Take As Needed For Pain
A deep sense of unease creeps in almost immediately as Rongeur waste exactly no time in setting the mood for their bleak and edgy sludge rock clamour. The Norwegian trio can otherwise be found occupying positions in some very different bands (most notably Trollfest), but the collection of songs here represents a distinct and favourable change of scenery.
The Catastrophist & As The Blind Strive essentially compiles tracks from their first two demos, providing them with a much-deserved CD release and some new artwork to boot. The first four tracks (taken from their 2014 demo As The Blind Strive) lie somewhere within the austere musical landscapes of the post-metal netherworld and the groove-heavy thrum of upbeat, raucous sludge rock; the likes of brazen opener Lying Bastard Whore and Traitors proving that the band set themselves no rules or boundaries when crafting their barren world. Their sound is slightly quirky and off-beat; a sound heightened through all three members contributing various levels of vocal nastiness amidst Jostein's impressively creative drumming and guitarist Ken-Robert's intense rhythmic shifting.
The final three tracks are pulled from the slightly earlier demo (2013's Catastrophist) and immediately there's a change in sound, announced by muddier production values and a more Kyuss-inspired, riff-centric outlook; the Fudge Tunnel drawl of It's A Given highlighting the gigantic sludge groove and songwriting capabilities of this band more than adequately. Le Rocher Aux Singes takes the desolate, pounding backbone of Neurosis and twists it around the unrelenting, down-tuned pain of Eyehategod before In Inceptum Finis Est ends the collection with a huge slice of rowdy, Melvins-inspired sludge metal.
The Catastrophist tracks embody a more barefaced riff-fest, but it's ultimately the slightly newer material taken from As The Blind Strive that genuinely impresses with its forward thinking structures and stronger sense of identity. Both demos are impressive however, and this release serves primarily to reiterate Rongeur's sturdy foundations as well as providing a wake-up call for those who missed the original releases the first time around. The progression can already be heard between the two demos despite them being recorded barely a year apart, yet all facets of the band on display here feel integral to their sound. Rongeur are clearly at ease with their lack of boundaries, and if their key intention was to, "create loud and heavy music", they've certainly achieved their goal.