The origins of Industrial Puke go back to 2017 when they were formed by guitarist/vocalist Jens Ekelin (Rentokiller), who commented in a recent interview that “it took a while gathering the right members,” those being initially vocalist Linus Jägerskog (Burst) and guitarist Marko Partanen (Rentokiller) with the line-up finally completed by Mattias Rasmusson on drums (Obstruktion/Blessings/Gust) and Erik Harald (Rentokiller) covering bass. The result is Born Into The Twisting Rope.
Industrial Puke – Born Into The Twisting Rope (Suicide Records)
Release Date: 12 May 2023
Words: Jools Green
The aim was to “focus on creating short good songs and focusing on good direct riffs and direct expressions of anger,” Jens said, “but wanting it to be simple, in a way.” I think they have met their remit with this short, sharp, and to-the-point album.
Born Into The Twisting Rope is a ten track twenty-two-minute offering that melds their collective influences from their hometown Gothenburg, the Swedish Hardcore and Death Metal scenes, as well as the furious energy of acts like Disrupt, Kontrovers, Drop Dead and Napalm Death.
Described as “classic Scandinavian American Crustcore” by vocalist Linus this album includes the four tracks from their debut EP, 2022’s Where Life Crisis Starts, along with their first single, also from 2022, Mental Taxation. Apparently, they had many more than ten tracks written to choose from, but these were felt collectively by the band to be the “most fitting” whilst “keeping it fun.”
The album lyrics deal with issues of self-doubt and conservatism as the new black and feeling out of place in crowds and out of touch with the world, all unleashed under the sheer force of a combined blast of Death Metal, Hardcore and Crust Punk energy. It’s an excitingly lethal combination, opening with that first single, which launched them into the scene, Mental Taxation. After a short sinister Death Metal-inspired intro, this springs forth as a galloping beast that goes straight for the jugular.
Next up is the compact Banished, which starts off with a lovely crunchy crusty rhythm, but rapidly becomes an all-out, high-speed, full-energy frontal assault on the senses, paring back to a groovier feel towards the close. It packs an impressive amount of content for just under two minutes.
Constant Pressure rips forth with a very engaging d-beat drive and crunchy undercurrent. It’s hugely engaging, with a mid-point fall away that rapidly builds again, punching its way up to a full-tilt pace where the complexity focuses on the phrasing rather than the riffing, which I like.
Reactionary Warfare is another d-beat gem, of which the live video below, taken from their debut show, gives a real perspective of their live energy. A track they describe as “a mid-tempo Napalm Death-esque mosh about conservative stalemate strategy to wage war on evolution.” The Napalm Death influence is noticeable in the riffing whilst still being inventively Industrial Puke at the core.
The self-named track Industrial Puke is a short sharp eighty-second blast, followed by the Death Metal onslaught Hell Is In Hello, with its searing first-half leadwork.
Bursting forth from a sinister intro, the high-velocity crust offering Neurosexist Motherfucker, features vocals by Hanna Stjernlöf of Socialstyrelsen, adding an extra dimension as well as emphasising a point, the track sticks a finger up to all those who claim that “there are fixed differences between female and male brains, which they believe can explain women’s inferiority or unsuitability for certain roles.” This track sits close to my heart as a proudly non-stereotypical female. It has great lyrical content and is an absolute beast of a track.
Another beast of a track is the next piece, General Gluttony. At over three minutes duration, it boasts a superb death groove. It’s crunchy but groovy and catchy as hell, and the shouty style vocals, featured here and across the release, make a great contrast in this particular instance.
This is followed by the very short sharp shock, Cleaning (And Awaiting Death), and finally, Innards On The Outside, which leans towards a heavy but Melodic Death Metal style to open, rapidly turning into a raging torrent of riffs with crushing drops. It’s engagingly complex but not overcomplicated.
If you like something a bit crusty that packs a punch, then Born Into The Twisting Rope is definitely worth investing twenty-two minutes of your time on. Still, you’ll probably want to invest more because it’s an exhilarating and addictive listen.
Born Into The Twisting Rope is available as a limited edition 12″ Gatefold Black/Red Swirl Vinyl, CD or digital download from here.
