Fair warning: if you’re sensitive to strobe effects, the new video from noisy Portuguese sludgelords, Process of Guilt, may pose a problem. “Victims” is a simple video conceptually—the band playing in a circle in a dark room—shot in stark black and white, with bold stamps of lyrical text used for emphasis throughout. It also features a near constant flashing of various affected light sources that mimic the tension in the nearly seven minute song.
“Victims” kicks off with a lively tribal rhythm that offers nods to both Helmet and Roots-era Sepultura, before it transitions into a noisy repetitious grind filled with guitar skree reminiscent of early Sonic Youth or Killing Joke. Vocalist/guitarist Hugo Santos bellows over the distorted miasma will his bandmates—Custódio Rato (bass), Gonçalo Correia (drums), Nuno David (guitar)—build the constant musical tension rhythmically and sonically. The track comes from the quartet’s recently released full-length, Slaves Beneath the Sun, which came out on June 24, via Alma Mater Records. The album was recorded at Buzz Room in Lisboa, Portugal by Paulo Basílio; mixed by Andrew Schneider at Acre Audio in NY; and mastered by Collin Jordan at the Boiler Room in Chicago. It’s currently available on CD, cassette and digital, and vinyl will be issued on September 23. You can place your order/preorder here.
Here’s Hugo Santos’ take on the track:
“‘Victims’ is maybe the song that more evidently showcases the evolution of our songwriting in Slaves Beneath The Sun. While maintaining our core musical identity intact, in this track we were able to explore different dynamics, which kind of led us to territories not unfamiliar to the more experimental side of Napalm Death or even Killing Joke, both huge influences on us, or even the catalogue of labels such as Amphetamine Reptile Records.
