Shortly before the wonderful world of mashups, groups like New Jersey's Dälek were really doing mashups. That is to say that Dälek's previous effects, such as 2005's doom-saturated brain-burner Absence, mashed disparate genres such as shoegaze, noise, and hip-hop into something entirely new, something that didn't quite fall in to both the aforementioned classifications or the contemporary definition of a mashup. Indeed, Dälek remain one of the most diverse hip-hop collectives in existence, and they're probably still the absolute loudest to boot.

So it's no surprise in knowing that the forthcoming Gutter Tactics, out January 27 on Mike Patton's Ipecac label, is probably packed with surprises. However, the production half of Dälek, okt0pus, recently offered up some hints, saying "Gutter Tactics is more about us continually doing some early hip-hop shit but with the attitude of the Melvins or Black Sabbath," so you can still expect the socio-political lyrics, headphone-decimating swells, and cavernous beats.

Two new tracks, "2012 (the Pillage)" and "No Question," are currently available at Dälek's MySpace page, showcasing a slight decrease in volume, but a more intense, haunting mood.

Gutter Tactics tracklisting: