FEROCIOUS X - MED VILKEN RATT 7"

Noisy Osaka punkers Ferocious X recently toured the US west coast and, to coincide with the tour, Distort Reality Records released this one-sided 7” featuring four short blasts of their chaotic raw punk. While Ferocious X reps Sweden so hard they actually sing in Swedish, these four tracks feel closer in vibe to Kyushu noise-punk like Confuse and Gai. A big part of that is the totally fried tones, with the lower frequencies blown out with a warm, analog-ish distortion and a biting high end that you feel in your teeth when you crank it loud. Honestly, the recording is pretty bad by most people’s standards, but it’s clear Ferocious X wants it that way. While some raw punk bands focus on heaviness, some on riffs, and others on the music’s central pulse or groove, Ferocious X seems to be about summoning chaos… the loose drumming and the way the instruments bleed into one another in the mix keeps you from ever feeling like you’re standing on solid ground. Even for someone like me who spends a lot of time with music like this, listening to this EP feels like being attacked by a swarm of bees. Capturing this feeling of chaos on tape is much easier said than done (that’s why people pay big money for the Wretched / Indigesti split), so if you’re looking to add a little wildness to your life, Med Vilken Ratt has just what you need.