TBC - Insecta: The Birth Of Gods
It seems as if infinity has passed since the last review. Most likely it is like that. But I'm still alive and I hope I'm still capable to join separate words into more or less meaningful sentences. TBC disc Insecta: The Birth of Gods was lying by the player for a couple of months. I've been spinning it from time to time and lacking suitable words to describe it, delayed reviewing it. TBC - project of Thomas Beck, German who has been active in the weirder parts of music for around 30 years. Collaboration with Felix Kubin who played recently in Lithuania and was praised by almost every person who has been in the gig, caught my eye. TBC created radio show and also released music magazine together with him. Unlike Felix Kubin's stuff, not everything is so full of joy and seemingly careless in this CD. Meditation on modern mythology, where Gods have become victims of contemporary civilization. They were blended with everyday life and its horrors, but still living side by side, barely visible. Interesting concept and despite quite frequent critique of modernity, noticeable in industrial culture, TBC takes a different and original angle on it. Musically this disc, in my opinion, fully meets written concept - cold and oppressive minimalism. 80 minutes, divided into four parts of sterile nihilism. Tracks are long and the last one reaches beyond half an hour so it seems that the author is excessively enjoying each and every sound without entering straightforward monotony. It is impossible to determine where sounds develop since it just changes and that's it. Though you can hear that it is not just messing around with some equipment in pointless experiments that can be heard quite often in so called minimalistic tracks. You can feel the hand of professional leading the sound towards the goal that only he knows, combining field recordings with minimal synth sound touches. Though separate tracks are defined in time, but it is trivial and all these 80 minutes are one long composition because logically sounds, their development and continuum exceed pauses between songs. I can imagine such music being played in contemporary art centers so rarely visited by ancient gods - they are drunk, wandering around in the forests. This CD is most likely one of such works where concept and keeping up to it is more important than any other component parts of the release. And the essence of this disc hides in those small details that you won't hear if you listen to it only half an ear. You need to listen and live with it. Perhaps the word "subtle" would suit well here. I couldn't say this release is of my taste and it is not clear why the first full length came out only after 15 years of TBC activity. Whatever are the reasons - it was interesting to acknowledge myself with this work.
Riko Goto Trio: Six Colors
Surprise! When I pulled this disc out of the pile of records waiting to be reviewed, I expected anything, but not this. And what's most important - I didn't expect to enjoy these sounds that much that I'd start to listen to them day by day and night by night. Why is it like that? The first thing - it was unexpected to get such record from Nekorekords (in fact there are two other labels involved in releasing this album) and Mr. Umpio once more proved his very wide musical worldview and I'll try to be more mature next time I'll get some sounds from the label and I'll try not to act so surprised. The second thing - I could never believe I'll review a jazz album any time. So please don't be too strict if you catch me talking nonsenses because my knowledge in this area is limited to "blues = sad jazz" and "jazz = lots of improvisation and there are trumpets and other brass instruments". Well, there are no brass instruments in this album and six colors are rich and melancholic so I call this music a mix of blues and free jazz. Riko Goto is a piano-player who lived in Finland for some time and during that time released a couple albums with other two musicians. Trio was made of three instruments - piano, contrabass and drums. I don't know if such composition is usual or a little deviation from the norm, but I couldn't feel emptiness in their material and the musical fabric is perfectly weaved. Piano is dominating and driving songs further, coloring the evening in slightly gloomy colors. Contrabass brings in some slightly dazed drunkenness and drums draws barely audible boundaries of the tracks so that they wouldn't become formless drunk cloud of sounds. Why do I mention drunkenness in this context? Because one compilation is stuck in my mind that appeared and disappeared from my collection some 15 years ago. The cover was a photo of a beautiful girl with her head laid down on the bar and eyes glaring at the whiskey glass and the pack of Luck Strike. It was either cigarettes or the whiskey; I don't know which because they were side by side on the bar. So this is why drunkenness, sadness and blues are somehow interrelated in my unconsciousness. The same thing is with this disc - melancholy and sound goes hand in hand. I'm most fascinated by the ability of musicians to play and improvise without leaving the logical boundaries of song. It is not that kind of improvisation where three musicians meet, plays around with random sounds and overall enjoy their status of artist and musician. Charming blend and separation of harmony and dissonance, sporadic disharmony and constant conversation between instruments and musicians, not losing expressiveness and keeping attention – this is what I find in this album. Here comes the moment when I understand that musicians had a great pleasure to play and listener had a great pleasure to listen to it and both sides were satisfied. It's been an interesting deviation from traditional styles in my own musical library and in reviewed works. But it's very good. I think I won't become the permanent jazz listener and fan, but this disc will remain for these empty autumn evenings and nights when birches are bowing outside my window and there is a cup of warm tea in my hands and a pond of whiskey is warming my stomach. Then it's good to put on this six-colored disc and sink in the hollow of inexhaustible melancholy.
