Seattle’s Turian has always been an impressively forward thinking heavy band, holding a sense of unified progression over a stretch of genres that ranges from death metal and prog and to sludge and experimental grindcore.
After the band recruited vocalist Vern Metzii-Moon for 2021’s single “Calaca,” they released the scorcher LP that was No Longer Human, a record that introduced thrash, punk and post-hardcore into an already eclectic mix. The album also proved that Metzii-Moon’s vocals had coalesced as a true force to be reckoned with, making for a sweet spot that, for many, proves difficult to follow.
But for Turian, it appears the sweet spot was only the beginning, spending the last three years on the creation of Blood Quantum Blues, which you can finally check out below:
There is so much to unpack. From the moment “Spill” erupts, it’s apparent that everything great about No Longer Human is back with ten times the excellence. The melodic parts are more memorable, showing the occasional flash of bands like Propagandhi and Pears on songs like “Nite Flights.” The heavy parts are more intentional yet feel more free as they incorporate various facets of prog and death metal but spicing it up with twists of Deftones and Loathe, not to mention the occasional sprinkling of bands like The Armed and Cloud Rat.
The electronic elements also massively expand the scope this time around, occasionally driving the band to Doritos-level boldness. Some of the album’s greatest moments are when it all come together, like when the synths of “Mache” cross over into “Divine Child (No One’s Daughter),” kicking listeners through their bedroom walls with thick, thunderous nu-metal guitars.
But Blood Quantum Blues is also grounded by Metzii-Moon’s deeply personal narrative:
“As a Yaqui Indian, this album is about my ancestors, acknowledging their unheard grief and our transcendental connection to one another,” Vern Metztli-Moon explains. “It’s also about my decision to confront and break cycles of destruction caused by multiple generations of colonial genocide.” (If you want some more background on Blood Quantum Blues, don’t forget to check out our Turian interview here.)
The album’s cathartic journey through these topics never lets off, and it can be an eviscerating experience. Songs like “Leash” and the title track are collegiate-level indictments of epic proportions, but some of our favorite lyrics come from the album’s first single, “Chemical Bath:”
“Zyklon b chemical bath
Nazis copied the U.S.
Corrupted by power hungry hatred you possess
Your spirits will never rest”
It’s a simple line, but also so direct effective that if you told us Zach de la Rocha wrote those lyrics instead of Metzii-Moon, we wouldn’t have batted an eye. We remember when we were watching the lyrics video for the first time, and when “Nazis coped the U.S.” flashed across the screen, we said “oh, HOLY SHIT, it is ON,” and it really is.
Blood Quantum Blues isn’t just a revelation in that a band that was already fantastic is now reaching even further into greatness. It’s a lesson on what it means to get there – Turian’s latest triumph isn’t a success because they tried to reinvent the wheel and succeeded. It’s a success because they transcended the wheel altogether by trusting their instincts and making music about what matters to them, resulting in a record that was born ready to face the test of time.
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