Recent posts
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#3
I didn't see this post before. I can obviously only say good things about Bernd / Dunkelheit. I have released two albums with him and am looking forward to more collaborations in the future. These delays by the pre-orders are surely annoying, I am also waiting for Black Vault, but it's gonna be out in December.
#4
Last post by SSRI - November 09, 2025, 03:37:51 PM
A friend got the DVD a little while ago and I borrowed it from him. It's an alright documentary and well worth seeing if you're interested in CMI. It concentrates on the label and there's very little about Roger's own music. It goes from the beginnings of the label to the CMI 30th anniversary festival. Lots of talking heads, Roger himself of course, his daughter, many Cold Meat artists and some other people. There are some old live snippets and pictures of the bands as well to evoke the era. I liked the visual choices and editing style. I doubt I'll watch this again (unless shown at some event or something), but I'm happy this was made and there are people putting effort in these things.
Odd detail: Roger spoke Swedish (there are subtitles so no worries) but everyone else English.
Lesson: if you suffer from depression, you might want to get professional help until it gets too serious.
#7
Last post by Manhog_84 - November 09, 2025, 02:11:33 AM
This whole pre-order culture is bullshit.
#8
Last post by moozz - November 08, 2025, 11:30:31 PM
I've been using bandcamp to check out artists/releases for several years but it took me this long to create a page collecting all my material that can be found on bandcamp.
https://moozzhead.bandcamp.com/Maybe one day something download-only but now strictly a link collection.
#9
Cyess Afxzs - Was That Always There? (Input Error)
A fairly unique entry into the Cyess Afxzs catalogue. Stuart pushes his sound further into new territories.
For those that remember the WCN interview, Stuart discusses that to do something new with noise, he has a preference to insert musicality or more traditional musical elements. He's done this very successfully in the past, in my opinion, and maybe most notably with recent collabs with Scathing or the Sundial Sessions album among others.
Was That Always There? is another musical noise endeavor in that it utilizes more traditional instrumentation, perhaps more bluntly than on most other releases. Joining Stuart on the album is a drummer. This addition could be perceived as a return to Cyess Afxzs' earlier roots as it initially started out as a duo with a drummer.
The drumming is very much an improvisational drumming approach ala Hijokaidan of the last decade or a jazz fusion drummer even. Not in the abstract Eddie Prevost style ala AMM or similar. Stuart utilizes electronics, but I think I also hear guitar, wind or brass instruments, and piano or keyboard.
The album very much feels like a live "noise band" scenario with electronics and layering of sounds accompanying the drums and vice versa. However, it sounds more composed than just jamming and doesn't sound anything like Borbetomagus or Wasteland Jazz Unit, etc. A couple of spins, and I'm intrigued, but I will admit sometimes the drums are so upfront, they can be a little distracting and a little too upfront in my opinion. Maybe it's because I'm still listening and framing this as a noise release, when it's different than a traditional noise album. I have the same issues with the drumming on some Hijokaidan albums as well.
I'm a big fan of Cyess Afxzs and the unique approach to noise that Stuart takes. I will say that I don't think everyone will like this album, however, I can say it's a unique listen, and I have not heard many albums that sound like this in the noise realm.
I appreciate that Stuart is out there exploring and trying to push the traditions of what we consider noise, and each album is uniquely Cyess Afxzs.
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