Album Reviews

“It’s not Jazz, It’s Blues” is the name of Daggers’ latest album and with it, this Belgian outfit blew me away. The title is slightly misleading (kinda) but they sure as hell are a perfect fit for a label called Throatruiner.

Opener “Apex” starts off mellow enough with an accordion but it’s not long until vicious growls take over, backed up by low rumbling guitars and a droning rhythm section that seems to be lifted off of Nailbomb’s self-titled album. Brooding, heavy as fuck… yes. But also kinda catchy in a weird way. From there on they continue down the same twisted path with shape-shifting song structures, atmospheric and creepy sounds and eerie riffs in cuts like “Woolgatherer”, “Wanderlust” and “Sovereign”.

While all of the songs on “It’s Not Jazz, It’s Blues” are impressive enough on their own, it’s when you listen to the album as a whole that they really manage to drag you into their world, which is pitch black and inhabited by things that shun the daylight. Easily one of the most fascinating and compelling hardcore albums I’ve heard in quite some time. I say hardcore but it’s also punk, crust, noise and sure, blues…these guys are all about doing things their own way and if it means tearing down the walls between different genres, then so be it. Just don’t call it jazz!