September was another month of limited activity purely due to life, work and the universe getting in the way. I had planned for this review to round things out yesterday but what can you do! ‘Merentap Sayap Malaikat’ opens Ritma in surprising fashion, as it’s intro sounds more akin to what you’d hear in a doctor’s waiting room. That boring image is banished soon after though by layers of rabid percussion and bass, melodic/atmospheric guitars and screeching vocals.
‘Burden By Beauty’ is more laid back and introspective for the most part, as Piri Reis temper their emoviolence with sombre post-hardcore and even some metallic/metalcore-esque touches. Frenzied outbursts of chaos are not far behind though, as the closing bars show. ‘Pusara Atas Langit’ follows with an intro of plane noise and guitars buzzing into life before things hit that high gear again. It’s not all emoviolence and madness though, as Piri Reis again use gentler vocals and instrumentation throughout. Kind of reminds a bit of Rolo Tomassi.
The excellently titled ‘Heimlich Manoeuvre Tiger Suplex’ goers for a straight-up rock/post-hardcore sound instrumentally, which doesn’t build along with the intense vocals until much later on in the song. It’s very real and oddly gut-wrenching all the same. After a few songs that have seemed more expansive, Piri Reis begin to dip back into more explosive surroundings on ‘Cigarette For An Actor’. The way they craft their music, allowing everything to work together and to exist in it’s own space is excellent.
The sampled intro on ‘All Is Well, Mr. Hildebrandt’ is hilarious (though I feel slightly guilty for saying so). It leads to another song of many faces; from post-punk riffs to blasting drums, groovy bass and raging screams. It has everything and has that song-of-the-album feel too. ‘Arsitektur Yang Gagal’ is very much a blink and you’ll miss it piece, as it flies majestically through ninety seconds of stark screamo.
This album’s great and thankfully there are still a few songs to go. ‘Curse on Pasumpahan Island’ gently ushers you in with spoken-word vocals and lightly plucked guitars before it descends into chaos once again. The lyrics are what really leap out at you here. You’ll understand what I mean when you listen to it. Penultimate song ‘Berkelana ke Kelana Jaya’ makes you want to dance (or maybe it’s just me!). The rhythms just have that aura but the rest of the band has other ideas once again, pivoting back in a more familiar direction.
Closing Ritma with ‘Untuk Kimi’, Piri Reis call time on their only full-length to date in gloriously distorted fashion. Just guitars, subtle feedback/white noise and minimalist vocals/samples cleanse the ears, leaving you feeling very uplifted. It’s emotional in the best way. It reminds me that I need to spend more time with the records I own, as the more I inevitably buy (it’s becoming a proper habit), the harder it is to choose one to put on.
Stream and grab the album digitally from Piri Reis below, where tape and cd copies are also still available in limited quantities:-
You can also purchase Ritma on various formats below:-
Longlegslongarms - http://longlegslongarms.jp/music/products/
Memori Records - https://memorirecords.bandcamp.com/album/mr-002-piri-reis-ritma
Moment Of Collapse Records - https://shop.momentofcollapse.com/collections/piri-reis
Polar Summer - https://polarxsummer.bandcamp.com/album/ritma
React With Protest - http://www.reactwithprotest.org/store.php
Shove Records - https://shoverec.bandcamp.com/album/ritma
Slow Down Records - https://slowdownrecords.bandcamp.com/album/sdr-31-piri-reis-ritma
Zegema Beach Records - CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases / USA - https://zbrusa.com/collections/zbr-releases
Framecode Records - https://www.facebook.com/framecoderecords
Longlegslongarms - https://www.facebook.com/3LAdisc
Moment Of Collapse Records - https://www.facebook.com/momentofcollapse
Shove Records - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100062967532917
Slow Down Records - https://www.instagram.com/slow.down.records/?igshid=ZDdkNTZiNTM%3D
Smoothie Records - https://www.instagram.com/smoothie_recs/?hl=en
Utarid Tapes - https://www.facebook.com/utaridtapes
Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords
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