A. S. 777

S/T (Demo 2009)

Self Released 2009

Italian industrial black metallers usher in an era of apocalyptic sterility with their 2009 demo.  A.S. 777 (Alien Syndrome 777) flays the listener's ears with cold, clinical black metal with industrial drum beats and hyper-fast riffing.  Vaporizor's opening salvo of merciless and cruel riffs fly out of the speakers like an arsenal of automatic weapons in a firefight.  At times I am reminded of a streamlined DHG.  A.S. 777 eschews all extraneous flourishes and keep their intent focused on their own deadly intent.  The drum machine hammers away and provides an inhuman tempo.  This tempo is evinced by the opening passage of My Venom which attacks with riffs that bring to mind middle-era Satyricon but with a Mysticum style beat.  However the song drops into some electrical sounds and textures that raise the song towards a technological bleakness.  And then the effects cause the track to slither like a mechanical python.  The opening riff of Black Hole Generator is a harbinger of the following coversong as it brings to mind Battles In The North era Immortal.  The track though drops into some Thorns-esque disharmony and vocal distortion.  The calm, minimal synth section in the song's middle provides a moment for reflection before the track delves into realms of melodic atmosphere.  One might think it out of place before hearing it, but A.S. 777 do a masterful cover of Immortal's Battles In The North.  They speed it up a little if that is at all possible and make the track even more sterile than it originally was.  The dramatic vocals within the icy walls of steel of the track are a nice touch.  The demo closes out with two reworkings of earlier tracks, Vaporizer and Eerie Devolution.  A. S. 777's 2009 demo is a portal into a universe of industrial mutated black metal.  While not as adventurous or as groundbreaking as DHG or Mysticum, it should hold similar appeal to fans of those artists.