Since emerging in 2017 with the Dog Sees Ghosts EP, it has been clear that UK based Powerplant is a band that rarely stays in one place and has no issues crossing genre lines. Their debut full-length People in the Sun incorporated garage rock, synth punk, and everything in between for a lo-fi and rawer sound. Sometimes it felt like 2000s era garage rock, while other songs were straight Devo, and the Bandcamp version of the album even features a full commentary by founder Theo Zhykharyev on his inspirations behind the material. But 2022’s Stump Soup made it clear just how different Powerplant could be from release to release, as this effort found Zhykharyev heading into full synth mode and offering up a purely instrumental and chiller sound. Since then, there have been some EP’s that crossed back into rock and punk, but Powerplant’s third full length Bridge of Sacrifice once again shakes things up with dips into black metal and gothic rock. It’s just as unabashedly weird and likely not to be for everyone, but for those that can appreciate this wild mix of styles Bridge of Sacrifice is an incredible listen.
If you’re familiar with any of the group’s prior material, Bridge of Sacrifice feels like it encompasses a little of everything they’ve done to date while also covering vastly different ground. The quirkier synth lines are still there, the writing dips regularly into indie rock, garage rock, and punk elements, but in between the brighter and sillier moments there are a lot of moodier and abrasive tones that significantly shake things up. Songs rarely stay in one place, so what might initially seem like a purely black metal or darker gothic rock/neofolk affair transforms into something entirely different by the end. The title track is a great example, as it kicks off with aggressive black metal riffing, haunting synths, and raspy black metal screams but Zhykharyev switches over to a singing pitch that feels somewhere between the moodier side of alternative rock and garage rock. “Running Cross” follows suit, going from full-on blasting instrumentation to breezier instrumentation that has a jangle pop aesthetic, coming off like a creepier black metal edged take on Beach Fossils. On the other end of the spectrum, “Florida” embraces the lo-fi black metal and eerier synths for much of its run, and it’s the closest I’ve ever heard another artist come to Tjolgtjar (though perhaps maybe a little more punk influenced). The back and forth of the low growls/screams and much softer singing makes for a wild ride, with the conclusion even bringing in a singalong gang vocal chorus.
Powerplant has already covered a considerable amount of ground by this point, and I’ve only covered the first three tracks out of eleven. But the remainder of the album has so many twists and turns that your focus may be drawn to different elements each time. Other first half highlights include the absolutely bonkers “Transactions” and more subdued “The Fork”. The former has booming synths and MIDI arrangements that remind me of earlier Mario games when you entered Bower’s territory, but Powerplant has also sampled the Pac-Man dot munching sound and then added it in. On the vocal front, things start off sounding like Count Von Count from Sesame Street crossed with 80s gothic rock and then head into an edgier singing pitch that gives off Goner Records vibes. “The Fork” spends much of its run emphasizing subdued gothic and neofolk textures through acoustic guitar and synth layers, but it builds into some much noisier instrumentation near the end. On the second half, the inward looking “Bad Moon Motel” goes full goth, while “Last Wheel” goes for black metal, hardcore, and post punk while its vocals sound more like Modest Mouse. Without going into depth on every single song, there’s something that stands out about each one and this is the type of album that stands out in your memory even after you’ve stopped listening.
The sheer amount of styles Powerplant weaves together isn’t going to be for everyone, as it may prove to be too quirky or alternative sounding for those that primarily listen to the metal side of things. But I can’t think of another album in recent memory that feels so tailor made for my specific musical tastes and the types of musical rabbit holes I’ve gone down over the past twenty years. Sometimes it’s black metal, other times gloomy gothic, and often downright strange, but this album remains exciting and catchy for its entire run and it’ll be in my rotation for a long time. Bridge of Sacrifice is available from Arcane Dynamics.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg