PLAYLIST with COMMENTS/REVIEWS

[jadderly]

Finally got around to playing my CD. This album is excellent. I liked that the middle-eastern elements were not overused. Fairly heavy in places as well, sort of reminds me of Voice of Eye at times. Didn't URE and VOE record stuff together at some point?

Ure Thrall - Arabian Knightmares 2004 - ethno-ambient - more lightly attacked tribal and ethnic drumming like you'd find on Voice of Eye's Transmigration (collaborators in the past and this is not unlike what you'd expect from them) - would have fit perfectly on the Twilight Earth compilation series - Arabic tones - maybe not as menacing, or as dark, as the subject matter would imply, or as expectations would hope, which would have given it more resonance and have been even more to my liking - good and highly skilled album - strange that Tesco would reissue this album.

[Zeno Marx]

Einleitungszeit ‎– Aus Der Leichenkammer: "Klonieren Des Machinen Lärms"
"Aus Der" has really odd quiet mastering. I'm not sure if it had to do with the source material or the inherent physical limitations of vinyl.

The original recording was on DAT and mastered at that loudness.  Considering the plentiful bottom end and 40+ minutes of overall dense material, the LP is highly accurate to the master.  I think it would surprise people how great the vinyl mastering is (it surprised me anyway), because the loudness has always been a criticism.

Didn't URE and VOE record stuff together at some point?

Jim Wilson of Voice of Eye collaborated on many Discorporeality Recordings, which is Ure Thrall's label.

[jadderly]

Einleitungszeit ‎– Aus Der Leichenkammer: "Klonieren Des Machinen Lärms"
"Aus Der" has really odd quiet mastering. I'm not sure if it had to do with the source material or the inherent physical limitations of vinyl.

The original recording was on DAT and mastered at that loudness.  Considering the plentiful bottom end and 40+ minutes of overall dense material, the LP is highly accurate to the master.  I think it would surprise people how great the vinyl mastering is (it surprised me anyway), because the loudness has always been a criticism.

No, I get what you are saying. It's just that mastering at low volume can accentuate surface noise, which I find to be the case on this particular LP. I'd definitely believe that it was challenging material to master for vinyl. I'd just be curious what a CD version might sound like or a 45rpm 2xLP. I have some electro-acoustic records that were mastered at 45rpm - I'm guessing they were done that way due to the physical limitations of the vinyl format.

Didn't URE and VOE record stuff together at some point?

Jim Wilson of Voice of Eye collaborated on many Discorporeality Recordings, which is Ure Thrall's label.

IIRC weren't a lot of those issued as limited CDRs? Probably hard to come by now, if they are even still playable...this is another case where a Bandcamp page/archive would be desirable.

[Zeno Marx]

Einleitungszeit ‎– Aus Der Leichenkammer: "Klonieren Des Machinen Lärms"
"Aus Der" has really odd quiet mastering. I'm not sure if it had to do with the source material or the inherent physical limitations of vinyl.

The original recording was on DAT and mastered at that loudness.  Considering the plentiful bottom end and 40+ minutes of overall dense material, the LP is highly accurate to the master.  I think it would surprise people how great the vinyl mastering is (it surprised me anyway), because the loudness has always been a criticism.

No, I get what you are saying. It's just that mastering at low volume can accentuate surface noise, which I find to be the case on this particular LP. I'd definitely believe that it was challenging material to master for vinyl. I'd just be curious what a CD version might sound like or a 45rpm 2xLP. I have some electro-acoustic records that were mastered at 45rpm - I'm guessing they were done that way due to the physical limitations of the vinyl format.

Maybe you got a bad copy or a used copy played off a worn needle or that wasn't cleaned before played?  I had the DAT transferred a handful of years ago to CD (for possible re-release), and the vinyl sounds incredibly close to the master.  I'd even go as far as to bet most people wouldn't be able to A/B a difference.  The vinyl mastering is that good.  I only had a few hours in a borrowed studio to get acquainted with the DAT master before sending it off to get cut and pressed.  I won't go into it here again, but for years, even I thought it was a mistake to have not done it as a 2LP.  I no longer think that.  It also played into the decision to not reissue it on CD (though, I do still sometimes want to do it anyway).  I questioned the 1xLP choice from the day Bill Smith delivered the records.  Not even a little bit of me questions that anymore.  It was well worth getting the DAT master transferred to finally put all that to rest.

[Zeno Marx]

Early on, Asianova was also a side project of Voice of Eye, Ure Thrall, and one other.

