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In a surprise to no one, metal’s latest latex-clad temptress has channelled the Seven Deadly Sins for her first full collection of tracks.
Writhing with thumping beats, debauched vocals and a lick of industrial grit, VII feels like stepping into the depths of a fetish dungeon. Right out the gates, there’s no mistaking that sex is woven into the core of VII. The instantly raunchy Inferno sets the tone, Harpy’s darkly downpitched vocals asserting her menacing demeanour.
There’s a reason the singer has earned the label of ‘Goth Metal Mommy’, and she’s happy to play into the fantasy; cuts like Call Me Mommy submerge listeners into a submissive goth-club haze of ‘touching, tasting, blood, sweat, vomit’ , Harpy maintaining a vice-like grip on your groin.
However, don’t be surprised if the sonic powerplay doesn’t get your heart rate going. When approaching this album, one must first consider: what gets you hot under the collar? Is sexiness nestled within the implicit, the unsaid, the tension of a subtle exchange… or it is asking someone point-blank to ‘whip it out’ ? Well, if you think the latter, this album is for you. Harpy doesn’t beat around the bush.
The slithering pulse of Last Time not so subtly commands ‘Fuck me like it’s the last time’ , while Torture Master literally uses wanton vocal pants as part of the track’s foundational beat.
Eventually, the oversaturation of seduction does lose its bite. The lust feels forced, but the depth is clearly there, in moments. Torture Master teases you with its chorus of ‘I’ll be whatever you want me to be’ – a line that, yes, oozes mindless sexual submission, but also shows a genuine glimmer of vulnerability. There’s more to Harpy than meets the eye, even if what meets the eye has been ball-gagged and hogtied.
VII is out this Friday, November 28