Hailing from the Maryland underground comes Charisma Rat with their latest release, ISAR. Charisma Rat brings a backlog of releases varying from noisy and abrasive punk rock to more quaint and emotional lofi acoustic passages that feel like a blast back to the 90s alternative scene. With ISAR however, the rat has decided to go dark, embracing a raw lofi black metal tone that have captured many within the underground scene today. There’s elements of previous albums mixed in there, with some punk elements that always compliment well with black metal of this style, but there’s also a heavier emphasis on the lyrics, with striking and and harsh lyrics that compliment the cold atmosphere very well.
The album holds now punches, thrashing right from the start with ear piercing screams and thrashy blast beats that meld together with the crusty and heavily distorted guitars. The track later breaks down into a more mid-paced stomp, with Rowan Adams, the master rat behind this one-man act, belting out twisted lyrics of an almost perverted obsession with death of those who oppose the charisma of this rat. Each of the five tracks change pace and sound, with the following track being something more akin to a crust-punk or punk metal sound with the stompy d-beats and loose blast beats. They’re all great stand alone tracks, and only compliment one another when listened to as a whole album with how they flow into one another. The atmosphere is very much old-school. Cold, raw, unapologetic and authentic to the artist, it stands out among the many crusty-lofi black metal albums that seems to be churned out one after another these days, and this release is certainly a breath of fresh air with its creative songwriting, memorable riffs and melodies.
While the album only holds 5 tracks total, there are a couple to note, mainly the third track Slavers Facing the Judgement of Man and the opening track Kommen are the two that single themselves out for me. With Slavers Facing the Judgement of Man, the drumming is what captivates me the most. Wild drum fills that are as intense as they are creative, they really carry the track alongside the more simplistic yet memorable riffs that stay as a more melodic backdrop for the overall atmosphere that’s being pushed. The vocals, of course, are also incredibly strong, with a high-pitched screech that is so bestial like it makes you wonder if a human is even making them. As for Kommen, as stated before, it doesn’t hold back any punches, but I do love the vocals on that one the most. They’re bestial, yet melodic and the group vocals are a nice added touch that makes it a rather fun track to start out with and sets the tone perfectly for the rest of the album. That fun punk like sound is its strongest on the opening track, setting a blood-pumping pace for what’s to come.
The album as a whole though, does lean more to the ‘crust-punk’ sound more than anything in my opinion. While, the tracks are not short one minute write offs like most punk albums, these do have more meat and substance to them, but they don’t really strike me as a traditional black metal album, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing and more so shows Rowan’s musical background and how tight this album sounds. There’s always something I find charming with one-man acts and its the fact that there isn’t a whole band throwing in their ideas to water down the main sound and point that the album was trying to push. This truly feels like its Rowan’s brainchild and certainly fits in perfectly with the rest of the Charisma Rat discography. Give this album a listen if you’re a true fan of black metal and willing to break out of your traditional shell and willing to embrace something a little bit more punk. A strong recommendation for sure.