Low-fidelity recording techniques have been a big part of black metal for much of its history, and as a consequence, the majority of the stuff sounds just fine on dinky laptop speakers—one of the few things any black-metal band has in common with Katy Perry. In recent years, as the style’s rigid orthodoxy has collapsed, black-metal artists have been making records that demand (and deserve) a higher-quality playback experience. One notable local example is one-man band Surachai. He’s a full-on audiophile, albeit an audiophile whose instincts are considerably more avant-garde than those of the average sound geek: he contributes to the tech-Âoriented online experimental-music zine Trash Audio and sells a 1.2 gigabyte collection of sampled vinyl runout grooves compiled from his record collection. To No Avail—two ten-plus-minute compositions labeled “Side •” and “Side ••”—is a magnificent-Âsounding album, pouring from the speakers in huge, heaping masses of intricately layered guitars, programmed drums, and deeply wicked vocal shrieks, juiced up here and there with strings and analog synthesizers. If the blastbeats and howling-demon vocals don’t scare you off, you’ll find it a beautiful and richly rewarding listen. Surachai released the record digitally last fall, but the vinyl edition only recently came out. It’s worth picking up not only for the improved sound but also to better appreciate the fantastic cover art.
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