Year: 2013
A band’s name and how they look,
is as important as how their music sounds. All first impressions are made from
the name and the appearance of the band. So when I googled Bookakee, I got
pictures of men in black paint, covered in what could only be described as Hulk
semen. Plus, the name of the band itself is a tongue in cheek reference to a pornographic
act. Usually, when bands go for such daring names and looks, their music
usually is a joke. That is not the case of Bookakee fortunately.
Hailing from Montreal, Quebec, Canada this is a
band that is versatile in every aspect of their music. Bookakee released it’s
debut full length at the end of 2013, titled ‘Whoriffic’ and the album is not
something you would expect from a band that looks like a parody act.
The music starts out like a
typical brutal death metal sound track with heavy guitars and deep gutturals.
Everything that follows, is nothing but atypical. The guitar riffs of SP Gagnon
and Mate Pare are incredibly unpredictable and they keep changing the style and
tempo ever so often. It almost sounds chaotic, but it is apparent that this is
a form of planned chaos. Progression is the name of the game and these guys
sound like they’re the experts.
The versatility doesn’t stop with
the guitars alone. Vocalist Philippe Langelier makes it sound like there are
two vocalists in the band with his alternating gutturals and shrieks. The music
has a way of keeping the listener entertained inspite of all the variations and
changes that go on in every track. The drummer JP Bouchard has all the
technical skills needed to adapt to such progressiveness and he shines well in
the album. Same can be said about the bassist Jo David and there are quite a
few moments where his bass takes the limelight.
Though there is a lot of
progression in the music, the band manages to maintain a certain level of
brutality in their death metal. In terms of the tracks themselves, the band has
a sense of humour with titles like ‘A Night to Dismember’, ‘Return of the
Loving Dead’, Perverted Monolith’ etc. There are a few instrumental tracks as
well that are completely different from the rest of the songs. For example the
track ‘DK’ is a cover of Donkey Kong Country and the track 'AA' is an acoustic guitar piece where it almost sounds like a Spanish flamenco
style guitar. These tracks make the album more fun, rather than sticking out
like a sore thumb.
Production values are good,
though at some points the bass could have been kept a little higher in the mix.
The use of clean guitars in the middle of the tracks is perfectly timed and
they add to the character of the songs themselves. Had I known about this band
and album last year, this surely would have earned a place in my top albums of
the year list. Pick up Bookakee’s ‘Whorrific’ as it is sure to leave you raping
that repeat button.
Rating: 93%
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