Ural Umbo - II
I think it's good that I've never heard the name of this duo; it's the first album of theirs that I listen to and that I can find very little information about this tape on the internet. Ural Umbo consists of two members - Swiss and American. Project was started in 2008 and evolved from doom and black metal to this result that I'm spinning now in my player. Or at least the fundamental point in Ural Umbo biography was musicians' love for modern expressions of aforementioned metal styles. And I said it's good that I've never heard this project before. It's not only because of the factor of mysteriousness, but it's also a solid word, telling that not everyone knows each other in this musical world and overall that this particular world is so wide and beautiful and you can perceive only the little part of it so you should choose wisely. II was released in 2012 via Merzbild label. There are two long tracks in the tape, one on each side. The first one starts from pulsating sea waves and slowly, little by little, leads into melancholic world of Ural Umbo, full of miraculous sounds. Synths and bells, dreamy and sad melodies slowly waves while suddenly breaks and picture of sound cardinally changes. More convenient instruments of metal join the party - drums are slowly added to synth chords, some sparse touches of guitar strings, but despite that, the track on A side still remains drowned in weird and slightly frightening atmosphere. Even more of that strange and distorted magic is added by the looped woman's voice, mood of the track leaning more and more towards sludge and countless layers of other instruments. Sounds become thicker and more intense and you get a feeling that the storm has come, and suddenly everything grew dark. Somehow it's like Nurse With Wound, Current 93, Boris, Alice in Wonderland and Carrie sharing one realm. And the more I listen to it, the more I like it. Visually B side starts as if it would be the evening after the storm of A side – feeling of emptiness, one humming note of distorted bass or guitar, with additional sounds, like sprouts, growing from this seed. This side is a little calmer in sound and more like morbid delirium when you are sweating with high temperature. Pitched down man's voice, repeating some words, strange combination of sounds, starting from organ and ending with some sort of pulsations, and this material is built so suggestively that you don't even catch a moment when you realize that you are already immured in between four sounds walls without a chance to escape. Finally this delirium ends, carrying the tortured imagination in darkened drone sounds towards the end of the tape. This is very visual, very mesmerizing and beautiful work, balancing somewhere in junction of several styles and most likely not suitable for very frequent listening sessions. My zero knowledge of German language, improved by Google translator, tells that the titles of both tracks make one short sentence that would be something like "you cannot have everything" or something like that. Nice.
