ZLURAD - For The Good Of Evil
Most music tries to adhere to a certain genre, but then there are those bands or collectives that just do their very own thing, without caring about any conventions. Zlurad, which according to Google Translate means spiteful in the Croatian language, are actually a band from Russia. The foundation of their music, if you dare call it music, is drums and bass guitars, with several people screaming all over it, and some guy who can’t really play the trumpet playing the trumpet.
Their album For The Good Of Evil contains eight songs. Four of these are short outbursts of noise, always below two minutes, two songs have more normal lengths of about three to four minutes, and then there are two more expansive pieces running between eight and ten minutes, making for a good half hour of ear-shattering noise.
How would describe these sounds? Power violence comes to mind, but also free jazz, with some experimental noise constructs thrown in for good measure. Looking at the photos of their live shows, Zlurad seem to be a fun bunch on stage, giving me the impression that their routine is some kind of nihilist Dada stage performance. I have been listening to the album several times now, and although half of what they do seems improvised, there are some intriguing parts, especially during the long tracks that feel as if a narrative has been inserted into the music. It’s also on their long songs where they don’t always act in hyperspeed, but allow for electronic effects, probably from the pedal board, and atonal singing to add depth to their music. Those moments, it feels as if Jello Biafra’s more daring bands, like Tumor Circus or Lard, trying to emulate the psychedelic jazz sounds of Soft Machine circa 1970, or maybe like a Russian outlier of Japanese noise rock band Boredoms with their inimitable vocalist Yamantaka Eye.
I did enjoy For The Good Of Evil more than I expected, but also have to concede that it’s a very taxing listening experience. Also forgive me for not naming any songs, but everything here, from band name to album and song titles, are written in the Cyrillic alphabet, and in the end, this short album works best when heard in a single go. If you can imagine a sonic universe that has been birthed from power violence and free jazz parents, by all means, give it a go. If you like harmonies in your music, you’re definitely not among the target audience.