There has been general discussion about scrap / junk metal harsh noise and junk metal fetish, but i couldn't find an topic concerning SI forum users own favourite junk metal releases. Recommendations, thoughts and discussion is welcome because just listing releases would be boring.
I should specify that with this topic i'm meaning harsh noise where junk metal is been used as primary sound source. Not so much about "shaker box with DOD Death Metal" variety of HN.
From recent years Corral Shut hands down.
Quote from: host body on January 24, 2023, 03:20:13 PM
From recent years Corral Shut hands down.
I agree. Scuff Marks and Ramshackle are super good. Saturated, but detailed, with arranged kind of feel.
Mania - "Insidious and Alone"
Yes, there is some synth in there, but where this release really shines is in the creation of an atmosphere/environment through junk metal.
Hal Hutchinson - "Dedicated to Damage"
Masterful layers of scrap metal avalanches. What's not to like?
As above, for me the top executors of this style are Keith Brewer and Hal Hutchinson but releases I usually reach for when in the mood...
Grunt - Seer of Decay disc 2
An early taste of Finnish steel and possibly the first full scrap metal release I heard which triggered a love for this style and naturally lead to discovering a bunch of other Finns.
Jaakko Vanhala - Feral Earth
Mindblowingly detailed stuff.
Bizarre Uproar - Fifteen Years Of "Filth & Violence" - Metal
Gotta have some BU in here, don't recall what has the most raw metal material but his scrap loops era is gold.
V/A - Sonno Ferrum
Killer Finnish comp where you're forced to blindly pick out each artists approach to the source as tracks are (deliberately) left uncredited.
Hal Hutchinson - ANY
Hal's factory of metal sound technique is unmatched!
Orgasmic Response Unit - Lesbian Hospital Orgasmic Response Unit
Just two tapes of solid metal worship.
Also Pussyfooter, first Aprapat tape, The New Boyfriends...
Going more into industrial territory but still noisy, I'd say anything by Vivenza and Linija Mass. Also pretty much anything by The New Blockaders, but especially the Changez Les Blockeurs album.
Knurl – A Hail Of Blades
Quote from: Sadomaniac on January 25, 2023, 11:45:51 AM
Grunt - Seer of Decay disc 2
Second that.
Also "
SS7" side A by
Macronympha is a really good piece, and reminds me of Grunt's approach in "Seer of Decay".
I'm surprised Umpio hasn't been brought up yet!
His stuff is pretty rad, has a fine collection of junk noise on Freak Animal.
https://umpio.bandcamp.com/album/molesterol (https://umpio.bandcamp.com/album/molesterol)
Besides all that has been mentioned, fantastic Umpio works, mastery of Hutchinson and breath taking power of Aprapat, my favorite release with junk metals is definately Bizarre Uproars "Unsafe and Insane" LP! It was one of the first noise LPs I got and it was everything I craved. Pure junk noise injection to needy veins.
Quote from: Sadomaniac on January 25, 2023, 11:45:51 AM
The New Boyfriends...
Special attention should be given to the live videos of them that were posted a little while back!
All the old K2 classics - The Rust, Metal Dysplasia, Rusty Tongue etc - get my vote. He really used those sounds to the max, made the very most out of them, and made them his very own. Play random three seconds from either of those recordings and anyone who's heard them should be able to tell what it is.
To steal my recommendation from the Scream n Writhe forum, XAH - Approaching The Absolute Periphery (https://cruelsymphonies.bandcamp.com/album/approaching-the-absolute-periphery). Possibly their only currently available in the vein, but is a goody. Visit the scrapmetalnoise blogspot (https://scrapmetalnoise.blogspot.com) for a listen to now (unfortunately) deleted tapes along the lines.
Quote from: Bloated Slutbag on January 27, 2023, 12:12:19 PM
To steal my recommendation from the Scream n Writhe forum, XAH - Approaching The Absolute Periphery (https://cruelsymphonies.bandcamp.com/album/approaching-the-absolute-periphery). Possibly their only currently available in the vein, but is a goody. Visit the scrapmetalnoise blogspot (https://scrapmetalnoise.blogspot.com) for a listen to now (unfortunately) deleted tapes along the lines.
This tape is really just so good.
I guess I´ll just join the previous posts praise for Hal Hutchinson and Jaako Vanhala. Absolutely masters of the style if you ask me. As I wrote elsewhere; witnessed Vanhala perform live with a minimal setup in Dresden where he conjured up the most infernal soundscapes with just a little metal and some pedals.
Quick newbie question: what was the first noise artist to use metal junk in its music. The first I've heard might be Grunt's Seer of Decay, but looking at this thread might suggest other releases I'm not familiar with yet.
Quote from: Kaaoskultti on January 28, 2023, 05:00:50 AM
Quick newbie question: what was the first noise artist to use metal junk in its music. The first I've heard might be Grunt's Seer of Decay, but looking at this thread might suggest other releases I'm not familiar with yet.
The New Blockaders? But probably some Fluxus or mail art person (maybe even a Dadaist or Futurist?) much earlier.
Thank you very much for your answer. I was refering specifically to the field of Power Electronics, but had in mind that earlier, say, proto-noise Dadaists or experimental artists not directly connected to that genre such as TNB or The Haters.
Quote from: Balor/SS1535 on January 24, 2023, 06:00:17 PM
Mania - "Insidious and Alone"
Decrepit is even better. It has dynamics of really heavy metal objects being dragged around and nice carcass cover art. If I had to pick one junk metal album, this comes first to my mind.
Not sure who was first, but scrap metal was built into industrial music from the very beginning. SPK, Dest Dept., early Laibach, Einstürzende Neubauten etc. all used lots of metal objects and many many industrial, dark ambient and related bands have used some metal percussion or gongs or other clanging sounds of varius metallic objects. I'm guessing that TNB and Haters were among the first to use it in "proper" noise music, but some of the Japanese artists like Hijokaidan may have been there even earlier or around the same time.
Quote from: Manhog_84 on January 28, 2023, 12:09:59 PM
Quote from: Balor/SS1535 on January 24, 2023, 06:00:17 PM
Mania - "Insidious and Alone"
Decrepit is even better. It has dynamics of really heavy metal objects being dragged around and nice carcass cover art. If I had to pick one junk metal album, this comes first to my mind.
That one is very good as well, I think Hal Hutchinson mentioned it to me on here a while back (when I was also posting about how much I love
Insidious and Alone!). It's been a while, but wasn't
Decrepit a little more synth-heavy in comparison? Both are great, of course, but I think some nostalgia colors my opinion here---
Insidious and Alone was probably the first noise album that I listened to.
Out of Florida:
Su Sous Toulouse en Rouge - will rest when dead [2020]
https://youtu.be/AOrlWVjt88Q
The new names mentioned on topic are great. Some "obvious" are not mentioned.
The New Blockaders Simphonie in X Major - for example. You could name debut album as classic, but this one has way more detailed nuance and neat tape saturation. Live at Anti-fest mCD, or 12", and now finally reissued by OEC as part of Morden Tower live CD, that is some massively great LOUD TNB. Not sure if it can be heard online, but CD is definitely must-have for metal junk/feedback lovers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_JZEz6y7jM
You got so much of goodness in it. No effects per se, more like picking up object and amount of input gain saturation it needs to sound good. It's never aggressive, but just rich in texture and variation of sound, pace flows very naturally in it.
Debut Hanatarashi LP, not only good funny titles, but as a metal-harsh-junk album, early masterpiece that still today doesn't sound "old", despite it may not be as LOUD and crunchy as some contemporary noise. One could put POWER COCK playing anytime and mistaken it's the latest hot noise tape, but no. This harsh attack comes from mid 80's!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRKzgjPdSfM
Quote from: FreakAnimalFinland on February 13, 2023, 09:55:56 AM
The new names mentioned on topic are great. Some "obvious" are not mentioned.
It was so much naive of me to pin Seer of Decay as an example, since Grunt migh have had its share of metal abuse since the beginning. Like many before, The Haters, TNB, Einstürzende Neubauten, SPK... but what about Whitehouse's Still Going Strong? Originally from the homonymous 7"inch, later appears on reissue of Thank Your Lucky Stars. Pretty much underrated within it's discography, one of my favorites of the EP/Album in question. Was thinking the other days on how peculiar it is that Bennett actually did himself some metal junk music. So quick, so subtle, only for once... can't think of a single other moment he might have used an organic "instrument" (don't know whether 00's African beats were computer produced, or.. "real"?). Wonder he might have to say about that.
Graftr's (aka Mutant Ape) S/T tape on the Turgid Vermin label features a lot of scrap metal junk loops mish mashed with droning synths, pretty neat stuff but not really harsh noise.
https://turgidvermin.bandcamp.com/album/s-t-3 (https://turgidvermin.bandcamp.com/album/s-t-3)
A much better representation of harsh junk noise than my previous post would be Black Leather Jesus' debut album Liar By Wound, it all began here with some good old Americanoise junk thrashing by Richard Ramirez himself.
https://richardramirez.bandcamp.com/album/liar-by-wound (https://richardramirez.bandcamp.com/album/liar-by-wound)
Electric Hobo's Sold Out is also worth checking out, really scuzzy junk noise goodness.
https://electrichobo.bandcamp.com/album/sold-out (https://electrichobo.bandcamp.com/album/sold-out)
I've somewhat recently been posting this shorty (https://wdavidoliphant.bandcamp.com/track/metal-on-metal) here and there from time to time, seems to have a been a true one off but just hits all the right notes as far as I'm concerned, emphasizing without necessarily saturating that very peak of metal on metal (https://wdavidoliphant.bandcamp.com/track/metal-on-metal) shriekery of the sort I can never seem to get quite enough (of).
coughedit
'81 apparently a good year.
Quote from: Balor/SS1535 on January 24, 2023, 06:00:17 PMMania - "Insidious and Alone"
Yes, there is some synth in there, but where this release really shines is in the creation of an atmosphere/environment through junk metal.
Hal Hutchinson - "Dedicated to Damage"
Masterful layers of scrap metal avalanches. What's not to like?
Insidious and Alone might be my favorite Mania tape and one of my favorite Mania cover art for a tape. Definitely some very isolating and chaotic atmosphere, created through junk metal, build up into some very suffocating atmosphere for sure.
Quote from: Cranial Blast on December 09, 2023, 01:50:58 AMQuote from: Balor/SS1535 on January 24, 2023, 06:00:17 PMMania - "Insidious and Alone"
Yes, there is some synth in there, but where this release really shines is in the creation of an atmosphere/environment through junk metal.
Hal Hutchinson - "Dedicated to Damage"
Masterful layers of scrap metal avalanches. What's not to like?
Insidious and Alone might be my favorite Mania tape and one of my favorite Mania cover art for a tape. Definitely some very isolating and chaotic atmosphere, created through junk metal, build up into some very suffocating atmosphere for sure.
Yes, and to call it atmospheric almost misses just how good it is. The sounds plus the cover art manage to convey a whole story.
Quote from: Balor/SS1535 on December 09, 2023, 02:47:02 AMQuote from: Cranial Blast on December 09, 2023, 01:50:58 AMQuote from: Balor/SS1535 on January 24, 2023, 06:00:17 PMMania - "Insidious and Alone"
Yes, there is some synth in there, but where this release really shines is in the creation of an atmosphere/environment through junk metal.
Hal Hutchinson - "Dedicated to Damage"
Masterful layers of scrap metal avalanches. What's not to like?
Insidious and Alone might be my favorite Mania tape and one of my favorite Mania cover art for a tape. Definitely some very isolating and chaotic atmosphere, created through junk metal, build up into some very suffocating atmosphere for sure.
Yes, and to call it atmospheric almost misses just how good it is. The sounds plus the cover art manage to convey a whole story.
Got to get my hands on this tape, sounds really promising. I really love All Aftermath, it is one of my top 10 noise releases of all time. Raw Nerves CD also have super good junk metal handling in it.
Quote from: Commander15 on December 09, 2023, 12:15:54 PMQuote from: Balor/SS1535 on December 09, 2023, 02:47:02 AMQuote from: Cranial Blast on December 09, 2023, 01:50:58 AMQuote from: Balor/SS1535 on January 24, 2023, 06:00:17 PMMania - "Insidious and Alone"
Yes, there is some synth in there, but where this release really shines is in the creation of an atmosphere/environment through junk metal.
Hal Hutchinson - "Dedicated to Damage"
Masterful layers of scrap metal avalanches. What's not to like?
Insidious and Alone might be my favorite Mania tape and one of my favorite Mania cover art for a tape. Definitely some very isolating and chaotic atmosphere, created through junk metal, build up into some very suffocating atmosphere for sure.
Yes, and to call it atmospheric almost misses just how good it is. The sounds plus the cover art manage to convey a whole story.
Got to get my hands on this tape, sounds really promising. I really love All Aftermath, it is one of my top 10 noise releases of all time. Raw Nerves CD also have super good junk metal handling in it.
It has been a while since I last heard
All Aftermath, and
Raw Nerves remains something I have yet to listen to. I will need to go over both of those!
Quote from: Balor/SS1535 on December 09, 2023, 05:58:47 PMQuote from: Commander15 on December 09, 2023, 12:15:54 PMQuote from: Balor/SS1535 on December 09, 2023, 02:47:02 AMQuote from: Cranial Blast on December 09, 2023, 01:50:58 AMQuote from: Balor/SS1535 on January 24, 2023, 06:00:17 PMMania - "Insidious and Alone"
Yes, there is some synth in there, but where this release really shines is in the creation of an atmosphere/environment through junk metal.
Hal Hutchinson - "Dedicated to Damage"
Masterful layers of scrap metal avalanches. What's not to like?
Insidious and Alone might be my favorite Mania tape and one of my favorite Mania cover art for a tape. Definitely some very isolating and chaotic atmosphere, created through junk metal, build up into some very suffocating atmosphere for sure.
Yes, and to call it atmospheric almost misses just how good it is. The sounds plus the cover art manage to convey a whole story.
Got to get my hands on this tape, sounds really promising. I really love All Aftermath, it is one of my top 10 noise releases of all time. Raw Nerves CD also have super good junk metal handling in it.
It has been a while since I last heard All Aftermath, and Raw Nerves remains something I have yet to listen to. I will need to go over both of those!
If you can find a copy of the split tape with Phocomelus, that one is great! It's some more of that isolating Mania material again, that's loaded in junk metal abuse. The Mania track was titled something like Chattery Panic Talking About Mass Murder. Seems like Keith was into this combination of nervous anxiety meets the thought of random explosive and spontaneous gun violence for a period there. It's very brilliant along with how anxiety ridden some of his recordings are. He does a good job at conveying to the listener that sort of dark madness happening in ones own lonely mind.
Quote from: Cranial Blast on December 09, 2023, 06:26:03 PMQuote from: Balor/SS1535 on December 09, 2023, 05:58:47 PMQuote from: Commander15 on December 09, 2023, 12:15:54 PMQuote from: Balor/SS1535 on December 09, 2023, 02:47:02 AMQuote from: Cranial Blast on December 09, 2023, 01:50:58 AMQuote from: Balor/SS1535 on January 24, 2023, 06:00:17 PMMania - "Insidious and Alone"
Yes, there is some synth in there, but where this release really shines is in the creation of an atmosphere/environment through junk metal.
Hal Hutchinson - "Dedicated to Damage"
Masterful layers of scrap metal avalanches. What's not to like?
Insidious and Alone might be my favorite Mania tape and one of my favorite Mania cover art for a tape. Definitely some very isolating and chaotic atmosphere, created through junk metal, build up into some very suffocating atmosphere for sure.
Yes, and to call it atmospheric almost misses just how good it is. The sounds plus the cover art manage to convey a whole story.
Got to get my hands on this tape, sounds really promising. I really love All Aftermath, it is one of my top 10 noise releases of all time. Raw Nerves CD also have super good junk metal handling in it.
It has been a while since I last heard All Aftermath, and Raw Nerves remains something I have yet to listen to. I will need to go over both of those!
If you can find a copy of the split tape with Phocomelus, that one is great! It's some more of that isolating Mania material again, that's loaded in junk metal abuse. The Mania track was titled something like Chattery Panic Talking About Mass Murder. Seems like Keith was into this combination of nervous anxiety meets the thought of random explosive and spontaneous gun violence for a period there. It's very brilliant along with how anxiety ridden some of his recordings are. He does a good job at conveying to the listener that sort of dark madness happening in ones own lonely mind.
Thanks---I will look into that one as well. I think the sense of isolation is what makes these particular releases stand out so much to me.
Quote from: Balor/SS1535 on December 09, 2023, 09:08:27 PMQuote from: Cranial Blast on December 09, 2023, 06:26:03 PMQuote from: Balor/SS1535 on December 09, 2023, 05:58:47 PMQuote from: Commander15 on December 09, 2023, 12:15:54 PMQuote from: Balor/SS1535 on December 09, 2023, 02:47:02 AMQuote from: Cranial Blast on December 09, 2023, 01:50:58 AMQuote from: Balor/SS1535 on January 24, 2023, 06:00:17 PMMania - "Insidious and Alone"
Yes, there is some synth in there, but where this release really shines is in the creation of an atmosphere/environment through junk metal.
Hal Hutchinson - "Dedicated to Damage"
Masterful layers of scrap metal avalanches. What's not to like?
Insidious and Alone might be my favorite Mania tape and one of my favorite Mania cover art for a tape. Definitely some very isolating and chaotic atmosphere, created through junk metal, build up into some very suffocating atmosphere for sure.
Yes, and to call it atmospheric almost misses just how good it is. The sounds plus the cover art manage to convey a whole story.
Got to get my hands on this tape, sounds really promising. I really love All Aftermath, it is one of my top 10 noise releases of all time. Raw Nerves CD also have super good junk metal handling in it.
It has been a while since I last heard All Aftermath, and Raw Nerves remains something I have yet to listen to. I will need to go over both of those!
If you can find a copy of the split tape with Phocomelus, that one is great! It's some more of that isolating Mania material again, that's loaded in junk metal abuse. The Mania track was titled something like Chattery Panic Talking About Mass Murder. Seems like Keith was into this combination of nervous anxiety meets the thought of random explosive and spontaneous gun violence for a period there. It's very brilliant along with how anxiety ridden some of his recordings are. He does a good job at conveying to the listener that sort of dark madness happening in ones own lonely mind.
Thanks---I will look into that one as well. I think the sense of isolation is what makes these particular releases stand out so much to me.
Have to agree with you on this. Late-era Mania have this certain ominous, desolate even, mood through out. Very immaculately crafted noise with concrete sense of direction. Synths blended perfectly with junk metal carving and handling.
Violent Shogun's Knife Will Not Open Because of the Rust and Encephalophonic's releases are among the best I've listened to, along with the Mania tapes mentioned above and Hardly Lethal. The synth and metal sounds in the Violent Shogun tape are very detailed, yet they don't have a single bad moment.
Quote from: Commander15 on December 11, 2023, 11:14:39 AMQuote from: Balor/SS1535 on December 09, 2023, 09:08:27 PMQuote from: Cranial Blast on December 09, 2023, 06:26:03 PMQuote from: Balor/SS1535 on December 09, 2023, 05:58:47 PMQuote from: Commander15 on December 09, 2023, 12:15:54 PMQuote from: Balor/SS1535 on December 09, 2023, 02:47:02 AMQuote from: Cranial Blast on December 09, 2023, 01:50:58 AMQuote from: Balor/SS1535 on January 24, 2023, 06:00:17 PMMania - "Insidious and Alone"
Yes, there is some synth in there, but where this release really shines is in the creation of an atmosphere/environment through junk metal.
Hal Hutchinson - "Dedicated to Damage"
Masterful layers of scrap metal avalanches. What's not to like?
Insidious and Alone might be my favorite Mania tape and one of my favorite Mania cover art for a tape. Definitely some very isolating and chaotic atmosphere, created through junk metal, build up into some very suffocating atmosphere for sure.
Yes, and to call it atmospheric almost misses just how good it is. The sounds plus the cover art manage to convey a whole story.
Got to get my hands on this tape, sounds really promising. I really love All Aftermath, it is one of my top 10 noise releases of all time. Raw Nerves CD also have super good junk metal handling in it.
It has been a while since I last heard All Aftermath, and Raw Nerves remains something I have yet to listen to. I will need to go over both of those!
If you can find a copy of the split tape with Phocomelus, that one is great! It's some more of that isolating Mania material again, that's loaded in junk metal abuse. The Mania track was titled something like Chattery Panic Talking About Mass Murder. Seems like Keith was into this combination of nervous anxiety meets the thought of random explosive and spontaneous gun violence for a period there. It's very brilliant along with how anxiety ridden some of his recordings are. He does a good job at conveying to the listener that sort of dark madness happening in ones own lonely mind.
Thanks---I will look into that one as well. I think the sense of isolation is what makes these particular releases stand out so much to me.
Have to agree with you on this. Late-era Mania have this certain ominous, desolate even, mood through out. Very immaculately crafted noise with concrete sense of direction. Synths blended perfectly with junk metal carving and handling.
Absolutely! Desolation seems to be the best word to give proper summary of Mania, especially towards the end. It really does seem like Keith knew exactly the blue print for what he was doing. It's definitely some of the most inspiring works of harsh noise to date and by all details of it, from the sounds being emitted down to the collage artworks that serve brilliantly to his isolating atmospheres of sheer madness!