Trepaneringsritualen – The Totality Of Death
Is it possible to review two different releases that have been put out by different labels as one? Yes. Such an unusual case is 2 Trepaneringsritualen discs, released via Malignant from USA and Silken Tofu from Belgium. It is a collection of rare or unpublished tracks. Trepaneringsritualen (I thought I'd never learn to write this title correctly without help from the Internet) is a project of Thomas Marin Ekelund from Sweden. It was started in 2008 and was immediately widely acknowledged in industrial scene. I won't try to analyze the reasons behind this, but perhaps one of the biggest factors is the unique mixture of raw and primitive old school ritual ambient and death industrial which emits somewhat intangible energy in live performances and albums, and you don't go evaluating the complexity or novelty of sounds, but just enjoy your journey through occult labyrinths. Despite the fact that this is the 2 hour long compilation of selected tracks, they are reasonably divided into two discs and quality masters were made so there is no discomfort as in listening to some "best ofs". Though logically this release is split into two parts, one of them is enough to get acquainted with creations of Trepaneringsritualen because every part of this so called "programme" reveals not one or two, but dozen faces of this multi-edged project. Programme A disc is released by famous Malignant label. It's more than an hour of playing time and consists of 14 tracks. Disc starts from short, repetitive guitar loop, unique and trademark vocal of Thomas Martin Ekelund, filtered through effects and overall aggressive track Death Reveler. Starting from the very first songs, these discs represent fundamentally different pictures. Programme A, though varying from calm, subtle and minimalistic, ambient-like compositions to straightforward aggressive death industrial, seems slightly more active and not that atmospheric as programme B. At least I get this impression now, when these discs are spinning one after another for 40th or so time. But let's say it's subjectivity and you should try that on your own. After the first active track, you get journey down, to wander in more subtle industrial sounds until the programme gets back on track with strictly structured All Hail the Black Flame. As for me, such track is the trademark of Trepaneringsritualen and whenever I hear this title, I think exactly of this sort of sounds. Or something like Judas Goat - calm and grey parts varying with exploding ones and returning back to tranquil and feverish realm. The disc ends with very good Death in June C'Est Un Reve cover. Programme B, released by Silken Tofu, starts from the song entitled the same as Thomas' label – Beläten - crackling of fire or something like that, several layers of field recordings, loops of rhythm and monotonous hum in the background. Despite the fact that the first track is followed by exploding Eucharist Of Shit & Piss (I'd say the most aggressive song in the disc), the introduction was made such that if we make an assumption that programme A disc was sounds of the active participation in rituals, the second disc is the following frightening aftereffect of them or post-trip or whatever term you like. Slowly changing synth notes, rudiments of loops, recognizable vocal and gradual sinking into the moldy grave. Both of these programmes are different and equally good and well characterizing creations of this pagan, chaotic, antireligious, satanic, manifold project. Old schoolish filthy sound, intertwining loops, dark passages and explosions of hateful energy. If you never heard of this project, I think these two discs is truly one of the best starting points you could get because in these 2 hours of sounds you'll find everything to be amazed of.
Jazkamer - Chestnut Thornback Tar
Jazkamer is a duo from Norway. Half of it is a person, well known in a noise world, Lasse Marhaug. Another half of it is a guitar player John Herge. The duo was doubled for this album and two more people participated in recording of this album, both not for the first time associated with the band. Jazkamer changed their title in 2004 to this from Jazzkamer, willing to "get rid of jazz". As for me, the bigger part of their creation works is reflected in such slightly absurd statement. It's a game with words, sounds, concepts, ideas and noises. It is non-pretentious noise, not appealing to some deep thoughts or feelings. At least I get such impression after listening to several Jazkamer albums. So maybe I'm missing something, but this disc is just as I described. The title itself gives away what to expect out of these 50 minutes record. Anyways, the beginning is surprising for it does not immerse you to depths of improvised chaos. Clearly and simply titled track "Sentimental Journey" with playing time of 20 minutes is the longest, most static and calmest track in the album. It's mostly feedback and resonance of a guitar (or at least it seems so) that is left to play on its own on one note. Other sound layers start appearing in the song, but they join in so easily and gradually that it's not easy to notice that thus you continue travelling on that wave of one note. The other part of the disc is more Jazkamerish - loops, noise generators, unpredictable turns of sound, field recordings and overall explosive atmosphere. All the rest of the tracks in this album, apart from the last one, are short ones, lasting for 2-3 minutes, full of concentrated tomfoolery, humor and overall positive lightness. There are not plenty of noise bands that would manage to use humor in such healthy doses and still remain "acceptable" in industrial/noise context, but Jazkamer is one of such bands. Do you need more explanation on sounds in "It is the Nobel Prize I want. It's worth $400.000" or "We Need a Painting, Not a Frame"? I think the titles are talking for themselves - it is difficult to describe them, but you can imagine the atmosphere. And the disc is closed with one long track, which differs from the first one as a day and a night. It is pure full-scale noise/jazz improvisation with drums, noises and in overall difficult to describe chaos. Somehow it "sounds like grated picture" – I guess for this album it is possible to use weirdest analogies and it would still sound good. I didn't write anything about whether I liked this disc or not. Yes, I understand the concept, idea, humor and I hope I understand other small things happening in here, but a little bit too much of chaotic freedom and lack of dynamics does not allow me to enjoy this disc fully. Perhaps my conservative and limited thinking doesn't let me fly with sounds of free jazz, and I'm a little envious while reading praises for this disc in other magazines, but anyways it is a good quality not a shallow album which will find its way on the shelf. Well, perhaps some time later I'll test my brain tolerance for this sort of music once more.
Various - The Report From Distant Lands - Russia
If I understand it correctly, this release was the first from the planned series of releases, dedicated to noise/ambient/industrial music from different countries. Impulsy Stetoskopu is the label quite often i itiating interesting projects. It has published three volumes of "Industrial Music Encyclopedia", publicizes old Polish industrial scene records for wider audience and overall is quite an original label with peculiar design ideas and so on. Apart from tasteless font, design of this compilation is pleasant and conceptually well fulfilled - three tapes, marked accordingly to colors of Russian flag. All in all I am very careful when exploring Russian scene because I have an impression that apart from shitcore and dark ambient, other styles of industrial is music is almost non-existent.
So I start from the white tape. Dizen Porno starts from the longest track in the tape, playing for almost 18 minutes (tapes are 90 minutes each and thus there is plenty of listening material). The start is boring. Pairs of notes separated by long gaps of silence and elongated through the whole track. I'd say it's experimental, but there are almost no experiments with sound so I don't know. Then we have Zen Porno which is if I understand correctly, the project of the same person with slightly different name. A little more musical track, directly reflecting the title (oh the title is Space Wave, I guess there will be some nasty oscillations in action). And well, I am right. Bubbling, some squeaking and Tibetan bowl or something like that in background - minimal, a little more interesting than the first one, but overall weak work. After such sloppy start we have All Blacks - In Love With A Witch. It is an ordinary drone/ambient, but in this context it sounds so good! Pleasant multi-layered harmonic change of synth chords enriched with sparse additional sounds. All in all the mood gets better with every minute of quite good quality sound. Exit In Grey is the first band in this compilation that has more than one physical release (at least with the title that is declared here) and it's no surprise. It's really nice and sadly dreamy drone/ambient. Also this is the first track with vocal, despite the fact that it is pitched-down to abyss. So I mark this duo for check later. The tape ends with a short Riby Dien track. After the calm and melancholic waving we jump into collage of dissonances, high notes, rotten records, weird rhythms and voices. Perhaps it would sound ok in some different place, but in this particular compilation and tape, it's very poor. B side starts from the second take of Riby Dien. And it is just as weird, short and confusing as the first one. M.F.C. presents a little longer, but monotonous lo-fi with filthy synth lines, hidden sample or talks etc. All in all it would be quite interesting, but it's so distorted and "filthified" that it get more boring than boredom. Booby Mason is a musician who has slightly more releases and I can even find a short blurb about the project. He is noise musician and owner of Zelenina and Hiroshima Toy Pet labels. It seems that at the moment of submitting tracks to compilation, most artists were amazed by sound/silence effect. Tape one is still playing, but I hear N-th track which can be described as simply "pulsations" and I am not surprised when in an 8 minute track I spend 4 minutes listening to silence. I don't get it. Tape is finished with one of the projects that I've heard before - Kshatriy. The name hints that it's field recordings made in particular part of Russia. And yes, these are processed field recordings, but they are quite interesting. Yes, there is loads of silence in here, but sounds of surroundings manage to reflect more colors and make it far more interesting than experiments in studio or computers. My absolute favorites from the white tape - Exit in Grey and Kshatriy.
