Incapacitants
- SEC END
- Mental Derivatives / Shining Obsession split with Sewer Election
- A Purpose Not Necessary split with Black Leather Jesus
- Unauthorized Fatal Operation 990130
- Zashikiwarashi Effect
Been on a bit of an Incaps tear recently, a shining obsession I can never seem to shake. All of these recordings rank among the good-but-(possibly-)lesser-acknowledged Incaps, and, with the exception of Unauthorized Fatal Operation (1999), the recordings are representative of an era where Incaps are thought to be past their prime. I was curious to hear how these might fare against Zashikiwarashi Effect, a fairly recently released full(?)-length featuring prime-era material.
SEC END was perhaps the most curious for me. I was among the chorus of those who declared this to be among their 2nd tier works, the memorable dissenting voice being that of one Dan Johansson. Where more than a few (myself included) felt the sound on this be, among other criticisms, relatively "thin", Mr Johansson – if memory serves; I may be getting my characters muddled up – admired the very concentrated ripping-through glass-windshield type sound... at least, "speakers getting shredded as though by tiny granules of broken glass" is how I might describe SEC END part 1. Today, on review, I'm going to have to side with (my perception of) Johansson's characterization. This is really quite piercingly full-throttle, the highly compressed sound quite convincing, the earholes well smoked. I just wish I could say that for the remaining three tracks, none of which particularly recommends itself. Muted points to be accorded part 3, recorded with Yoshio Kuge, which despite its digitized squandering of filth in potentia at least hits some very harsh notes. The traditional live closer registers as lightweight by Incaps standards, still fairly interesting- farts 'n starts progression featuring stubborn combine-harvester huffing and chafing in vain effort to restart, enough to keep attendees attuned to the eventual attainment of more suitably harsh levels.
If Mr Johansson admired (part 1 of) SEC END for its peculiarly focused intensities, that admiration may have reached its true shining obsession when the split with Sewer Election dropped just two years later. The Sewer Election half could read as homage to The Mikawa, and to that particular, ultra-severe, ripping sound characterized in SEC END part 1. Other contenders in this category may include Inverted Yield Curve (as remixed on No Progress), and Gody Fishing (from Quietus). Highly concentrated fields of pure extremity, glittering shards sounding as though ready to burst through the speakers, and then, at the seventh minute, suddenly peaking with pointy-headed, needle-sharp, precision. This is by no measure Mr Johansson's best, not even his third or fourth best, but the rather militant killing session works very well when up against Incaps' Mental Derivatives. The only problem here is, Incaps utterly blow that shit away. Like their split-mates, Incaps opt for a highly focused sound, but erupt screaming through the wall in reaching for truly psychedelic, stratospheric heights. If this isn't the harshest thing Incapacitants have ever managed, the incandescent fury of all cylinders blasting in concert certainly conveys a convincing portrait of Harshness Unleashed.
A Purpose Not Necessary's Yellow Silk Buddha was "recorded in February 2004 using live materials", but sounds as though a single brief snippet was mixed, mangled, manipulated over the full 30-minute course. The minimalist doctrine plays out like any number of Incaps, as infused with a heavy, heady, dose of Organum. Yes, Organum. A rusted-out Organum, with Rupenus observing from the periphery. Dense, yes. Mellow ambient drone, almost. Metal-junk, possibly. A veritable shit-heap of shrieking acoustic feedback collapsing in on itself, likely. Good, very. The BLJ half is also a bit of a score. Phat, heaving, blown out, flatulence, which excels at jerking the listener around. Several high notes emerge from a lengthy, episodic, progression. I'd be real irritated if the fecal offerings weren't so dang tasty. Slurp slurp.
Unauthorized Fatal Operation easily ranks among the better live Incapacitants, in fact among the better Incapacitants. I go back to this one often, and each time I'm surprised at how good it sounds. Very well, recorded, obviously and... and, well. Well. I did say very well recorded, didn't I? This here presents for me a real bugger: perhaps the "good" Incapacitants (live) recordings are merely those which have been properly captured; with the proper gear, proper mix-mastering, etc. Refer also to Live At The No Fun Fest*. Perhaps the lesser Incapacitants (live) recordings are those whose faithful capture of "room ambiance", or whatever, nets a pale shadow of the sheer, scorching power. Whatever the case, this one blasts straight into full-throttle from word "go" and only accelerates all the more into ever-more-puritannical whitewash, a wackload of compressed, squealing metals drilling the fatal operation home, such that by about halfway through the 27-minute course your earholes are fully consigned to a permanent hearing loss of the first order. Did I say FUCK YES? Fuck yes. Beat that, Zashikiwarashi Effect.
Don't mind if I do, answers Zashikiwarashi Effect, unloading almighty densities forthwith. ZE is a bit of bugger, itself, I may say, even without the extremely dodgy, hack-like, editing job done with the disc tracking. Part 1 sounds like an edited out-take cut straight from the closing, climactic, five minutes of a (much longer) live set. A killer live set, however, all guns blazing for the (edited) duration. Part 2 sounds a bit closer to a proper (studio) track, if a bit less fully-flavored than the Part 1, erratic zig-zagging surface antics sinking into a wider-bodied threshing field, deeper bass-surges hetting up the mix. The opening two parts consume all of ten minutes and easily make the disc a winner, no need to say more. But I will say that Part 3 rewards the patient with progressively more unhinged seethe and crumble, jagged rust-shards jabbing into burbly electro-alarm call. Part 4 had me reaching for my Pariah Tapes box, and the Irrevocable Letter Of Credit to be found therein. Yep, holy fuck, almost certainly the same thing- but in this case, the rough and filthy feedback surface is stripped back to let the metal sources take command. Quite fetching scrap-metal hacklery playing out here, the closest I've heard Mikawa get to TNB tribute proper. No complaints but does make you wonder... As for the (trad) live track, there are certainly parallels with the live offering on SEC END, at least in terms of the general "acoustic" nature of the recording atmosphere- or shall we say, inferior recording quality. Lots of fiddling around, the machine again most stubbornly refusing to budge, and things take something like forever to get going. But they (the things) do (get going) and eventual appreciation is grudgingly accorded.
*EDIT Live At The No Fun Fest: masterfully mastered by Kelly Churko, as previously averred in this thread
