The Erkonauts Do a Bad Thing Well

Are The Erkonauts the MetalSucks of metal bands? The Swiss quartet’s debut album, I Did Something Bad, features a multitude of styles and is cynical, sophomoric, droll, and sure to elicit cries of “NOT TR00!” from the idiots who cry that kind of thing. Take, for example, the album’s opening track, “The Great Ass Poopery”: based on the song’s title, you’d probably assume The Erkonauts are some kind of Psychostick-style comedy band. But there’s nothing funny about the music, and the lyrics suggest that it authors are world weary and maybe just a little bit defeatist, not total clowns:

I just wish we all would see the light
We are easy to follow,
Easy to prey on
We suck

Of course, the general tone and lyrical content of I Did a Bad Thing wouldn’t matter much if their music stunk… but it does not stink at all. It is, perhaps, a bit reductive to say The Erkonauts are picking up where System of a Down left off, but the comparison is ultimately apt: I Did Something Bad fe-ruiningly hooky, mosh-inducingly aggro, and philosophically bleak-yet-witty. We can assume from the album art that these dudes are Kubrick fans, and it shows in their approach to music.

Produced by Samael Thomas “Drop” Betrisey and featuring former members of Sybreed, I Did a Bad Thing was first released in 2015 as a DIY effort, but it will get a bigger push when reissued by Kaotoxin and Season of Mist next month. It’s totally fucking great, so you definitely give it a listen.

Stream I Did Something Bad below, courtesy of Hard Force. The album comes out February 12. Pre-order it here or here.