The Speed of Silence
Being that this band are from my local area, I’ve been following their progress for several years now. After two fantastic self-released EP’s, The Clauberg Opera have just released their first full length on Sound Devastation Records.

A three piece, using the pseudonyms ‘Mayhem’, ‘Sorry’ and ‘Monster’, the Clauberg Opera create a density of sound that an orchestra of musicians would be hard pushed to replicate. Blending cataclysms of noise, carefully constructed guitar parts and crashing, at times militant drums, Opera have produced something very unique and original that forges elements of Throbbing Gristle, Earth and Killing Joke into something completely refreshing.

You can’t help but draw comparisons to post-rock, with the gliding, delay drenched lead lines that emerge from the organised maelstrom within the tracks and draw you along, however this is a completely different animal altogether. Their Myspace defines them as ‘Alternative/Punk’ however you only have to listen to the opening section of first track ‘Follow the Casket’ to see this is a painfully simplified categorisation.

One particular standout track for me is ‘The Dying Hour’, a re-work of a track from their ‘Build The Abomination’ EP. This revised version benefits hugely from an extended intro of feedback and droning noise, which help both raise the momentum of the song then bring it to a near halt before the main section of the track explodes into being, illustrating similarities in my mind to Rob Crow’s Physics project. ‘Festen’ is the most conventional of the tracks, which from the onset appears to be a quiet, poppy acoustic track amongst the dark dissention of the rest of the album, however it is far from conventional, and the gentle acoustic guitar becomes awash with samples, oscillation and angry thrashes of guitar that dissolve into discordant wailing, creating the perfect end to a truly terrific debut album.

It’s fantastic to see a band like this emerging into a musical climate dominated by stagnant, NME championed pseudo indie bands. Opera aren’t trying to re-live the past, nor are they flogging the omnipresent post-punk dead horse. They do however deliver a unique slice of something wholly inventive.

The Plastic Ashtray
The Clauberg Opera are a Hull based band who’s influences range from The Cure, Killing Joke to Adam & The Ants. Their latest release ‘New Folk Devils’ is terrifying. The whole album creeks, like the stairs in a haunted house. I’m poised waiting, what’s behind me? The music they make could be a kind of post rock, yet it avoids the boring traditional routes (see Explosions In The Sky) and leads you into very strange territories. Right from the opening feedback of ‘Follow The Casket’ you realise this is something quite moving. The macabre sound of what seems to be guitar ends up like huge pieces of metal grinding against each other. This isn’t for kids who wear Fallout Boy hoodies.

There are references to make with Godspeed! You Black Emperor, they have a similar vibe, which is that music should be moving, experimental. And not just ‘look cool playing it’. However they do both so bleh! Weighing in at 9 minutes plus ‘Follow The Casket’ takes nearly four minutes to reveal what sounds to me, an out of tune bass then sludgy out of tune guitars. Brilliant.

‘The Dying Hour’ is also a 9 minute epic, however this song seems to have more melodies than atmospherics. It still begins with guitars like bomb blasts and sirens ringing through your ears. After 5 minutes the song shows a truly majestic echoing guitar sound and heavy cymbal crashes.
‘The English Disease’ is the shortest of the 6 tracks on this lp and by far the weirdest. Sounding like it could be from a nightmare sequence from a horror movies, echoes of noise flash past like trains in the night. Under this are some weird screaming noises/throaty murmurs, which to me sound like it’s from The Exorcist. ‘Like A Devil's Sick Of Sin’ makes use of some heavy droning guitar sounds complemented with cymbal tapping drums and moody bass sounds. ‘Young Peoples Blood’ starts like the scene in a hospital, a flat lined adolescent lies dead on a table. “Time of death recorded...”. Huge muddy, distorted guitars crash in. The guitar seemingly playing something completely different to the bass but kind of keeping it together. It’s like Mudhoney on a murdering spree.

This band play two cards here. They can either play echoing doom filled post rock or they can piece together atmospheric sequences of music which evokes terror into the listener. It would be easy to knock a band like this making this kind of music, but those who do don’t understand what the music is about. The fact you feel terrorised by it is amazing. And to think they do this live also, what an experience. The lp is by no means perfect, some of the songs are a tad long to keep the listener interested and the guitars at times are a little too muddy but what we do have is a band willing to push your music boundaries and preferences and do something different. The Clauberg Opera should be applauded for that. ‘New Folk Devils’ is weird, but weird enough for you to get wrapped up in its spidery noise and creepy atmospherics.