Black Wings – Rupskallex

Black Wings is the second full-length album release from Rupskallex, the one-man metal whirlwind from County Antrim, Dan Clarke. Blackened thrash metal with a very serious message, the album explores the struggles of mental health and covers the darker side of life and the human condition.

Founded in 2018 by Dan Clarke from a love of Sci-Fi and metal, Rupskallex began life as a collection of heavy riffs and a means to vent the struggles of existence in the mask of a space opera. In 2020, the mask of Sci-fi was torn off with the release of the Pandemic EP, followed by the full length album Resistance. With personal struggles dominating Dan’s every waking moment during the Covid-19 pandemic, the only meaningful vent was to scream his experience into the void and with Brexit uniquely adding extra layers, the Unrest single was thrown into the world. The full length Black Wings (release date 10/09/2021) is a hateful, venomous and raw strike born purely from pain.

With eleven tracks in total, Black Wings included four previous releases, including the intense riotous and electrifying, ‘Jokes on Me’.

https://rupskallex.bandcamp.com/track/jokes-on-me

The album opens with the title track to the very gentle and restrained sounds of a piano solo; the soothing, flowing, almost hypnotic melody is upbeat yet relaxed, defying the ferocious bass line which slowly creeps up on the listener before exploding into an ear-splitting vitriolic rant about the ‘black wings of death’. The majestic guitar solo towards the middle of the track offers a moment of reflection and calm in amongst the relentless, ferocious, racing heartbeat of drum beats and bass.

Next up is ‘Night’ – a mixture of strong guitar riffs and melodic chorus, this track explores the nature of panic attacks and the causes. The perfect blend of strong riffs and lyrics delivered with ample anger and hatred while being easily understood.

‘Jokes on Me’ is a rampage on the senses – the bass comes into its own here and offers a feeling of time running out, of no hope for the future – ‘existence is agony’.

‘N(o)ne’ – Death metal at its bloody and gory finest – intense drums and guitar riffs combine to devastating effect while lyrics cry out like a wounded animal resigned to its bleak fate and powerless to resist any longer.

‘Unrest’ is a military attack wrapped up in a metal lover’s fatalist dream – the intense and anguished rhythm perfectly reflecting the agonies of The Troubles in Northern Ireland to which this song is dedicated. Scathingly delivered lyrics berate those responsible while the composite blend of instruments reflect the complexities of the situation.

‘Relentless’ – a far simpler affair that its predecessor this is a straight up attack on the world – the uncomplicated musical arrangement aligning perfectly with the straightforward message of the lyrics.

‘Blow me Away’ is the very personification of insanity itself heralded by the bellowing of ‘Make it Stop’ as it’s opening gambit. A stunning track, influences in grunge surely, sharp guitar strokes fall like fatal jabs straight through the heart of hope itself.

https://rupskallex.bandcamp.com/track/blow-me-away

‘Get Fucked’ builds into a truly glorious crescendo of abhorrent hatred – anti-establishment and everything you could ask for in a true metal anthem.

‘Peanut’ – not your usual thrash metal title, this is short and straight to the point. A no-nonsense jaunt through violence with lash out screams ‘You’re dead motherfuker get it into your head’ with guitar riffs you would literally die for.

‘Nailbomb’ arguable the catchiest track on the album, this will be in your head for days – sing able and one to dance along to while simultaneously head banging. The countdown to detonation (in this case the chorus) is intelligent and works really well.

https://rupskallex.bandcamp.com/track/nailbomb

‘Dance Death’ – ending on a rambunctious instrumental as if to put all of the confusion of mental health described in the rest of the album into one final rampaging. Intense and utterly crazy conclusion offers the perfect closure to this utter triumph of a metal masterpiece.

Black Wings does more to explain the truth of mental health struggles than any media coverage of recent times, while at the same being a true metal masterclass, throwing together influences and styles from across the genre– seamlessly blending death, thrash and black metal into one victorious new sound.

Rampant and violent but also vulnerable and raw, Black Wings is everything you could possibly want from a metal artist – made only more remarkable given that this is a solo effort on the part of Clark – the sound, quality and mastery of this album defies that completely. While the lyrics are shrieked and bellowed, you can understand every word, ensuring the message of the album is understood. A therapy session as much as an album, anxiety, depression, paranoia, isolation, hopelessness and alienation are brought dramatically to life with every note and every word. Finally a fresh new metal album worth investing in.

Bandcamp: Rupskallex.bandcamp

Twitter: @Rupskallex Bandcamp: Rupskallex.bandcamp

Lauren Jayne