It’s not every day when you get to write about your fellow countrymen over here – especially when the country in question is a rather small one – and what could possibly make the occasion even more merry than the fact that what you’re writing about is something rather phenomenal? Well, I for sure can’t think of anything on the spot.
RATS WILL FEAST are a Finnish experimental hardcore quartet from Jyväskylä, whose new album Hellhole will be released via Time To Kill Records on May 17, a.k.a this Friday, and together with the aforementioned we’re thrilled to jump the gun and be able to present to you this gripping endeavour ahead of its official street date today. Dig in from below and follow through for some further words about it;
While Finland is by no means a hole to be regarded when it comes to heavier music, it feels like a more recent phenomenon for smaller bands to break through the country’s borders, and I’m glad to see RATS WILL FEAST taking that step alongside other prominent acts from these woods. I’ve been following the act’s doings here and there after the release of their third album Scarcity back in 2019, and have always enjoyed myself with their shenanigans, whether it comes to listening to them idly at home or seeing them live at a rancid corner pub somewhere. Either way, I of course had to jump on this possibility to do what I can to ensue they don’t go unnoticed here.
On their fourth album Hellhole, RATS WILL FEAST exist on their most visceral form yet, and it’s easy to get lost wandering aimlessly somewhere in the labyrinthine song structures and emotionally impactful sonic landscapes. Make no mistake, there’s absolutely nothing aberrant on the material itself, as it’s incisive and clear-cut entity, more often than not meticulously crafted beyond the spectrum of human comprehension. The band had the following to summarize the record with;
‘We are thrilled and extremely proud to release our new album titled Hellhole through TimeTo Kill Records! On Hellhole, we were pushing the boundaries of what are capable of, treading onto new extreme frontiers of sound. Expect everything from crushing hardcore, ruthless aggression and hallucinatory chaos all the way to gloomy and melancholic post-rock. Immerse yourself in Hellhole‘s violent, explosive and cathartic psycho-electric chaos.‘
As apparent, Hellhole isn’t an easy album to confront and RATS WILL FEAST knows it really fucking well. This is made clear right from the overwhelmingly shrilling opener “Penetration”, and doesn’t really let go even after the last notes of the cathartic closer “Replacement” have died out. While the more vile end of the scope, such “None Fated” and “Goodbye John Wayne” stand out to me personally on each listen, I repeatedly notice that just when you think the cacophony of things has subsided, there’s plenty more serpentine twists and bursts of aural violence waiting around ever single corner. Just as the titular track exemplifies on the groove department while the penultimate, aerial breather “Tourmaline” showcases the more blatant post-rock vibes found here and there, you’ll notice each individual song also bears its own distinct character separate of the seamless entirety.
There’s a few more days left before RATS WILL FEAST unleash Hellhole to the gutters, so now would be a good time to put in those pre-orders as well as follow the band on Facebook and Instagram to stay on the pulse of things. After you’ve done all that, why don’t you take the album out for another spin, yeah?
