Stuff I loved, in no order (except for the first one):
THE DAY OF THE ANTLER - LOVE BEYOND LOVE (Satatuhatta)
The zoned-in and meditative aspects of the Jordrök cd get covered with straight-up heavy harsh noise that feels savage and organically-sourced (sorry, don't mean to get all granola). The bulk of it makes me think of getting buried by huge rock beds and dirt mounds, but not necessarily in a DBL sort of way due to the aforementioned organic feel (as opposed to the noticeably line-in immediacy of the DBL style). Lots of thick churning textures, sometimes somewhat rhythmic, sometimes opening up into incisive Jaakko Vanhala-style fury. A couple of "minimal piano with nature recording" interludes (which are basically the New Wave of Finnish Rural Industrial equivalent of the ambient guitar stuff that got interspersed throughout the mid-2000's LA pedal-smashing scene - I'm not talking shit, I love them both) help frame all of the big burly action with rustic contemplation. And then there's B2, "Earth's Circular Breath", a real fist-pumper with a killer metal (?) loop and focused synth work... more overtly industrial than anything else on the album and also maybe the highlight? Excellent album all around though. Some of the best stuff in this vein and my favorite noise release of the year. I'd really love to get my hands on those self-released tapes that he did somewhat recently. If anyone can help, please get in touch. Would love to see a DAY OF THE ANTLER / HUM OF THE DRUID split or collab, too, eh?
SKIN CRIME - A SOUL EATEN BY DARKNESS (Hospital)
Gotta say I've been lukewarm on the Skin Crime "comeback" era. I try to turn the spooky themes into visual motifs in my head, but I have a hard time shaking the image of some guys just sitting on the floor and fondling small pieces of metal. Not bad by any means, sometimes pretty good, but nothing I checked out before made me want to buy it after listening. Took a chance on this because of cool cover, cool title, and thinking "maybe this'll be the one" (as well as the likelihood that I could quickly flip it - at cost, goddamnit - if I didn't like it). Well, turns out I love it. Uber-minimal industrial ambient, banking more on empty obscure tones instead of distinct metal scrapes, slow-burning it's way through almost two 30 min sides before spectral pulsations emerge. Enjoyably lifeless atmosphere. Great late-night isolation shit. On my first listen, at 2am in my kitchen while dead sober and making hard-boiled eggs, this made me feel like I was tripping. Ha!
GOLDEN PURIFIER - GANZ ANDERE (Fanalstatt)
Corroded kosmiche swirling around layers of patiently aggressive noise and gleaming feedback. Both rugged and atmospheric, but altogether more spaced-out sounding than the heavily detailed earthy narrative of last year's Walpurgisopfer (which is a modern classic in my eyes). Closer to the barren landscapes of Aischrolatreia, but with a much stronger numinous vibe. The guy's got a great knack for carving sharp edges and morbid grit into a hollowed (or rather, hallowed) out sense of space. Feels like seeing desirably painful rays of light while trapped inside of some semi-collapsed catacombs and cascading through a heavy dose of ketamine.
RODGER STELLA - LOOP WAR (Hospital)
Not the sequel to the sado-carousel brilliance of Death Loop Cut that I was expecting, but great varied noise. Long-form psychedelic shit with mid-budget production values (at least when dubbed to tape) and a plot-like structure, twisting and turning through different sections with a nice flow where things naturally come and go but then sometimes come back more fucked up than before. Could be another example of Rodger's editing expertise, but it feels very live. Also as expected from Stella, it's well-layered stuff, but one element that stands out for me is how he plays with all of the grinding delays and flange action in a tasteful way that's hard to come by. There are brief moments where it sounds a tiny bit sci-fi (which is generally something that I'm not keen on), but there's more than enough of the right energy that it never feels like cartoon faggot shit.
WORTH - HAMPER (Aussaat)
Compared to something like the maniacal what-the-fuck whirlwind of the Blinder lp, this takes an agonized and elongated approach, using more of a classic noise palette while still hitting with the refreshing sense of composition that one can expect from Worth. Combines the project's obscure themes with a darker presence than I can remember ever hearing in his stuff, where the electronics sometimes sound like the tortured moans of something you can't see.
GRUNT - VIERAAT AIVOT (Freak Animal)
The project continues its march towards the sun with further refinement and comparative restraint, "elevating" (I tried to think of another word but couldn't) time-honored industrial sounds through the use of thoughtful compositions and nutritious content, i.e. an earnest poetic approach that neither hides behind ambiguity or splashes around in empty edginess (not that there's anything inherently wrong with either of those things). Each track has its own sonic identity and sense of intent, segueing from aggro to eerie, seething to serene, occasionally overlapping because the soul of the world is a complicated thing. More forward-thinking than forceful, while thankfully holding on to rugged tradition with both hands. Live recording with nice-but-not-too-nice sound quality helps give it an intimate human feeling.
Some great old material seeing the light of day this year, too. A generous amount of both previously unreleased and re-released classic MACRONYMPHA... Whorechestra, Crack, Transsexual Pt 2 (which deserves mention for the special edition packaging alone), as well as the Macro and ODE tapes that Advaita discovered in the Aube archives. The SURVIVAL UNIT / GREY WOLVES 'Whip of Autocracy' 60-minute "extended version" (ha) is an excavated gem. Reaching a bit outside the boundaries of the rougher stuff listed above, the BURIAL HEX 'In Hiding' cd also rules. A collection of previously-released comp tracks that have been remixed, remastered, and presented almost like a new album. Focuses more on the project's neo-classical and prog interests than the noise or horror electronics, but still in an industrial context. Beautiful stuff. Maybe his best (for my tastes, at least).
