London noisy sludge outlet Remote Viewing offer an oppressively heavy soundscape on their excellent fourth LP.
Release date: September 18, 2026 | Human Worth | Instagram | Bandcamp | Twitter
‘Angst,’ as a term, has been co-opted by emo and written off as the needless whining of teenagers everywhere. At its core, the word refers to the intersection between apprehension, anger, and anxiety, a specific type of dread that is fueled by frustration and insecurity. That is a far cry from the popular depictions of overly-emotional bellyaching seen in a lot of media, and the classical definition is much more relatable to the everyday man alive today.
Nothing quite captures the real meaning of angst currently like the plethora of ‘noise rock’ bands entering alternative spheres, led by Chat Pile, but filtering down to many other (some might say more so) excellent groups within the general Flenserian sound. One such example is London’s Remote Viewing, who crank the intensity and acrimony up to 11 on their most recent LP, titled STATE VIOLENCE.
“Retrain as a Swan” opens on a blistering distorted guitar lick, joined shortly by the viscerally pained vocals that are commonplace on STATE VIOLENCE. The effect is immediate: profound unease, the wrath of singer Ed Dudley’s screams palpable and adversarial. Many of the songs on this album do not follow traditional structure, instead weaving in and out of long, extended passages that may resemble choruses and verses, but are really more like jazz forms. “Retrain as a Swan” is no exception, as Remote Viewing take their time oscillating between hulking riffs, white-knuckle vocals, and moments of spoken-word poetry.
If the general loudness of “Retrain as a Swan” wasn’t an indicator enough of the subject matter, the video makes Remote Viewing‘s stances on the various atrocities that plague our society clear. It’s an intense watch, one that grabs you by the collar to shake you out of whatever antidepressant fugue you’re in and demanding that you see what is happening right in front of you.
“Disrespect the Arts” is the second single from STATE VIOLENCE, showcasing some nasty weird guitar solos and clean backing vocals low in the mix underneath crazy, agonized screams, creating a sense of disorientation. I liked the shifting time signatures in this track as well; Remote Viewing are clearly a group of musicians who have been playing together for quite some time, falling into perfect sync despite the intentionally off-kilter nature of the song.
“HUMAN RIGHT$” is the magnum opus of this album, the record’s most musically adventurous track and a masterclass in alternative instrumentation in heavy music. Acoustic guitar, cello and other strings, reversed guitar samples, you name it. Hannah Asprey of IAN and Ross Sargeant of Pascagoula feature on this track, and I think the addition of outside musicians was brilliant in widening the overall palette of the album. I was reminded a bit of DDENT‘s excellent live album Feeding the Void’s Luster during “HUMAN RIGHT$”, the oppressive soundscape of STATE VIOLENCE culminating in a strangely atmospheric way that is just hypnotic to experience.
After such a massive centerpiece, Remote Viewing bring the heat down (just barely) for the final two tracks of the album, the over-nine-minute-long “Accidental Holiday” and the blissfully melodic coda “Birds of a Feather is on in 7 minutes”.
“Accidental Holiday” takes the tempo much slower, sludgier, gesturing towards more traditional contemporary groups like Acid Bath or even Stygian Bough with the nearly pleasant guitar riffs, angling away from the dissonant sound popular in noise-rock spaces at the moment. I’m into this change of pace; the first two-thirds of STATE VIOLENCE are scorched-earth barn burners, and while that energy is exciting and palpable, a chiller comedown is exactly the balance that the record needs.
Don’t be fooled, though–the middle section of “Accidental Holiday” kicks us right back into the fold for one final explosive gut punch before “Birds” gently places us back down on solid ground, left to think about the outpouring of rage we’ve experienced.
STATE VIOLENCE is a direct expression of the world we live in, oftentimes hellish and infuriating and unjust. Remote Viewing do not want us to look away from this reality, as tempting as it may be, instead pleading and begging and screaming at us to confront it. It’s damn good sludge with a damn good message and well worth whatever angst you feel as you let it wash over you.
