Absence

by

Dälek

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Dalek plays hip hop unlike any you've heard before. This is powerful stuff. Some of these tracks are the most dark and sinister sounding songs I've heard in a long time. Its actually heavier than most metal I've heard recently and they do this without playing metal guitar riffs. The whole album is great but the 3rd song, Culture for Dollars, is just immense. After listening to this on headphones the beats just seem to stick in my head forever.

This isn't as diverse as the previous album, Filthy Tongues, as the band focuses on a more consistent sound this time. Not necessarily a bad thing, just more consistent. There isn't as much of a tribal vibe to it and I didn't notice any tabla percussion like the other albums, but this record still features some weird interludes and soundscapes. Its tough to describe their sound. They basically create an atmosphere with a lot of dark tension that evolves around beats that are simple but are very deep and very heavy. It sounds like many of their sounds come from guitars that were recorded with delay and looping effects mixed with feedback that create a chaotic and trippy sound anchored nicely by the beats.

Also Dalek's vocals are powerful and they fit the music perfectly. Awesome lyrics too, not your typical commercial rap nonsense. If you like hard music and want something different then check out Dalek. I can't say enough about these last 2 albums they've released. I probably listen to them more than anything else I've picked up the last 2 years, and I hardly own any hip hop or rap albums.