Filthy Music Review - 'The Body: Master, We Perish'

The Body – Master, We Perish (2013)

At a Loss Recordings

Review by Jude Felton

The Body creates beautifully ugly music, a low-fi doom that reeks of pure nihilism and hatred. It’s a murder scene caught in audio form and on this relatively short EP (18mins) they are intent on taking the listener on a soul-destroying journey.

They do warn us though, it’s not like they suddenly spring this carnage upon us. The Ebb and Flow of Tides in a Sea of Ash starts things off, and is the shortest track hear. An air-raid siren fills the air and crushing distorted sounds fill the air. Screams can be heard. This is going to get fucking ugly.

The Blessed Lay Down and Writhe in Agony starts off mercifully enough with quiet guitar sounds and an ethereal female voice, a sampled voice lurks in the background. Ah, so things aren’t so bad after all, are they? You are wrong, very wrong, as the screams start and a shotgun blast fills the air. Welcome to hell, my friend, I hope you enjoy your stay. It is here that The Body slow things right down and punish the listener, with distorted aural pain.

By the time Master, We Perish reaches its climatic track, Worship, which is an epic 9 minutes; you’ll probably already be beaten into submission. Well, I’m afraid that The Body is going to beat you even further. Tribal drums are a precursor to tormented feedback, sound loops and more punishing guitar work.

With Master, We Perish, The Body, which consists of Lee Buford and Chip King, have created a musical journey of suffering and pain. To pigeon-hole it into a single genre would be fruitless. I mentioned that it was low-fi doom earlier, and you could indeed say that, but it is really just a brutally stark musical beat-down. Emotionally draining and violent to its very core, Master, We Perish is an absolute colossus of an EP and one that is quite outstanding.

Track List:

1. The Ebb And Flow Of Tides In A Sea Of Ash
2. The Blessed Lay Down And Writhe In Agony
3. Worship

Master, We Perish is released on April 30th by At a Loss Recordings. It will be available on 12" EP, CD, Cassette and Digital.