PLAYLIST with COMMENTS/REVIEWS

[ConcreteMascara]

Linekraft ‎– Apocalypse Factory CD - by some weird coincidence, I've listened to this album twice on a way to a funeral. first in March, right after I bought it, and now again last night. an odd choice perhaps but it felt right. funerals aside, I prefer the second half of the album starting with "Apocalypse Factory-2". I appreciate the constantly churning mixture of noise generators, metal abuse, bass crunches and distortion. I've said it before, but this is THE alternative soundtrack to Tetsuo: The Iron Man.

Linekraft ‎– Delusional Disorder CD - a bit more focused than the earlier works, but not quite as refined as Apocalypse Factory. a surprisingly cohesive album feel despite the fact it's really a compilation of tracks from 2 years.

at this point I own maybe half to 2/3rds of Linekraft's discography and I've yet to pick up a release that doesn't satisfy. excited for forthcoming album on Hospital!

[Decrepitude]

Atrox Petis - 12th Cell C60
Very minimal dark ambient (even more so than the new Gnawed full-length on No Rent). Slow, almost still waves of murky and echoed synths with distant rumbling , metal sounds and effected field recordings in the background. Very well pulled off and keeps the feeling of impending dread intact without becoming tedious nor doing too much thus keeping it very catatonic. Top stuff.  Packaging is nice too with some rusted relics in a zip bag.

[FallOfNature]

Gnawed / Ligature Impression split tape
Very strong material from Gnawed, this is my preferred approach from him. Really blown out and constantly battering with the vocals buried in the mix.

Jarl - Negative Rotation / Intensive Fracture
These recordings I've always found very inspiring and some of my favourite works from Jarl. Glad someone collected them on one CD. Only downside is the choice of packaging.

[Theodore]

Woke up, made a coffee and listened to Unsustainable Social Condition with Wood And Metal [Angst] and Fecalove - Europe is my cum-rag [Joy De Vivre] tapes.

The first is a full energy harsh noise blast. C20 duration seems ideal for this type of material, although i hate to admit it cause i dont like short tapes. Very good and i need to check more of these projects.

Fecalove's, 2 lengthier tracks, slower moving, a droney and a noise mud. Nothing that really stands out or something that you will particularly remember but a tape that when you play it you will listen to it. I did. And that's something that seems far easier than it actualy happens.

[Kim V]

Gnawed / Ligature Impression split tape
Very strong material from Gnawed, this is my preferred approach from him. Really blown out and constantly battering with the vocals buried in the mix.

Jarl - Negative Rotation / Intensive Fracture
These recordings I've always found very inspiring and some of my favourite works from Jarl. Glad someone collected them on one CD. