Double Mute – Corporate Culture_FINAL_v2

Metalcatto

At MER, I make a lot of office jokes — which is ironic, because I’ve never had a conventional office job. However, holding Zoom lectures was definitely a thing in my past. So, when I got Double Mute’s satirical and Avant-Garde take on this dreadful existence, I couldn’t let it pass. Corporate Culture_FINAL_v might not win “coolest title of the year,” but that’s probably part of the joke. If you’re ready for something extremely weird that’ll defy your conception of Metal, then buckle up — this meeting is about to start.

Corporate is incredibly alienating for the average Metalhead. It’ll demand the same open-mindedness you bring when listening to Ulver’s most recent work. This is almost experimental electronic music that happens to throw in brutal riffs here and there — a more technological, softer version of The Dillinger Escape Plan. Unlike corporate life, you don’t really know what’s going to happen next. The album stays at breathtaking levels of unpredictability, but that doesn’t mean it’s harsh — it’s just confusing, like the last memo you received.

Double Mute loves jumping between genres, and this goes far beyond Metal. Still, it retains that spirit and attitude that tie it back to our little niche. Just when you’re about to lose track of it all, the band snaps back to what we’d still recognize as Metal. Probably what I enjoyed the most, though, was the constant mockery and genuine questioning of our dehumanized labor system — the one that’s completely disenfranchised the working class and turned it into a subservient professional-managerial class that thinks it owns something when it doesn’t even own a place to live. Anyway, enough Marxism for today — let’s get to the bad stuff.

This album isn’t for people who just want to blast rancid Black or Death Metal demos all day long. You’ll feel out of place, as I did at several points. A more focused criticism would be that there’s a lot of talking going on, and though it usually serves a narrative purpose, I sometimes wanted less chatter and more of that glorious weirdness. Also, I think Double Mute could benefit from more aggression. We’re talking about corporate life here — the people who pretend to be your family just to exploit you! How can you not channel more fury toward those vampires?

If you want to rage against this toxic corporate world in a way that’s still HR-approved, then Double Mute has you covered. Even if it’s far from my usual listen, the creativity and talent behind this work can’t be denied. So give this album the chance those lazy recruiters never gave you. Don’t let the AI tell you what to listen to today — let me, a cat pretending to be human, do that instead.

Hand down, the most meta music video I’ve seen in a while

Label: Gymnocal Industries

Release date: November 14, 2025

Website: https://doublemute.bandcamp.com/album/corporate-culture-final-v2

Country: USA

Score: 3.5/5.0