Blue tape. It started more actively from rhythmic Instant Movie Combinations track. Maybe not more actively, but at least the start is more interesting. Though the project does not get over distorted sounds similar to radio noise, these few minutes gets my attention after the white tape and I'm glad this does not last too long. Obozdur seems rather active project with quite a lot of releases. Though most of them are CDr and web releases, the project at least is not made specifically for this compilation. And you can feel that from their sounds. Experimental sound collage that is not my taste, but it has a weird, dark chaotic atmosphere. 6 minutes is the perfect time for these sounds because otherwise it would get boring. Cyclotimia duo, existing for 15 years, is perhaps the most famous of all the guests in this compilation. Though I have a few releases of theirs, I don't remember them sounding like they do here. 13 minutes of R2D2-like beeping sound themes, variating from dark ambient to avantgarde and so on. Yes, there are some nice seconds and rudiments of sounds, but they are very short and episodic. Not bad, but once again - for how long would I listen to these collages? Gradually we move to Wozzeck sounds. This duo from St. Petersburg transformed from free jazz to noise band, playing sax, drums etc. I guess they didn't do that in this track because all that I hear is thin laptop noise. Sagittarius Promo Group is a project, most likely created for this compilation, in fact surprises me with quite good quality industrial/noise. There is something missing, but after all the mediocre outputs on this side of tape, it sounds very good. So after listening to half of the compilation, I cannot find any track that would be at least average. I am not talking about truly good outputs and projects. But B side is starting. It starts with ritualized industrial track by Mimi Hatua. All in all that's slowly changing single-layered pulsations, but that minimal pseudorhythm is rather interesting in its sound and developing while ends up in delayed mess. All in all - not a bad start. Admi track is also rather pleasant. Primitive rhythms, several delayed background layers, flutes or something like that and decent tribal/experimental track. B side with all ritualized stuff sounds interesting and strong. RajFAjH seems to be the oldest project in this compilation. According to information that I can find, this project was formed in 1991, passed through the sea of black and death metal while finally stayed in dark ambient and black metal area. You have heard all the things they offer and my biggest wish is to fast forward these hums and so on. Post Materialists represents slightly different genre in sound and slightly different level in quality. It's psychedelic noise rock. Lulling guitar loop from several notes and a number of instruments and voices, appearing and vanishing from the whole picture and creating a very lively atmosphere. Now I'm seriously listening. B side is closed by Three Dead Dogs - nothing special, quite average, listenable industrial/noise, leaning more towards noise side. After noticing quite a lot of known names that prepared their tracks for the red tape, I guess it's dedicated to harsh noise. Red zone is opened by rather active Russian noise project in later years .nyctalops. Long, varied and slightly chaotic, but rather interesting track. I've never heard Shum Davar though. Here we have more noise generator sounds and not switching of pedals, but the overall impression is decent. Perhaps 13+ minutes are slightly too long, but after listening to weird experiments for 3 hours, I'm quite happy about it. Dhnw throws in some statics as one can guess by the title of the project. Aggressive beginning of a track was very promising, but the more sound went under distortion and disintegrated into small textures, the less interest I had in them. Razxca is most likely the most productive of all musicians in this compilation with approximately 400 (!!!) releases. All in all - not a bad track with huge amount of reverb, but not the one that could be remembered forever. And Blockhead's Guts awaits at the end of tape which is quite a pleasant surprise. I've expected yet another drone/noise track, but what I got was fantastic filthy and disgusting power electronics. Why have I never heard about this project? This track is truly the best in this compilation! Short, but excellent. B side. I've heard a little of Rose Sobchak, but had
no opinion about it. The same attitude remains after listening to this track - just some average noise. It's quite different with Lowhumgaz. Of course it's subjective and personal, but all these brutal mechanical sounds of machines and motors is never-ending source of inspiration and never get tired of it. And though Helldozer is rather monotonous, it's a really pleasant experience to listen to it. Alisa-Yhtye is another project, existing for more than 15 years and for me personally it is one of the best Russian noisers. After noticing that the length of the track is 15 minutes, I had my doubts if the artist will have enough of what to show, but he had. No boredom, no thoughts and I've just listened to the highest quality noise in this compilation. And the tape ends with Redhaos track What's Your Name. Well, such chaos is a little bit more difficult for me to understand. It's one of those avantgarde noise tracks where people shouts anything, sound is changed in any way possible, something sounds somewhere, but everything is very unclear. All in all - it's a rather interesting compilation. At least for the fact
that it presents one of the most mysterious and least known industrial scene in the world (at least for me). Of course you need to understand that everything is different in There - life is different, sound is created in different ways and sound evaluation criteria are different. Colors of tapes are divided into ambient, experimental/industrial and noise. Well, and such division stands up. Anyways, report from Russia is highly appreciated and I'm waiting for other reports from other mysterious countries. Though I also hope that I'll not have to write such long reviews anytime soon.
