Patriarchal Death Machine – Yes

Patriarchal Death Machine – just the sound of the title feels like it could be thrown around regularly in an elitist masters student’s study group.  The sociologically inspired term swings the moralistic hammer of postcolonial judgment.  Based on the Australian group’s commitment to their anti-racist content, they’re clearly a band dedicated to furthering and publicizing the body of work that challenges oppressive contemporary governments.

“We have a racist government that is controlling the lives of indigenous people in the northern territory, you need to be aware of the lies that exist, and the lies that are continuing, you can’t apologize one the one hand, and continue racist laws on the other.”  Australia has a long and controversial history of turning a blind eye to the displacement of the continent’s initial inhabitants, andPatriarchal Death Machine spares no expense at bringing that to light, speaking in opener “A Vulgar Display Of Brute Force, Ignorance, and Colonial Imperialism,” of a history that eliminated communities and displaced many people.  Beneath their angry, dissonant hardcore exterior, the band backs up their passion with education and academic research.  The second track actually serves as a solute to defiant student protests across the country.  Granted, these are radicals singing praise to forceful solutions and violent displays against what they call the “fascist right” and “police state,” but so is the language of academia.

The band is big on highlighting irony of themselves and others.  On “The Irony Of It All” they underscore the flaw of promoting violence for anti-violence, and on “Destroy This System” the irony of pet owners passively condoning animal testing.  A favourite quote comes from “The Scourge,” which finds a disgruntled foreigner being chastised for refusing a drink at a bar, only to have him fight back, pointing out the lunacy of taking offence over something so trivial while brushing aside major injustices.  In an addendum on the detailed liner notes (which also deserve a shout out) the band points out how readily accepted social drinking is in Australia, to the point where “four Australians under the age of 25 die due to alcohol related injuries in an average week,” and while it can serve a social lubricant, that there is a “fine line between lubricating and liquidating.”

Musically the band plays in a manor quite fitting their Pee Records roster.  In “The Irony Of It All” the band sums up their approach with rampant acceleration, screeching halts and forceful shouts slammed down with pounding riffs.  It brings to mind the lively Australian hardcore scene along the lines of Driven Fear and Strength Approach.  If it wasn’t for the blunt and specific nature of the group’s strong-minded ideals, they might fade into the scene, but with a voice this loud, I doubt they’ll ever stand to get lost in the backdrop.

For a pretty standard wedge of Australian hardcore, Patriarchal Death Machine stands out fairly well.  Yes brings a battle cry to an intellectual war that manifests itself as a struggle for control of the outback.  While the album might be a good history lesson, it’s still a much-needed reminder that such a legacy still haunts the present, and should never be buried.