Blanck Mass - In Ferneaux (Album Review) Tuesday, 02 March 2021
Photo: Harrison Reid
‘Animated Violence Mild’ was the best electronic album of 2019. When that blood-and-apple-core-adorned opus was unveiled, newcomers and longtime Blanck Mass fans alike were wowed by its hybridity. Equal parts funky synth lines, metal screeches and erratic electro beats, it was a space where aggression and intellect collided head on.
But its successor ‘In Ferneaux’ could not be further from this searing sense of ardour. As opposed to the relative accessibility of ‘Animated Violence Mild’, context is key in understanding what this album seeks to achieve.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is the backdrop. Musicians are scrambling for their livelihoods in a world without gigs, their only true source of income in a streaming-dominated market.