#blarkmetal — Public Fediverse posts

There is genius that insists upon itself, and then there is genius that does a striptease. Hold these opposing poles in mind as you consider Night of the Jick Beast, the album of improvised goblin metal by Rushadicus. Here are eighteen tracks of experimental cello, composed on the evening of March 9, 2026 and recorded between the hours of six and eight pm. For instruments, we have a cello, two (2) kazoos, a viola, a guitar, and some flutes. The vocals spew forth in the nonsense goblin language of Sneth. Some tracks come in at a minute or less (opener “Portal to Eelsgard,” “Brokbath”). Others, like album centerpiece “Three Headed Jick Beast,” are nearly six minutes. So what is going on here–does Night of the Jick Beast blow your doors off with its brilliance right away, or is it the sort of thing that takes years or even generations to flower?

We may need to broaden our conception of genius. I listened closely to Night of the Jick Beast, and neither of the above definitions seems to apply. This leaves open the possibility that there is a third, as yet unconsidered, framework for appreciating the work of Rushadicus. Sole member Rushad Eggleston works within a tradition of provocation. His songs recall the open mic antics of anti-comedians like Neil Hamburger or The Purple Organ. This is music as an endurance test, with rules and standards that are private to the creator. The cello-and-kazoo attack of “Gargoyles Converge at the Pentaglyph” yields to the flute digressions of “Two Headed Fifing Faun.” It all feels like you’re being punished to no good end, but that is just the quitter in you. How do you get your eyes wide open enough to see the elephant that is Night of the Jick Beast?

Drugs and alcohol might be the answer. The energy unleashed by mind-altering substances fuels the creation and appreciation of art. This is the school of thought that asks us to prize the sweat equity of the artist, to treasure the endless sheet of paper that fed Jack Kerouac’s typewriter while he wrote On the Road as if that paper were the novel itself.1 Unfortunately, even this definition of genius fails to unlock the charms of Night of the Jick Beast. There’s kinetic force to spare in tracks like “Gravity vs Goblinity” and “Septupulary Imp Romp,” but it’s the kind you cross the street to avoid. Sometimes mania is just a halfway point between the meth pipe and the morgue.

I’m almost out of ideas for how to get at this thing, but I’m not out of paragraphs yet. I must go on. I can’t go on. I’ll go on–oh, hey, wait a minute! Let’s take a cue from existentialism and say all action is meaningless. So why not spend a decade honing a style called Sneth Metal or Blark Metal, one that relies on a rapid ricochet bowing technique called “the bounce?” It’s as good as doing anything else! The meaning might lie in summoning the will to act at all. This suggests that we use our now-enlightened ears to take another listen to “Spires of Gnistromé.” Here Rushadicus conjures up a black metal atmosphere by skillful use of the bounce. Could this track be the key to appreciating Night of the Jick Beast… ?

I failed to get to “yes.” And while the end of the review approaches, the struggle to esteem Night of the Jick Beast is just beginning. Until the truth comes along, I have no choice but to score this record with the ears and brain that came factory installed. Rushadicus seems like a good-hearted guy, and I am impressed with the isometric strength it takes for him to hold a horse pose while playing the cello and a kazoo at the same time. The actual music, however, is an irritating imposition on your time. To listen to Night of the Jick Beast is to submit yourself to a grueling gauntlet that rivals the 12 Labors of Hercules. That’s just a temporary assessment, though. If you happen by these crossroads again, I’ll be right here where you left me.

Rating: 0.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: rushadicus.bandcamp.com|rushadicus.com
Releases Worldwide: August 24, 2026