[jadderly]

Maybe you got a bad copy or a used copy played off a worn needle or that wasn't cleaned before played?  I had the DAT transferred a handful of years ago to CD (for possible re-release), and the vinyl sounds incredibly close to the master.  I'd even go as far as to bet most people wouldn't be able to A/B a difference.  The vinyl mastering is that good.  I only had a few hours in a borrowed studio to get acquainted with the DAT master before sending it off to get cut and pressed.  I won't go into it here again, but for years, even I thought it was a mistake to have not done it as a 2LP.  I no longer think that.  It also played into the decision to not reissue it on CD (though, I do still sometimes want to do it anyway).  I questioned the 1xLP choice from the day Bill Smith delivered the records.  Not even a little bit of me questions that anymore.  It was well worth getting the DAT master transferred to finally put all that to rest.

Worn copy? Not likely. It was sold as "new/unplayed" stock from a reliable distro. I can't remember if I cleaned the record before playing it last time, but it has been cleaned now and placed in an HDPE inner sleeve...I will give it another listen. My current stylus is a microline with very low hours...

[Zeno Marx]

Maybe you got a bad copy or a used copy played off a worn needle or that wasn't cleaned before played?  I had the DAT transferred a handful of years ago to CD (for possible re-release), and the vinyl sounds incredibly close to the master.  I'd even go as far as to bet most people wouldn't be able to A/B a difference.  The vinyl mastering is that good.  I only had a few hours in a borrowed studio to get acquainted with the DAT master before sending it off to get cut and pressed.  I won't go into it here again, but for years, even I thought it was a mistake to have not done it as a 2LP.  I no longer think that.  It also played into the decision to not reissue it on CD (though, I do still sometimes want to do it anyway).  I questioned the 1xLP choice from the day Bill Smith delivered the records.  Not even a little bit of me questions that anymore.  It was well worth getting the DAT master transferred to finally put all that to rest.

Worn copy? Not likely. It was sold as "new/unplayed" stock from a reliable distro. I can't remember if I cleaned the record before playing it last time, but it has been cleaned now and placed in an HDPE inner sleeve...I will give it another listen. My current stylus is a microline with very low hours...

I didn't mean to imply anything, and with this post, I continue to not imply anything.  There could be lots of reasons why you're hearing surface noise, one of which could be that you got a copy out of a bad moment in the pressing run.  It happens.  When assembling records, I've found pockets of excessive warping, scratches, poor edge cutting, and all the various ways a numbers game can go haywire during manufacturing.  Non-fill, which is one common cause of surface noise found across an entire pressing, wasn't something I battled with that LP.

I wasn't familiar with the term "microline", so I had to google it.  I'm reading that some experience more surface noise with them.  Here's one of the discussions involving that:  http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/archive/index.php/t-307924.html  Also a comment saying, "How many hours on the AT cartridge? You need at least 50, perhaps 200, before it ripens."

I would definitely clean it.  All new records should be cleaned before first play, and those that have been sitting in a distro for nearly twenty years should definitely be cleaned before playing.  Pressing plants can be dirty joints.  Lots of dust.  Lots of tiny vinyl shavings.  Throw static into the mix, and well, you get the point.

We can talk about this record more in private if you'd like.  PM me.  It was sort of a clusterfuck in ways, and like I said, it bothered me for 15+ years until my regrets were proven to be unfounded.

[jadderly]

I didn't mean to imply anything, and with this post, I continue to not imply anything.  There could be lots of reasons why you're hearing surface noise, one of which could be that you got a copy out of a bad moment in the pressing run.  It happens.  When assembling records, I've found pockets of excessive warping, scratches, poor edge cutting, and all the various ways a numbers game can go haywire during manufacturing.  Non-fill, which is one common cause of surface noise found across an entire pressing, wasn't something I battled with that LP.

I wasn't familiar with the term "microline", so I had to google it.  I'm reading that some experience more surface noise with them.  Here's one of the discussions involving that:  http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/archive/index.php/t-307924.html  Also a comment saying, "How many hours on the AT cartridge? You need at least 50, perhaps 200, before it ripens."

I would definitely clean it.  All new records should be cleaned before first play, and those that have been sitting in a distro for nearly twenty years should definitely be cleaned before playing.  Pressing plants can be dirty joints.  Lots of dust.  Lots of tiny vinyl shavings.  Throw static into the mix, and well, you get the point.

We can talk about this record more in private if you'd like.  PM me.  It was sort of a clusterfuck in ways, and like I said, it bothered me for 15+ years until my regrets were proven to be unfounded.

