Chaos Bleak
Agents Of Chaos – Gothic World Records
Like most good things in life, Nottinghamshire post-goth trio Chaos Bleak began life as a question; namely how would gothic rock have evolved had Killing Joke been the primary incubators, as opposed to The Sisters O Mercy? Well, the reply has been fully realised in the band’s sophomore album, Agents Of Chaos, and the answer is pretty darn explosive. It’s a riff heavy, chuggy sound that the band deliver and after a brief, scene setting introduction, they get straight down to business with the aptly-titled ‘Feast For The Senses’. It finds Chaos Bleak wheeling out the heavy artillery to deliver the perfect soundtrack to civil disobedience as the mob and the army face off for a deadly showdown. As with their beloved Killing Joke, Chaos Bleak make good use of keyboards which add layers of texture, and it’s this combination of sharp, surgical synths and razorblade riffs that give the band their edge. While many of their peers hark back to a “golden age of goth”, Chaos Bleak have their sights set firmly on the horizon and whatever the future might bring, they’ll be here to document it with their incendiary sound.
Review by Peter Dennis