Here we have Bug’s 10th studio album, and me wondering where they have been my whole life
I was surprised to discover this is actually the first Austrian band to feature on Cauteriser, considering our spread across Europe so far. Nevertheless, statistically Bug have earned the county a very strong musical reputation, based on our averages, if we actually performed statistical analyses. I’ve de-railed already…
Lux Ultima kicks straight into the very harsh Grinning Cat (which is fitting, cats only take pleasure from the misery of others, don’t trust them!) with its jerky structure and obnoxiously awkward instrumentation. But as the album progresses you quickly notice the musicianship is actually crafted magnificently all round.
The percussion is tight and drives the tone of each song incredibly well from start to finish, with the guitar melodies gliding over the top ranging from sludgy to surprisingly lovely. As a sucker for chunky basslines, the satisfaction of the rough and punchy playing here rounds off a pleasantly abrasive yet varied blend of styles.
But before you get too comfortable, the vocals steal the show, only fitting genres that feature the pre-fix “Death”. Unconventionally roared deliveries that are at times evidently intended to irritate the weaker listener (Anal Cunt’s Picnic of Love comes to mind as a comparison, but never as absurd) overshadow what could otherwise be described as quite a nice doom album. But who wants a nice doom album?
Life Is Good is a grim staple, opening with a gruffly spoken segment and featuring the filthiest mellow interludes you will ever hear. The abuse of the quiet-loud technique is criminally beautiful and I love it. G ermanys N ext T op M odel and S ituation N ormal A ll F ucked U p (Bug’s stylisation, not my mental breakdown (this time)) deliver the slower, chunkier side of Lux Ultima, where Free Britney and I Bark At Nothing contrast as the frantic and riffier tracks.
Lyrically the album is equally bleak, seemingly a reflection on the experiences we have all faced over the last few years, the only positive seeming to be how much incredible music like this a pandemic has managed to create. Lux Ultima is powerful in every sense of the word, and Bug are a band that everyone reading this should be firing up on BandCamp…
Jake Hancke – 05/02/2024
Lux Ultima is available on CD and Vinyl on BandCamp
You can find more on Bug via their website, Facebook, Instagram and MYSPACE!!!!!!
The Cauteriser 