Drowning in a sea of reverb, the first track from doctorshopper’s debut full length release hits hard. Massive in tone and heavy in weight, “Degeneration” is a slow, swirling descent into a world created by this group of artists from the south of LA. There’s not much that can be said for the band that hasn’t already been mentioned here – http://staging.cvltnation.com/doctorshopper-in-focus/ – suffice to say that this newest addition to the bands catalogue is a major step up. Blasting through ten tracks in less than thirty minutes, doctorshopper take everything from their demo and completely destroy it.
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Degenerate Utopia cassette cover by Veronika Volkov
Leaving behind the more black metal tinged nuances of the past, doctorshopper are fully embracing the crust and sludge aesthetics here. Rumbling bass lines, deep and powerful cut through screamed vocals and the harsh melodies of the punk scene. Interestingly, doctorshopper throw in a cover of the mighty Death In June’s – “All Alone In Her Nirvana.” Probably the most black metal sounding track on the album, they make this neo-folk classic their own. Di6 are legendary and it’s a strong willed group who feel they can take on such an iconic song. But take it on they do, and damn, does it work. Twisting the elements of the song and fusing them to the anatomy of a doctorshopper track is a stroke of mad genius.
Handwritten lyrics grace the inside booklet of the tape, seemingly scrawled on advice notes for withdrawal and for dealing with anxiety. It’s a small look into the world behind doctorshopper, behind the people that bring these songs of endurance and survival to life, and Degenerate Utopia is an exhausting half hour. Extreme lulls are countered by intense bursts of energy, often within the same track – “Anterograde Amnesia” being a prime example. Starting off low and reminiscent of Thou and perhaps even Down, it’s a terrifically slow build up – taking it’s sweet time to get to the jump off point of the initial verse. It’s a technique used throughout the record, but that’s not to say it’s overused. It fits completely within the mission statement of the band.
Considering they’re driven by influences outside of what would be considered normal and as talked about previously, substances play a large part in the creative process, it seems that song structure is a reflection of the persons involved. A reflection of the narcotics ingested just to get through the day. Most of us have absolutely no idea of how pain and illness can consume, let doctorshopper devour you.
Check out the album and download it here. You know it makes sense.
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