Album review: n0trixx – A Catalogue Of Madness And Melancholia

Labels can be misleading with n0trixx. Born in Russia but based in Lancaster, one might imagine a rap-metal-electro meld of continental and British scenes akin to how Mimi Barks’ ‘doom trap’ has one foot in the Berlin clubs and the other in London’s warehouses. Instead n0trixx’s ‘bedlamcore’ seems broadcast in from a colourful alternative realm always shifting shape and shade.

Her artist tag itself suggests muted sounds and home truths but her songs are as bedazzling as any magic show. And despite its provocatively doomy title, debut album A Catalogue Of Madness And Melancholia is as powerfully affirmative as you’ll hear today.

You might have stumbled across her online. The edgy aesthetic combining industrial grime and theatrical grandstanding (what is it with Russian musicians and muzzles?) is an easy hook, connecting to the surface level of the sounds within. But rather than just big beats and sexy grooves, the transition from intro track Into The Depths into hysteria [БЕГN] establishes that this as more interested in plumbing the beauty, unease and chaos within.

A rogues’ gallery of guests is integral to how the broader piece plays out. There is grinding, serrated industrial metal influence about Revenge On God, for instance, with djent specialist Yentl Cambre’s guitars grinding away. You might expect similar from fellow heavy six-stringer Sarunis Brazonis on harmless. Instead, it unfolds as a mostly clean-sung lament, like Evanescence on a bad trip. And getting master keyboard player (and old friend of Linkin Park) Warren Willis on the excellent Catalepsia is a masterstroke, ramping up the sheen and instantly infectious melody in a style that makes even the deepest darkness digestible.

Indeed, and crucially, never does ACOM&M feel like hard going. Compared to Ms. Barks, the vibe here is lighter and less confrontational, scrabbling for melody and traditional musicianship rather than rejecting it. Arguably that means that cuts like Living Nightmares and the openly Eminem-indebted narc (I’m so happy that you’re dead) don’t directly hit as hard as they could. But they still work their way under the skin. And although it’s unclear whether the trite affirmations of shimmering outro you are loved are meant to be taken seriously or with tongue in cheek, it’s clear nonetheless that this is the work of an artist with the stylistic flair to match a message worth hearing. n0trixx: plenty of treat.

Verdict: 3/5

For fans of: Mimi Barks, Ho99o9, Scarlxrd

A Catalogue Of Madness And Melancholia is out now.