REVIEW: BIZARRE UPROAR - AMPUTAATIO (English)

The places Finnish noise act Bizarre Uproar is taken to, have proven to be a source of never-ending evolution and process. Starting out as a Noisecore outfit and then turning into a somewhat straight-forward Harsh Noise project with heavy use of metal junk, Pasi Markkula has since created a highly unique and filthy sound that made releases like “Purification” or the “Mother” trilogy the timeless classics they are today. The latest albums of BU “Perverse Bizarre Humiliation” and “Vihameditaatio” seem to have been dealing more with painful and piercing slowness and a more demented sound concept that was used as a soundtrack to the images of sexual perversion, blunt violence and genuine acts of coprophilia and BDSM carried out by the people (once) involved in the project that have always been such a huge part of the concept. After the aforementioned “Vihameditaatio”, the “Live Humiliation” CD and some exquisite visual releases on VHS and DVD, BU's next full-length “Amputaatio” is released. 

Consisting of two long tracks, “Amputaatio” mixes the new found virtues of Bizarre Uproar with old ones and can be seen as a further milestone in the project's history. As opposed to the minimalistic designs used in the latest albums, “Amputaatio”'s cover art belongs to the most beautiful and crafty ones ever to be seen on any release of BU's. As usual, very explicit pictures of fetishistic sexuality have been assembled into a crude collage, this time displaying women with sperm on their faces, amputees, mutilated and splayed open vaginas and further indecencies.

The first track “Amputaatio” introduces a deep, crunchy and dark-sounding, heavily delayed bass line similar to the ones known from previous tracks of the newer era. The murky sound is slow and droning, but there is a lot of violence and tension to be explored below the surface. As more subtle sounds and distant howls are introduced, the frequencies build up to a loose loop-like interaction which still leaves enough space for the filthy menace to flow freely. After the mood has been set, higher frequencies, some percussion work and more frantic vocals are layered on top, resulting in a mix of dark, muddy sickness and typical aggression in the vein of classic Bizarre Uproar and other Filth and Violence projects. Although the layering seems a tad more restricted and planned than it usually does, the result is intense and there is an aura of constant build-up. As “Amputaatio” reaches its climax, the sounds become more screechy, the vocals turn more distorted and chaotic and the atmosphere is that of pure degeneration and perversion, as was the case with albums like “Perverse Bizarre Humiliation”. 

This subtlety is brought to even higher levels on the second track “Raiskaa Afrikkaa II” which starts off with almost static darkness somewhat reminiscent of the previous album “Vihameditaatio”. Very slow and barely noticeable variations and a progressively deepening sound spice things up until the percussion, this time more upfront, come into action. As was the case with the first “Raiskaa Afrikkaa” track, the vocal work is aggressive, but pretty low in the mix, leaving more space for the rumbling bass and the percussion. The overall sound is deep and disturbing and, just like with the previous track, it builds up to a hateful climax.

Conclusion: “Amputaaatio” by Bizarre Uproar is a sickening beast. Aggression, distortion, structure and percussive elements are wisely adjusted and fit together nicely to form an album that is a new high for modern day BU. Especially the first track is pretty much perfect and sounds like mixture between the strongest moments of the last two albums put together and spiced up with the project's old filthiness and new craftsmanship. Bizarre Uproar has succeeded in redefining their style but still staying close to their unmistakable classic sound, once again!