New Contrastate 7 " single "An exercise in defascination"

[blackroserecordings]

Black Rose Recordings are proud to present the new single from Contrastate. The two tracks are alternative mixes from our ongoing studio recordings for the next Contrastate album. The album concept is inspired by the Italian giallo films of 1970s. Limited to 250 yellow vinyl copies.

Why are Flavia's hands and feet missing? What is she doing in the Nessuno Aslyum? And how did she know about the death of Judge Carnevale? Inspector Qualcuno fights his way through the elite of society and the cabal of capitalism to the corrupt underbelly of a decadent and decaying nation. Until finally confronting a closed-shop cartel hell bent on anti-democratic sabotage for its own personal gain.

Active from the late 1980s through to the present day Contrastate have released a number of critically acclaimed albums. Their sound insinuates itself inside the dark ritual ambience of the electronic avant-garde shot through with a vein of experimental noise and stentorian vocals that are strewn amongst touches of industrial surrealism and sonic soundtracks.

"Contrastate achieve an amazing equilibrium between organic sound and brooding electronics" – Heathen Harvest

Available direct from Black Rose Recordings for £7.50 (UK), £9.00 (EU), £10.00 (ROW). Paypal: srmeixner@yahoo.co.uk

Also available from Drone Records, TESCO and Discogs. Other outlets to follow.

[blackroserecordings]

The first review of this single has now appeared in the excellent Noise Receptor journal.
https://noisereceptor.wordpress.com/2019/09/23/contrastate-%E2%80%8E-an-exercise-in-defascination/?fbclid=IwAR01QprWHqYct6WwpyhrgiC2Gbm1-T3Z1V9SUjKopu49K3iGX8orCyatEi0

[blackroserecordings]

A nice review has also just appeared in Vital Weekly.

CONTRASTATE - AN EXERCISE IN DEFASCINATION (7" by Black Rose Recordings)

Ah, the 7" format! Sometimes misused by drone musicians, fading in and out a song, but hardly ever a complete rounded song. Contrastate is surely a band that could pull off a great song (as in 'a song') for which this format is well suited. They have been around since close to thirty years now and in the early years, I was a big fan. Their combination of moody electronics, drone experiments, industrial electronics and song format worked great for me, but I found them moving a bit too much in a what I would loosely call 'gothic' area when they started to work with vocals. So I am sure I missed out on some development there. It might also be that they aren't as active anymore. These two songs are alternative mixes from pieces that are going to be on the next Contrastate album. The Italian Giallo films of the 1970s inspired the album. ("Giallo is a 20th-century Italian genre of literature and film. Especially outside Italy, Giallo refers specifically to a particular Italian thriller-horror genre that has a mystery or detective elements and often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, and, less frequently, supernatural horror elements. In Italy, the term generally denotes thrillers, typically of the crime fiction, mystery, and horror subgenres, regardless of the country of origin.") I don't think I ever saw one; I know, my bad. It makes me not the likeliest candidate to review this, but I would think the title track on side A builds quite a nice, orchestral tension, which would easily a horror or thriller movie. There are some dramatic climaxes along some suspenseful sustaining strings. On 'Spasmo', there are some narrative vocals (lots of reverb!) along with a more radio play like a dialogue of sounds, synthesizers, and bows on the guitars, making it all sound very retro, but I mean that in a very positive way. It reminded me of the first time I heard Contrastate and I was reminded straight away why I like it so much back and still would play with great fondness. Yes, indeed that ambient industrial slightly gothic sound. (FdW)
––– Address: <blackroserecordings@yahoo.co.uk>

[blackroserecordings]

A great review of the new Contrastate 7" single has just appeared on the Brainwashed.com site:

Functioning as a preview for a work-in-progress record, the two songs that make up An Exercise in Defascination (which will appear as different mixes on the album proper upon its completion) herald the theme of deconstructing giallo films that will appear there.  Drawing from film soundtracks, as well as the overall themes of that specific style of horror film, Contrastate distill those very essences into a brief teaser of terror and surrealism perfectly.

Giallo has always occupied its own niche of horror film due to some general stylistic consistencies:  mystery and detective plots, over the top violence, and soundtracks that draw heavily on prog, hard rock, and jazz styles.  With a healthy mix of supernatural tinges and mental illness, it is a distinct type of film and, like the predominantly American slasher films they inspired, are often extremely similar to one another and perhaps not the most unique of movie experiences.

Contrastate capture this right from the cover:  yellow (which is what giallo translates to, referencing a type of pulp novel with yellow covers) with blood red, and a sickly yellow record contained within.  The band wastes no time setting the stage on the title piece:  haunting synth strings, creepy echoes, and unsteady tape effects make for an entirely unsettling start.  From there the soundtrack references are immediate:  pummeling drums, jagged guitar stabs, and decaying keyboards appear at times, sounding like a deconstructed and cut up take on Goblin's scores, with the addition of some scraping blades and what sounds like power drills to add a bit of Foley work to really drive the point home.

On the other side, "Spasmo" features Contrastate working with traditional spooky organ sounds at the onset.  With fragments of vocals and prominent bass guitar (anyone who has seen Dario Argento's classic of the genre Deep Red knows how integral the instrument is to the mood of that film), the overall sound lies somewhere between synth soundtrack and noir blues.  Compared to the other side of the record, there is more space and a tense, though less terrifying mood throughout.

Contrastate succeed brilliantly in their attempt to create a sonic counterpart to the giallo style of film on this too-brief 7".  Not only are their obvious references to the distinct soundtrack work associated with the films, but they also capture the non-musical elements as well.  Violent sound effects, supernatural growls, and an unsettling sense of un-reality pervade.  Although the style of film they are paying tribute to may not be known for its originality, the music they have made is anything but cliché.  It is an excellent piece that stands on its own, but it admittedly has me extremely excited to hear what the complete work will be.

[Bloated Slutbag]

has me extremely excited to hear what the complete work will be

!