Prurient – Bermuda Drain album review

Prurient’s ambitious new album Bermuda Drain is painful to listen to, but perhaps not in the way singer Ian Fernow intended. The album consists of screams, whispers and deep monotones set to what sounds like a Lord of the Rings soundtrack. Fernow utters such lyrics as, “If I could, I would take a tree branch and ram it inside you, but it’s already been done” with such sincerity that one wonders if the album is a farce. But when a few minutes later Fernow repeats those lyrics in anguished screams, the listener is left with the truth. He is completely serious, and this may be one of the worst electronic albums released this year.

What makes Bermuda Drain special is the complete lack of self-awareness it must have required for Fernow to record and release such an over conceptualized album. The result of Fernow’s high-concept aims is a mishmash of electronic music and purposefully dictated lyrics that leave listeners without much room to interpret the music themselves. Fernow seeks to insure that listeners pick up on his message in every song, dictating his lyrics slowly and clearly before screaming them.

If something may be said about Bermuda Drain, Fernow’s high-concept aims do result in a broad range of songs. While “A Meal Can Be Made” sounds straight out of a Legend of Zelda soundtrack, the meditational quality of “Bermuda Drain” is reminiscent of a yoga instructor’s breathing exercises. The high point of Prurient’s new album may be it’s wide potential audience. Those who enjoy video games and orchestral metal, and want to see the two genres blended together, would enjoy Bermuda Drain. However, some concepts are better left as concepts. Bridging the gap between video games and black metal is one of them.

Prurient’s Bermuda Drain deserves credit for attempting what shouldn’t be possible.