Noxagt are a drastic brutalist Norwegian trio who play hardcore metalstripped to the rawest basic uncompromising sludged out skullfuck.Forget all that emotoyboy shouting and cod-operatic yodeling that getsin the way of many an act, these dudes have binned that along with allthose silly posturing guitar solos. Actually they've binned the wholedamn guitar, with Kjetil D. Brandsdal's black-as-winter-molassesdowntuned bass taking centre stage in a thick distorted viola bolstereddroning stew of head banging inebriation. They call it Nor-Wave and youcan too if you need to pin a fairly meaningless hook in it. If you haveeven the barest basest interest in hardcore that pushes back theboundaries of instrumentation and density then Noxagt will make you onehappy brain-melted monkey. They've been perhaps curiously compared toShellac and while the two bands have very different modes of onslaught,there is perhaps a similar questing intelligence underlying their pushand shove. Viola player Nils Erga does also manage to coax some neatsqueals and screeching scrunch-noise from his four-strings that mightbring a smile to Steve Albini's face. Maybe a better comparison wouldbe Flying Luttenbachers slowed down and buried alive? Drummer Jan Kyvikkeeps the rhythms hard, pounding and unrelenting, like some disgruntledelephant with a bee on its tail, only a lot more precise. They up theadrenalin levels a little towards the end, with buried screams pulling"Swarm" buzzing and babbling to cathartic abandon. The final track "Webof Sin" is so relentlessly ominous it could bring on a whole shedloadof apocalyptic aping. Noxagt have just begun a tour of the UK and thedates are at the Load site, as is an MP3 of the second track "CupidShot Me," which paints a fairly representative picture of the albumoverall. If you come to the Manchester gig on Wednesday 7th say helloas I'll probably be on the door. Read More
