Werewolf Jerusalem - God Has Shot Himself (No Holiday, reissue)
Merzbow & Total - Merzbow Mixed Total (No Holiday, reissue)
Two reissues from this label have come out, and I think it is fair to say that these are 2 fairly monolithic releases within the canon of each artist's respective discography...
Early Werewolf Jerusalem has always been my favorite project of Ramirez's and this album shows off exactly why. It has crushing harsh tones in spades, but also has a very off-kilter sense of movement that is not often present in later works. One minute, we could be listening to feedback roaring at the top of the mix, only to cut to what sounds like a loose cable buzz on loop. It's fairly unpredictable and makes for quite the adventure.
As for Merzbow & Total, this finds guitar noise at its best. Masami knows exactly how to utilize the sounds of Total guitar screech without it sounding like an elongated Swans interlude or something. The darkness in track two was legitimately terrifying at times when driving to it at night.
Only complaint I really have with these reissues is that they are vinyl. Call me a stick in the mud, but releases like these are better suited as CDs for different reasons. Werewolf Jerusalem's record was originally issued as one long track. It is a minor thing, but that clip down the middle of the original composition is a little bothersome. As for Merzbow & Total, you have one track clocking in at 19 minutes, while another sits at a whopping 30. Surely that means a bad cut of vinyl for that B-Side, yeah? I appreciate the effort on No Holiday's part to make these easier to hear now though. I would have never even know the latter existed without it.
