Opus Null/Szijj Ferenc split LP (2012)

You're probably getting sick of all the Opus Null albums and obscure Hungarian bands I review for Drug Punk. Fine. I'll post nothing but ABBA reviews from now on, how 'bout that? HA! Gotcha! Go tell MOTHER I'm lowering standards!

Half the reason I keep coming back to these guys is that I never know what an Opus Null release is gonna sound like: they started off last year with a handful of badly-recorded, thrash-y demos that sounded like the Germs dragged through a dumpster east of the Berlin Wall.

On this split LP with Szijj Ferenc (more anon), the boys have evolved (is that the right word?) in the direction of the spaced out freakrock that featured heavily on the guitarist's solo EP from June. Opus Null can still smash it up-witness their cover of the UK Subs' "Imposztor," which ends up sounding like The Standells-but there's a lot of instrumental stuff where they work out sonic landscapes, with varying success. Their side is split evenly between louder, noisier punk-style tunes and weirdo instrumentals that bring them ever closer to space- or math-rock territory.

I didn't know what to expect from Szijj Ferenc's side, but it wasn't highly processed soundscapes a la early Krautrock like Popul Vuh. Dude gives us five tracks of elaborate, orchestrated long-form jams that don't sound like much that I'm familiar with. It's really fucking good, in a totally left field sorta way. Imagine King Arthur and his knights serenading ladies of the court while popping acid, drinking Three Horses lager, and tooling around with synthesizers.

If you check out Drug Punk chiefly for the noise, garage or punk I post, you prolly won't dig this, but if you're willing to take a chance on some pretty idiosyncratic stuff, get into it. If not, fuck off and get back to buying whatever Pitchfork tells you is good.

Listen and download HERE.

Batu Kan Pesti Rokona-Mezofoldi Kosmosz EP (2012)

Being that this is a solo project of the guitarist for Hungarian noise boys Opus Null , I was expecting raucous cacophony from "Mezofoldi Kosmosz." There's a bit of that, especially on the first track, but mostly the album features daring, varied improvised guitar that mostly succeeds.

"Az Apeh Gyermeke" is the closest song, musically, to Opus Null's work, although a bit less raucous than most of their stuff. Trashy guitar fuzz, rambam Ramones-style drumming, and heavy bass; along with "Araben," it marks a transition from the contorted thrash of Bencze's band. "Panelhazi Ugros," however, marks the real departure point: song structure is replaced by meditative, brooding guitar sketches that sound like distant thunder peaking over a mountainous landscape.
   The main strike against the album is the track arrangement: it jerks back and forth between the ambient stuff and more traditional psych rock. Whatever, "Felrehangolt Letelem" is truly idiosyncratic: as far as I can tell, it's just an extended bass solo with interspersed guitar: sort of like listening to a song on the radio, then changing the station and getting a completely different song.

"Zenit" and "Mezofoldi Kosmosz" are the heart of the album, and the most interesting songs. These are searing, minimalist pieces of guitar improvisation. It's only the guitar, scratching out patterns against an utterly empty, expansive mix. The closest parallel I can think of is Neil Young's majestic score to "Dead Man": raw, haunting noise that meanders in and out of focus. Whereas most rock music tells a story, music like this sets a scene, or paints a landscape. This is lonely, barren music that reminds me of driving through Wyoming: nothing but open country, malevolent skies, and yourself.

"Mezofoldi Kosmosz" surprised me, and all to the good. It's not as good as the "Dead Man" soundtrack, of course, but given that this is a first solo effort, I can't wait to hear what this guy does next.
Check it out HERE.

Opus Null-Alkotmanyos Anarchia LP (2012)

Following up their slew of 2011 demos, Opus Null's debut LP successfully synthesizes their previous work, while hinting at new directions for these bruising Budapesters.

Featuring some re-recorded songs from the Vas Nepe EP, Alkotmanyos Anarchia features several new songs, my favorite of which are "Melyseges tisztelettel," "Ciklus," and "Perdulet," which can serve as a survey of the album as a whole.  The former brazenly rips off an old Partisans guitar line for a mid-tempo romper-stomer, and is typical of previous Opus Null material.

"Ciklus" gets kinda math-rockesque: chiming drums and molasses-slow guitar rapidly transition into rapid-fire, slamming choruses and drunkenly slurred vocals.

"Perdulet" is more of a departure. Opening with disorienting guitar and chant-singing, minor notes interspersed with synthesizer make for a  mindfuck-this is the sort of stuff hinted at in previous ON work, but here they achieve a spooky, engaging piece of psych-punk.

I'm sure that Opus Null is referencing homegrown Hungarian traditions and sounds, but to me this sounds like a bunch of punks slowing down, freaking out, and exploring the limits of guitar haze.


GET RAD, DOODZ. Download includes cover art and lyrics, in Magyar. Opus Null lives here. If you don't know Magyar (like me), check 'em out on Facebook.

Opus Null-Vas Nepe EP (2011)

I should start this review by apologizing to Opus Null for taking so goddam long to post this....life has a way of kicking you in the ass when you think you're gettin' ahead, y'dig?

This is the second Opus Null release to grace Drug Punk's pages, and it's a marked improvement. Their demo felt like an energetic but sloppy gesture at first-wave LA punk (that's my main reference point for synth-driven punk-aficionados of the history of Hungarian punk, contact me). This is a lot more polished, in a good way. The album opens with a spaced out synth bit ("Prologus") that throws you off balance for the second tune, a mixture of desperate, churning hardcore and shambolic good-times rock.
The rest of the songs showcase a similar mixture of influences, making good use of synthesizers to offset the 1-2, 1-2-3-4 thrash parts.

This still feels like a demo, but there's a great debut 7" lurking in Opus Null's sound, and they deserve international attention.
Really, this is a shitty review that doesn't do justice to the band, so I'm gonna wrap this up by saying that this is a good collection of tunes, so check it out!

For shows, release info, et. al., go here.

Opus Null-Dagasztott semmi demo (2011)

Yes, the cover is incredibly retarded, even more so that whatcha usually see here on Drug Punk. Moving past that, this ain't too shabby at all. I know very little about Opus Null; this turned up in my inbox a few weeks ago.
These ten tracks are standard lo-fi punk fare: basic drums, fuzztone guitarlines, chanted lyrics in Magyar. Starting with "Vasutas," they throw in some wicked synth riffing that fleshes out the thrashing quite nicely.
Opus Null isn't the most original band I've ever heard, but so fucking what? I'd listen to this over Youth Attack! mysteriousguycore any day 'o' the week.

Magyar misery. For more info on Opus Null, go here.

The lyrics and song titles are in Magyar, but someone (thank you!) very kindly translated 'em for me-here they are in English, for those who care:

1. Fucking Thomas Joseph

2. ( roughly: someone who participates in public life / something that is a part of the public life )

3. Railroad worker

4. Dear Rousseau

5.Antiage

6.Hello Furkó dot

7. Youngster

8. Fucking Fat ( geci means "cum," but in slang Hungarian uses it as "fucking" is used in English )

9. Szijjas (Proper noun? Roughly it means: someone who has a belt or something that has a belt )

10. Angular momentum