(from rateyourmusic.com)
You know Abigail, you know Killer Klowns from Outer Space, 'n' you know Gorgoroth. Meet their insane embryo, Dark Amusement. It's both thee most melodic black metal (but lo-fi enough that yer catching it from behind thee nearby carnival tent) 'n' thee most demented merry-go-round music - these two styles are competing constantly 'n' when Bone Fragments do sometimes get them to overlap, great soundworlds happen.
In almost every respect this is grown-up 'n' better than Circus Maleficus, Bone Fragments' debut EP. Agallochy dynamics on "Flooded Lung". Interludes with real structure. A whole album dedicated to thee despair of one clown rather than small vignettes about many drugged-up, lustful jesters. Doom elements aplenty. Much more confident leads from Phthisis, all incorporating melodies that could be children's songs - they are so simple, but strangely bent. Heavier drums, crazier drums - real drums.
"Clown in the Sewer", with thee direct song title that seems to tie this thing snugly to thee debut EP, is instead a great example of how Bone Fragments has gotten tighter. Thee track has thrashy, catchy chug that allows itself to be constantly interrupted by thee tremelo-picking, monster vocals, 'n' carnival melodies, all done quicker than they used to.
Thee plot? Tormentor tells us of Jollybean, a frustrated actor at the Carnival of Mirth 'n' his cruel cretin friend who lives in a sewer. These clowns are sadly demented, finding happiness in darkness, so they end up feasting on some too-curious kiddie flesh. Thee combination of this dark/amusement sound is well documented in thee lyrical changes; we get thee giddiness 'n' glee (& underlying sick fascination) of thee carnival alternating with thee total distraught paranoia of thee sick clowns. Both worlds seem to find happiness in twisted misery.
What I miss from thee EP are thee maddening, pained screeches of Tormentor. Some of their wild, reckless experimentation 'n' humor are also gone in this more serious approach. Also, thee album's unique sound does not mean that every song is strangely different from thee last, so it is a long trek to hear it all; & like all black metal, length can mean you lose focus. But there are melodies for days in here, something new to hear within this ambitious songcraft every time. They took this sound to thee limit.
To sum it all up from a lyric here - "Bizarre! Untamed! This is deranged!"
