Doom Noise Rock

Rome, Italy’s Trans Upper Egypt will hit you with a trippy combination of rock, synth, noise and metal. For their second release, the quartet chose 8 of the most bizarre songs you may have heard this year to comprise Trans Upper Egypt, out on Austin-based label Monofonus Press.

Opener “Opinions” kicks off the creepiness right away with an odd mixture of what sounds like a synth guitar (all effects are done by a guy who goes by the name of Tab_ularasa), low bass (“Bob Jr.”), heavy drums (Cheb Samir) high treble and scratchy vocals (Leo Non, who also plays keys), the band wasting no time on infusing their music with as many genres as they can.

Follow-up “CCTT” tones down a bit, keeping the reverbed-up vocals and is one of our closest chances to figuring out what Non is saying. Two tracks were released prior to the album’s release: “Mountains” and “Moon Doom.” The former contains a continuous trombone-esque low-pitched noise amid a fast-paced track, and the latter sounds like it could be a sequel to “Mountains.” Also the word “doom” is the perfect way to describe the song.

Be careful when you listen to “Virginia” because it could probably cause a seizure. If there was a song to reflect how a strobe light works, this would be it. “Morte” is the most fun song on the album, a quick 2-minute track you can dance to.

If trance noise rock with as many sounds stuffed in as possible is your thing, then do give Trans Upper Egypt a spin. If you like acoustic guitars and lyrics to sing along to, then maybe take a pass on this one.