I wrote up a pretty quick review with my thoughts about it after listening to it well over 20 times. This review isn't edited or anything, as I said I wrote it up quickly, and it probably won't be the entire review that I plan on posting on the Stench, but here it is for those interested in possibly buying the CD/Tape or whatever...
Caligula031 - Slavetrade 2000
The genius proper to "Slavetrade 2000" is in the way each track feels new and unlike the track before or after it, this is missing in a lot of Noise and Power Electronics, two genres who seem like their bag of tricks is becoming very limited. Whether working through chaotic energy and blasts of harsh noise or building a structured and coherent P.E. piece, this album, in its own heterogeneous way, is all so perfect. When I speak of that chaotic energy, those "blasts of harsh noise" I am in no way refering to anything unnecessarily loud or pretentious. The firmness and the "harder" sides are presented in a confident way like someone who is going to get in a fist fight and just silently stands while his opponent yells insults and postures, while in his silence the confident man knows he is going to win and doesn't need to say anything and eventually destroys his opponent.
There is a nice mixture of different styles here that exhibit just how much Caligula has matured within the 2 years since his first tape. Tracks like "Cinderella" and "Drunk, Blonde, Pregnant And Barefoot" are completly disarming pieces disguised with deceptive simplicity and minimal composition while the title track and "Daterape In Wonderland" are utterly pulverizing, tearing apart the hypnosis other tracks may have left the listener in. The accented vocals on some tracks are commanding, while at other times the vocals are integrated into the tissue of the sounds and noise becoming part of the global composition. As I mentioned earlier a lot of artists are grabbing from the same bag of tricks and that is The failure of a lot of PE/Noise albums these days, they attempt to rehash time-tested formulas of yesteryear, and although I love old-school PE and Industrial I think one should put their self into the work instead of mimicing and I feel that is what Caligula does exactly that. This is one of those albums where you remember the little details, and eventually they will probably become very important to the way I see this CD. A very solid effort from Italy and I really hope to get more this year from Caligula031.