Corazzata Valdemone vs. Fukte - Manipulations
Let's go to Italy for a little while. Manipulations is an album, released in edition of 38 copies, by two rather famous Italian noisers. The playing time is around 40 minutes and it really induces various feelings. Corazzata Valdemone - totalitarian industrial provocateur who is active in the scene for more than a decade and has a discography with quite colorful releases in appearance, content and so on. Fukte - the main project of Fabrizio, boss of Toxic Industries - label that is guilty for releasing this disc too. The first difficult task was to take out the disc from the minimal packaging, enlaced with rusty metal wire without damaging it. Though half of the room was full of tiny pieces of rust, but I managed to do it. The fundament of the sound in Manipulations was done by Fukte in 2004-2009. Corazzata Valdemone added vocals in several tracks, arrangements, lyrics and sound improvements. Disc starts right away from a few seconds of aggressive harsh noise explosion and heart overflows with joy expecting something brutal and interesting. But after a few seconds sound moves towards incoherent rhytms and chaotic noises. Rather weird start, but let it be. I'm still curious what will happen next. The second track starts once again from rough harsh noise that develops in more interesting and more industrial-like direction. After around a minute, theatrical voice of Corazzata Valdemone joins in and the whole picture gets so weird that I don't even know what to compare it to - solemn talking, squeaking of springs and a short loop. The third track has vocals by Fukte and you hear not that surprising, but rather decent industrial/power electronics sounds. Noise is rather thin and concentrated in middle and higher frequencies, but all in all it's listenable. And it seems that the first few tracks presented critical mass of surprises because further on sounds vary in between noises, rhythms and field recordings. The last but one track is slightly different where completely hidden vocal of Corazzata Valdemone shares sound bands with electronic glitches and weird, blue colored lulling sound. Disc is finished with mixture of white noise, guitar improvisation and feedbacks. And? All in all, quite enjoyable work with a few very surprising turns in sound, but balancing somewhere in the average zone. The second track, called Mattatoio (that means slaughterhouse in Italian) stands out. You could clearly hear that Corazzata Valdemone had his feet in neofolk waters too. To summarize it - rather average product that won't be listened to often and that didn't succeed to reveal what these two musicians are capable of, but at the same time, it is not the one that I'd pity a few hours, spent listening to, and writing about it.