No offense taken or anything. Re: the microline, it's a double edged sword. I've found that some old and new records I have are quieter with it and others reveal more surface noise and pressing defects. It just depends, probably due to a number of factors. I will say that when everything is "right", the tracking is superb and the level of detail is incredible, much better than a standard conical or elliptical stylus. IMHO, of course.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

E.E. "Volcanist" LP
Curious Lacunae
2009 release of USA drone sound. Lots of surface noise on this one. Snap, crackle & pop all the way, sometime more subtle, sometimes ANNOYING level. It has basically all the strengths & weaknesses of drone music. Nice simple stuff to float on background, but absolutely nothing what would bring personality, nor single new idea or sound to genre. For drone fanatics, why not. But LP is pretty bad sound for this type of stuff.

CHANGES "Hero Takes His Stand" 2xLP
Neue Asethetik
Live document from 2004, limited 300 copies. Despite having slight audience noise and not-totally-pleasant amplification, sound is actually nice. Lots of classic Changes tracks here, and it's good addition in Changes collection for sure. Folk music for apocalyptic times. Few visitors makes chance for mostly guitar & voice type of approach.

THE RITA "Gamzatti" LP
Total Black
While several The Rita releases of past years have received harsh critics from me, I'm glad to say not this one! You get seeminly "the same", but this time we do have more movement and more energy! Sound is heavy, yet sharp. It's perhaps not correct to talk about aggressive, but there is more fast paced movement. Source sounds nicely bleed below the hard distorted surface making it far more multi-dimensional than many other recordings. Booklet contains photos of recording sessions of this material as well as photos of ballet dancers, ballet dvd's, scan from book Understanding ballet from chapter: Anatomical Charisma. Nice! That would be good name for noise project!

[jadderly]

Incapacitants - Asset Without Liability
When I'm in the mood for harsh noise, I tend to gravitate to stuff like this. I wish more of their 90s material was readily available at reasonable prices.

Seth Nehil - Amnemonic Site
Picked this up cheap in a distro clear out. I remember Nehil's name from different catalogs and being thrown around here and there, but I don't think I've ever had any of his music until this one. This is excellent. Vaguely ambient-ish, sort of non-academic electro-acoustic music based on field recordings and psychical/found objects.

Hazard - Wind
Several years ago I had the earlier "Lech" and "North" CDs. While those were good, this is quite a leap beyond from what I remember from those. Good use of field recordings with tasteful processing and well arranged overall. I will need to check out more Hazard/BJ Nilsen recordings from this time frame and later.

Dissecting Table - Ultra Materials '86-'91
Now I love the early/mid 90s era of DT with albums like UPD II, Zikogu, Human Breeding, etc. but this is my first time hearing these earlier recordings. They are definitely a lot less refined than those later albums but still quite enjoyable.

Jeff Greinke - Places of Motility
This was my introduction to Greinke years ago, I remember ordering it from Manifold back when they were still around. This album is a bit uneven at times and doesn't fully gel together as well as the albums that bookend it. When it's "on", it's really good.

Steve Roach - Mystic Chords & Sacred Spaces
Massive 4xCD set, drifty ambient and dark atmospheres. Well done and not too cheesy.

Megaptera - Disease
Finally got a copy of this. In general, I prefer Nystrom's newer projects and side project stuff to Megaptera, but this is quite good. A lot less reliant on corny film samples than some Megaptera I've heard, more minimal overall and also more effective.

BDN - Pain in Progress
Early BDN, hadn't heard this one in many years until I recently re-bought it. Perhaps too minimal at times compared to later work, this almost makes me think of Maurizio Bianchi, but less accomplished. Still, I like this. The bonus tracks on the CD are in a completely different style, some are more straightforward and have vocals up front.

Asmorod - Derelict
Rough industrial ambient stuff that sounds like it could've been made a decade earlier and that's no criticism. I'm not in love with the artwork or packaging, but whatever.

[Ashmonger]

Femeheim - Dominium Terrae (CD, Death Continues Records): Really decent German (I think?) Death Industrial. Only comment would be that I think it misses some more bass sounds and it comes of a bit calculated at times. Really like the 7th track, which has a deeper sound, and the 8th track with its sporadic metal clang. In general I think the best tracks are those that have more elements, some others are a bit simpler and they're good too, but it's just those extra sounds (such as vocals, metal clang...), even if sporadic, that seem to get the tracks to a higher level. Anyway, recommended album, if you like this kind of Death Industrial.

