Dälek

Contrary as ever, the duo of Dälek and Okt0pus return with a beautiful mess of harsh, messy hip-hop that embraces confusion. With its crushing mix of gloomy ambience and a driving beat, "No Question" swings mysteriously. Dälek's distorted vocals are mixed low, a menacing, unearthly texture, tricky to pinpoint. Similarly, "Who Medgar Evers Was…" is intriguing, as a post-industrial march eventually parts for lyrics about the civil rights struggle and possibly even the name checked activist, but it's difficult to tell. As an MC, Dälek rocks a flow with conviction, making more room for himself on "Street Diction," featuring stirring production by Okt0pus. The kind of dissonant, anti-organic approach to beats that Okt0pus prefers lets up here and there, such as with the almost human "We Lost Sight," where instrumentation, not to mention Dälek's voice, is less processed. But by and large, Gutter Tactics is most effective as an uncompromising blast of noise.