Junta Cadre – Vietnam Forever (2020, No rent)
Gigantic album focusing on war and its political consequences. Really top-notch synth work, creating walls of gorgeous noise upon which maniacal vocals are delivered with precision and unrelenting energy. Masterful work, even falling on the world of formulaic PE, yet managing to go far beyond our expectations with sincere craftmanship and integral artistic vision. Track #3 has crackling and crunching noises reminiscent of The Rita, which partakes in the recording of this album, delivered behind frenzied vocals that perfectly scream out the toll war takes on the victims it doesn't kill, but leave behind as masses of life-traumatized individuals strained far beyond the possibility of ever coming back to experiences bereft of the death-drive they have been forced to unleash.
Lutkie – The Predator is Cuddled Inside Me (2020, No rent)
This label never ceases to amaze me. Another top-tier cassette consisting of morose, brooding atmosphere, and groundbreaking wordless vocals consisting of breathe-ins, whisperings, howls, moans, bawls, yells and the like. Notwithstanding its simple blueprint and usual thematic, an amazingly original endeavor has been spawned here.
The Vomit Arsonist – To What End (2025, Cloister Recordings)
In the tradition of ominous, atmospheric black noise vomited (no pun intended!) forth by BDN's Necrose Evangelium and making up to the list of great Nosie albums released last year, TVA brings us another long-sustained gaze at the abyss. Droning black notes, slow percussion, anguished vocals, haunting atmosphere – what is there not to like? Dark ambient crescendos laden with fuzzy, pulsating textures which seldom match in between songs, although the whole album has a certain monochromatic tone and uniform appeal. It's Coming and You Can't Stop It makes use of thudding drumming and stylized vocal effects; again, quite a conventional combination, but done just the right way. This album has it all, but most importantly, a finely crafted work of hatred, as bleak as it can get but pleasantly fun and interesting to listen to, regardless. Blessed Emptiness is my favorite.
Deterge - Introductio In Analysin Infinitorum (NRRe^iπ+1=0) (2022, No rent)
When I said Noise was a transcendental genre in this forum, some people disagreed with such notion, pointing to the mundane-focused aesthetics centered around sex, perversion, gross misconduct and immorality. Maybe we're confused around the distance between words and the true experiences contained therein, but again, Deterge comes to confirm my notion. What could be possibly more transcendental, immutable, eternal, and mentally-spiritually accessible only, than math – not least, before its subsidence into a calculator and algorithm portable, utilitarian function, number were sacred. In Ancient Greek, cults and philosophies were established around its ethereality. Think about the amount of energy necessary to conceive such a world. That's where Deterge aims at (perhaps?) with this incredible album. Two tracks consisting of enormous work sustained through endless struggle, undertaking territories of aural violence amounting to an orgasmic explosion of beauty. As harsh as the sound are, I do feel the word beauty could be applied to this release – everything is organized, symmetric, in-place that it resounds as a circular effort of sorts. Once again, I'll never understand his motives, which makes his music even better.
Agonal Lust – Unabridged Suffering (2025, Hospital Productions)
Yet another stellar release from last year. Perhaps my favorite AL, marked by ferocious, anguished lyrics with a depressive appeal to them, distinguished administration of oozing feedback, pounding rhythms, and harsh, piercing electronics; all contributing to the creation of an immersive work. It's very satisfying to find depressive PE such as this, with lyrical nihilism leaning towards self-implosion and helplessness, not in the outward manner other acts tend to focus on. This sounds like it could be release under different labels, but the selection of HP fits well with its overall misanthropic atmosphere and clean dynamics. Razorsharp sonic bliss.
Agonal Lust – Hideous Salvation (2019, self-released)
Equally astonishing release, a little less melancholic than the former, and a bit more savage. Violent, aggressive vocals, pulsating ominous feedbacks, relentless rage. Some tracks make use of separate ranges of feedback abuse, amounting to an insane delivery. The combination of Industrial repetition with dark atmosphere is where it peaks at, notwithstanding a more morose appeal than that found on GO-inspired projects alike. The crunching and swirling high-frequency work on Abnormal Sense of Dread is truly addictive.