Gnawed - Feign & Cloak (Malignant Records, CD): I only have his Devolve tape (which I really like) and the track on the split with Disgust, RU-486 & Nyodene D, but that track isn't that great. Haven't heard his 1st album, heard the samples but I wasn't impressed right away. This on the other hand is really good! Seems part of the aggression has made place for ominous atmosphere. Great synths, metal sounds and processed vocals. There's one track (the one that starts with the panning sound, can't remember which one it is) that's especially great.

Anenzephalia - Instrumentalities (Singles Collection 1991 - 2008): Anenzephalia is good of course, though there's one thing that struck me while listening to this compilation: some tracks seem a bit too long for their own good...

Sick Seed - Technological Singularity (CD, Untergeschoss/Filth & Violence): Compared to the Helsingin Synagogat 7", I like this a lot more. First track sounds a bit goofy at times, maybe, but 2nd & 3rd track are absolute Industrial greatness. Cool layout as well.

Ride For Revenge/Below (tape, Bestial Burst): Not too familiar with Ride For Revenge, I only have The Renegade Temple which I like and have in the meantime checked out Wisdom of the Few (which I really like, but seems like I'm late to the game, needs a repress maybe?) and Enter the Gauntlet which seems harder to get into (check both through bandcamp). On this split they present a lengthy track which has parts I'm into and some parts with which I have a bit of a hard time getting into. Below is weird Black Metal too, nice atmosphere, but it seems like there's guitar, vocals and other sounds, but no apparent drums/drum machine?

[Zeno Marx]

Pantaleimon - Change My World 2003 - folk - CD-single with 3 live tracks from Trees Hold Time - the live tracks are really nice.
Can Am Des Puig - The Book of AM Pts 1 & 2 1978 - psychedelic folk - I think I like Part 2, the previously unreleased album, over Part 1; the vocals are more in tune, and the effects are more psychedelic; definitely more tracks on Pt2 - "Love's Strength" - good album overall.
Ure Thrall - The Great Zoviet French Kiss Off 2008 - ambient - decent album from him, but nothing exceptional.
Voice of Eye and Thomas Dimuzio - The Unveiling of Darkness 2012 - ambient - flawless transitions - dense, rich harmonics - beautiful editing (if it isn't all improvised) - illuminating tones - standard, perfect Voice of Eye - their signature, elephant-like bellows are present; what I love about those is how they sound like manipulated trumpets/brass instruments with huge wind, though they are likely from handmade string instruments - "Themisto" has some wonderful tribal percussion.
V/A A Selection of Drones Past 1993-2000 2006 - ambient - Vance Orchestra, Spear, Osso Exotico, Dronaement, Die Feinen Trinkers Bei Pinkels Daheim, and Reynols are nice tracks.
Tho-So-Aa - Epoch Pt.1 1996 - ambient - tracks I & III are Inade-like and space/lunar landscapish - track II wasn't a great idea on repeat - track IV is of a quality, religious sample, but tonality is just a tad off for it to reach enlightenment, which seems like the goal; the crudity, or lack of rich harmonics, works against it reaching full potential; near the end of the track, sounds like felt mallets on cymbals evolving into space that are nice touches - track V continues there, but is far less successful.
Vidna Obmana - Crossing the Trail 1997 - ethno-ambient - I have a really difficult time listening to this guy - has a digital, plastic-like feel to his sound, and all the rhythms and structures are limp - even more new agey than Steve Roach, who I do like.

[jadderly]

Vidna Obmana - Crossing the Trail 1997 - ethno-ambient - I have a really difficult time listening to this guy - has a digital, plastic-like feel to his sound, and all the rhythms and structures are limp - even more new agey than Steve Roach, who I do like.

Have you tried "Spore"? I'm no expert on him, but I liked that one. It's even a bit noisy in places.

[Zeno Marx]

Vidna Obmana - Crossing the Trail 1997 - ethno-ambient - I have a really difficult time listening to this guy - has a digital, plastic-like feel to his sound, and all the rhythms and structures are limp - even more new agey than Steve Roach, who I do like.

Have you tried "Spore"? I'm no expert on him, but I liked that one. It's even a bit noisy in places.

Thanks for the recommendation.  I gave "Creep (Isolation Trip)" a listen.  I like what he is doing there with the other elements, but again, his choice in digital percussion sound is awful.  Clicky.  Clacky.  No depth.  It's really distracting.

[Mikerdeath]

Are there any good early live recordings of Napalm Death? Or live videos with good sound?

I have a rather large amount of these collected over the years, if you are interested, PM me and I will share them with you.