FERAL BODY

First things first: I owe it to the brilliant website I Die: You Die the discovery of this rather obscure band. Feral Body is an all male three-piece from Detroit, USA, and this 'Chain Ritual' EP is only the band's second relase so far. Yet the sound of these three tracks, just like the three tracks in their previous EP, appears to be fully-formed and very clear right from the start.

The idea is fairly simple: complex beats, atmospheric keyboards, and ghostly vocals. The beats have a post-techno and post-industrial feel to them in terms of the sound itself but are never straightforward. You won't hear a single four-to-the-floor kick drum here, and that's extremely refreshing. The beats are masterfully crafted, with the right balance of distortion and use of space between them. The structure and the intermingling with the keyboards/synths are superb.

On top of this we hear those eerie vocals, drenched in reverb and at the same time clear in their delivery. It feels almost like a disembodied singer floating around the band, haunting the other two members. Still, for all its murkiness and intensity, the band never loses its sense of structure. Fever Cry, the last track, is almost pop. This is what sets Feral Body apart from many of the artists using similar elements nowadays. It's a sound that well deserves a full-length album.

Gustavo A. ROSELINSKY
15/05/2018