Nihilitia - Nihilist Militia

Holy Mother of Spit!

I’ve got this great idea. Let’s take three musicians with backgrounds so far away from each other, put them in a room, feed them a steady diet of negative energy from the likes of CNN, and see what happens. It’s already been done? They call themselves Nihilitia? Huh. Again, I’m late to my own party.

Waveriders, I have a dandy release here for you and I’m pretty damn certain that it’s flying under everyone’s radar. Nihilitia fuse aspects of noise rock, jazz, and metal into a seven song, half hour plus, frenzied listen. But don’t think that just because there’s this vast array of styles incorporated in just thirty minutes of music that Nihilist Militia is a disjointed, unlistenable piece of music. Oh no! This disc is amazingly cohesive and seamlessly flows from one song to the next, forcing the listener to simply flow with the barrage of sound blasting from the speakers. I fell in love with this one almost immediately, as I began to hear tones that I hadn’t heard in a long, long time. Throughout this album, there are sounds that remind me of the vastly underappreciated Die Kruezen, various aspects of the drone-y blues hardcore of Rollins Band, and the off time splendor of a band like Voivod. I’m telling you . . . there’s a lot going on here, but it works!

Initially, I thought that this was purely some hopped up modern punk album, but as I got into more and more, deeper into the layers of sound, I found something more akin to prog-rock, but nowhere near that synth’d out sounds of ELP or Yes. While spinning the opening track, “Shithouse,” and I heard that rumbling distorted bass with the discordant guitar screaming over the rhythm, I took a deep breath of surprise. This reminded me of that punk-y sound that Die Kruezen mastered on albums such as October File. Odd timed guitar rhythms with that dissonant, heavily distorted sound . . . off time drum patterns that make it almost impossible to dance to . . . vocals that could peel paint from the old ’71 Gremlin parked in your old barn. I was transported to a time in my simple youth of lying on my bed listening to music and reading comic books while my mother did my laundry. I was hooked! “Shithouse” rumbles and rolls through a number of shifting tempos, the three musicians feeding off of each other’s energy, creating wave after wave of emotional tension. The break around the three minute mark shows that aforementioned progressive bent as the music drops down to just the bass holding down the rhythm, the drums and guitar come in gradually, hitting those oh-so-perfect notes at that oh-so-perfect time to capture the best accent. The song then drifts into an instrumental outro, completely the progressive musical movement.

And, then for something completely different, Nihilitia change things up with “The One” by slowing the tempo way down and working more with melody verse straight ahead sense pummeling rock. The vocals of bassist Sara Hussain no longer strip automotive paint, but rather soothe the battered ear with more tranquil, airy, and melodically sustained notes. The high point of the song for me, although it could be considered a small detail, is the vocal interchange they work out for the chorus. Hussain’s beautiful melodic voice is accompanied by a strong male voice, creating a nice warmth and counterpoint. Yeah, it’s a minor thing, but it works so well that it takes the song from being a good and solid song to something much more intriguing and lasting in the minds eye. I also dig the Middle Eastern musical theme going on with the melody, but then again, I’ve always been a sucker for Middle Eastern sounds.

I could probably write a paragraph about every song on the disc, but I fear that I’d become more redundant than I already am. So, I’ll just say that “Lebanese Butcher” is another one of those fantastically tasteful instrumental, proggy-punk songs that reminds me, at times, of a sludge-y Voivod. It’s an absolutely amazing song filled with incredible textures and moving moods. However, it’s “Suppressant” that I feel best captures Nihilitia in that no man’s land of punk and prog. The vocals are laced with that venomous punk rock spit, shoving a blatant middle finger in your face, and basically telling us that Nihilitia will do what they want, when they want, and how they want. The attitude is captured perfectly and it can be felt, so much more important than simply being heard and ignored. I’m feeling the angst and rebellion, and I’m now forced into the natural reflex of fight or flight. I still haven’t decided what I’m gonna’ do, so odds are the band will simply run me over and leave my carcass for the carrion cleanup crew of the night. As for the music, it’s freaking all over the place. Addictively musical in its progressive flavor yet filled with all that metallic muscle to give it street cred. The prog-y sounds are best created by guitarist Chris Thomas as he attacks his six string from a place just left of center. He has a unique sound that pulls from his jazz background, but played in the confines of such an aggressive band, it comes off sounding like it’s from another planet. I’d compare the style to that of Andy Summers of The Police as he was all about the jazz, but played in a rock format. And, the whole song is powered along by drummer Brad Sheppard, who if he weren’t as adept at his instrument as he is, this thing would become an unraveled mass of messy sound. Phenomenal performance from all three musicians! We are not worthy and we bow in your presence.

I’ve had Nihilist Militia in and out of my CD player for the better part of three months, never quite knowing where it was going or why I was compelled to continue listening to it while I’ve had so much more music piling up behind it. Finally, it was one of those days where it just hit me. The sounds coalescing with the attitude, the textures weaving with the structure, the individual performances powering the overall composition . . . the whole thing finally clicked. Nihilitia could be considered a sleeper band in a lot of ways, especially for those who are stuck listening to one genre versus another. But I’ll tell y’all this, don’t let this one creep away without giving it some of your attention. As you’ve read if you’ve gotten this far, the music is as complex as anything else out there, but it’s filled with a heartfelt and honest emotion. Give it a few listens and then fall in love with it. Intelligent music with a punk rock energy. - Pope JTE

www.myspace.com/nihilitia

www.nihilitia.com