Exploring Beauty

Album Review

Spacey, angry, and altogether disorienting, the sophomore release from Denmark's Dureforsog is a heady burst of aggressive electronic noise that isn't as lacking in ideas as much as memorable ones. While certain tracks reach a pleasant balance of adventurousness and accessibility, all the while careening through schizophrenic time changes and various levels of sonic intensity, the majority are considerably less interesting. Maelstroms of groaning, screeching guitars run circles around obscure and frequently indecipherable lyrics, combining to form threatening soundscapes that are more frightening than engaging. When the more aggressive tendencies are softened, the melodies that rise to the top are quirky, but obnoxiously off-kilter. While the stop-start industrial thrash of "Rubber Man" and the intensely abrasive "Honeybee" are peppered with the occasional synthesized string section, the tracks are generally humorless and take themselves a little too seriously. Lyrics containing unpoetic musings like "I'm living in vain/I'm watching the rain/I wanna get away/but I just don't know how" don't help matters. Still, for those who need little more than industrial strength bluster and off-center space carnival rock, Discovering Beauty shouldn't disappoint.