There’s always an impending sense of dread with Perturbator’s work, and that is still true on his sixth album, Age of Aquarius. And while it still feels like a trapped, icy futuristic soundscape, this is his most experimental piece of work to date, having him wet his beak in shoegaze, cold wave, goth rock, and a brief moment of black metal on the gargantuan title track closer, featuring French blackgaze gods, Alcest.
I always expect to have my mind melt when I throw on a new Perturbator (James Kent) record; music fit for mayhem or your own personal workout session at 1 am. If I’m looking for a consistent onslaught of pounding bass and macabre synth flourishes, I’ll revisit his early breakouts, Dangerous Days or The Uncanny Valley. If I’m looking for something truly dark and evil (the feeling strikes every once in a while), I’ll throw on New Model and shoehorn in some work from his buddies, Carpenter Brut.
Back to Age of Aquarius, this record has more vocal guests than any other Perturbator work, and they really influence the experimental nature Kent clearly wants to go for. We’ve got Ulver’s Kristoffer Rygg on the very dramatic geo-political fused “Apocalypse Now,” drone metal stooge, Author & Punisher, on “Venus” (probably my personal fave), and Greta Link on “Lady Moon,” her second time working with Kent. These vocal ranges are all exemplary and really elevate Kent’s horror synth stabs and dirge-like bass blasts. It’s a record for old Perturbator fans and new, but god, after listening to the heavier than hell closer, I just want him to do a full black metal synth album. Still, a great album to add to his electronic grimoire.
