Vole & Brünner Todesmarsch – Decline of Eastern Civilization (EP split 2023)
by Tom/EZR
Hysterical kid in the kitchen breaking stuff, two older brothers laughing at him and stealing food from each other’s plates. Me locked in a bedroom enjoying my heavy antihistamine trip after 4th day of biscuits and black tea allergy elimination diet. Swollen body itching and cell phone franticly beeps with every new work escalation message. Another sleepless night coming, gotta be ready but before then let’s use 30 minutes of my nervous breakdown to do something useless.
I am searching through my recently purchased vinyls and MC tapes, looking for something that accurately reflects the state of my current existence and I pick up the 12”EP split by Czech punk/crust bands Vole and Brünner Todesmarsch. I am starting with Vole who contributed on this split with 4 angry tracks. Vole play fast punk based on dominant bass riffs and screams that are accompanied with distorted guitars and blasting beats. When listening how guitar complements the bass it’s obvious that these are no random riffs but thoughtful compositions. What’s even more obvious is that these guys know their craft and are skilled musicians with many years of drill in Prague UG punk and metal bands. The sound is tight, no space for mistakes. I can relate to lyrics “I am paying only more / Yet my dreams / I can barely see” Lovec práce (Chasing work), “People are sickening / Beat them, beat them, beat them” Chcípni (Drop dead) which captivates me with its guitar solo or “I hate your band, hating themselves / Just kick me already / I don’t deserve to live” Pro všechny co jsem urazil (For all those I’ve offended) which has a truly beautiful gradation/fade-out at the end. Ty vole, this band rocks from another level not just in their live shows but on the records as well.
Kid in the other room still screaming … “no TV today” the wife announces, and all hell turns loose. I increase the volume and switch to Brünner Todesmarsch – fast grindcore with d-beat rhythms. Boy, this is fast stuff – three accords, bass and guitar playing unisono riffs, drums blasting, vocals are spoken in a very phrased fashion accompanied with growls and screams not only by the male vocalist Miruus but also by Kremace – female vocalist known from sludge/stoner Brno based bands Slať and Nikander (I am wondering if I should also give credit to my kid screaming in the other room contributing to the overall vocal experience but I am deciding not to). Lyrics of Brünner Todesmarsch are social, delivering the message about meaninglessness of an individual existence. Since I haven’t eaten in four days, I can relate to that message better. This music rips and kicks, there’s no time for relax. “You’re just a number too / You’re a cliché like in a punk song.” Povstání uvnitř i vně (Rebellion inside and out” is the last track that closes with a short outro.
The album is over but what is this? Feeling of meaninglessness persists. I found myself living in a punk/grindcore reality. I went from obliteration to enslavement, saw living Frankenchrist and then went back again. Or are these bands creating an artistic vision of the world so accurate that I fluently move from music on/off and vice versa without any difference? I suppose that’s the case. Thank you Vole and Brünner Todesmarsch for composing a symphony to my reality of this week. Something I can relate to, knowing I am not alone in this. 6 more days of black tea and biscuits. I am just a number and I am ready.
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Older articles about Vole & Brünner Todesmarsch at Jablká blog ...
Review#10 Vole - Tohle není prdel (2022-Jan)
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