Xiphoid Dementia – Meditation Convulsions
I have a feeling that there were no indifferent people left after listening to extremely powerful Xiphoid Dementia full length album "Might is Blight". There were some disappointed persons here and there, who were not very happy about the final realization of a CD, but these were minority. I thought that such album would become a history of industrial and everyone will sigh non-stop for years. But 5 years passed, Might is Blight drowned in overload of information and I don't remember when I had taken it from a shelf for the last time myself. Xiphoid Dementia is a project of a person, responsible for Existest Establishment label, long-living webzine etc. To say it in short, Egan is a person with clear vision of music and quality. I was very excited upon hearing about the first and only tape of this project, that was released in edition of only 50 copies. Nice cover with slightly modified pictures of anatomy. I was expecting very much from this recording and perhaps my expectations were too high for after listening to the tape for the first couple of times, I was a little disappointed, but after some time I am still listening to it and quite enjoying what's in it. There are three tracks in this tape, all of them entitled in melancholic mood, specific to Xiphoid Dementia and soundwisely they are perfectly suitable for autumn evenings. The first side of the tape - title track of the album, Meditation Convulsions. The track is long, rich and colorful in sounds. The tones are cosily and warmly dark, smelling of dreariness and intangible uncertainty. Not to talk abstract rubbish, soundwisely it is thick and multilayered digital drone that gets warmer recorded on tape and gets even more shades and saturatioin. There are times when Xiphoid Dementia wanders from massive drone to analyzing absolute silence or ghostly solitary planes of piano sounds. The more I change sides and listen to them, the more details I find in these sounds that I managed to miss before, and the more beautiful and full becomes this nightmarish sound story. The title track becomes slightly too difficult for me, but it's anyways interesting. B side suits very well to me. It is more clear and though very rich, but more typical industrial/ambient sound - reverbed percussions, troublesome howling instruments, field recordings, metal sounds, and all that covered with droney synths. Noises reminds me of Fire in the Head in places, when you listen not to chaos, but simply intimidating, floating and suffocating sound avalanche, consisting of so many separate sound layers. Intense and very nice first track on side B. I don't quite understand where the tracks are separated and the second one starts, but the side ends with gloomy clanging of metal pieces and somewhat lightly nostalgic melody in the background. Well, let's say this melancholy is the track beautifully entitled "It was an Empty Place at Night". Nice tape. I doubt there are lots of people who heard it, but I guess after two years after release of this tape, it is not relevant anymore. And I also hope I am not right here. There will be no empty spaces in my head tonight, they will be filled with pictures, inspired by these dreary sounds.
NDE - Kampfbereit
NDE is not very well known (or at least not for me) industrial duo from Belgium, but one way or another they have already two discs in Cold Spring. One of the members of the duo is behind the Dead Man's Hill, dark ambient project that I remember as not too interesting and not of highest quality. Other names tell me nothing, but I'm curious what could be the reasons that the legendary label decided to give a green light to them. Description says that in Kampfbereit there is less martial and more death industrial and, truth to say, it's good. Maybe it's not very good that this death industrial is quite average and though I spin the disc for quite some time already, I can barely find what to hook on. Of course I'm not the one to say that there's something bad with music or so. Industrial is quite good quality, decent rhythmic parts, neat tracks, tightly distorted vocal and even all the concepts seem to follow strict order and go by the canons, but that's it. Maybe it's my taste because black industrial, praised by worshippers of MZ.412 and co is something alien and distant to me. And this is what I find in this disc. Though its playing time is only slightly more than 40 minutes, it tires me with its emptiness. Disc starts from calm rhythmic tracks that are untitled, if I'm not mistaken, and ends with them. Basically the formula for them is pretty simple - distorted layer of several synth notes, then the rhythm appears and we add black-ish vocal with some effect. Vocals are not just screaming, but sometimes shouting the text in melody too. And this goes through all the tracks. Sometimes rhythm of synth disappears and instead of them samples are used, but in essence it's very thinly layered (though I'll repeat it once more - good quality) faceless clone of MZ.412, Folkstorm and related army. I've read that it's about misanthropy, brutality of life, searching for truth etc. Well, maybe, but it's presented in such a dull form that I cannot get it anyhow. Maybe 6th untitled track is sort of exceptional. Because of feedbacks, lack of rhythm, darker sounds and calm vocal, few minutes of more interesting and painful music is born. And it's not that different after that. But I'm sure this project has its fandom and got plenty of positive reviews, especially from magazines, blogs etc. done by metalheads to metalheads because they somehow like this sort of music. Ah, there's also a remark in the presentation of the album that their focus is on music. Most likely my equipment filters out all the good frequencies from the album and leaves me with boring ones and that's why I can't get to the goodness of this album. One of those works that I'm finally very happy that I've done with it and I won't have to spin it any more.
