsis” was released in 2020. But the years have taken there toll and while the line-up playing on the album is Antti Saarilampi (guitar/vocals), Tomi Luimula (drums) and Christopher Livingstone (bass/vocals) with a number of guests from bands including Revulsion, Will Cope, Bonehunter and Tunkio, after the recording Livingstone exited stage left and has subsequently been replaced by Otto Joki from the band Nistikko.

Anyone who has never listened to a foreign language album should consider being brave and taking the plunge because despite those words in foreign tongues, much like a foreign film, those albums still have an awful lot to offer and to sleep on them could well be to miss out. So we’ve translated the track titles to give a little insight into what it’s all about.  Short, razor sharp incendiary caustic abrasions with a play as fast as you can mentality is not the only thing that Mustasuo have to offer and so while cuts like “Aikamme on loppumassa” have shriller throat grating vocals, high octane Black Metal inspired percussive blasts and deliver a thrill a second, cuts like “Hiljaisuus I” offer a brief almost tribal drum pattern interlude to break up the restless and relentless nature of this Blackened Crust Punk beast. Then you have the left field Jazz infusions of “Huijaus” as things get slowed down a touch while you recover from the knuckle duster punch in the face of the previous cuts like a prize fighter getting washed down in the corner by a trainer. Following Mustasuo down the rabbit hole into Alice’s Wonderland the almost void gazing “Temppeli” then brings the slow crushing wave of destruction full circle sounding like it belongs on “To Dull The Blades Of Your Abuse” by Mancunians  Leeched. As with their last album, the spoken word is a specialism of Mustasuo and so “Tilkitsen sairaat soluni” sees them get haunting and eerie before giving us some Jazz flare before the headlong rush into the brain drilling quick and painful death of “Kulkutauti” which is classic Blackened Crust Punk at its finest. Imagine if you will a band like Mayhem playing Poison Idea covers for s**** and giggles in a dark, damp basement dwelling while sharing some firewater and you get the idea, Black Metal with elements of Crust Punk, Grindcore, Hardcore and Sludge Metal all wrapped up in a parcel that has been kicked around a warehouse a few times and then thrown over a fence by a carefree courier. But despite that raw and abrasive quality on the outside, underneath it all is a dark and mentally scarred narrative that has socially and politically aware notes [7/10]

Track listing

1. Levottomat kädet (“Restless Hands“)
2. Aikamme on loppumassa (“Our Time Is Running Out“)
3. Hiljaisuus I (“Silence I“)
4. Huijaus (“Hoax“)
5. Temppeli (“Temple“)
6. Loputon (“Endless“)
7. Tilkitsen sairaat soluni (“I’m tickling my sick cells“)
8. Kulkutauti (“Epidemic“)
9. Hiljaisuus II (“Silence II“)
10. Taas sataa (“It’s raining again“)
11. Ei/en (“No“)

Hiljaisuus” by Mustasuo is out 1st April 2022 via Off Records

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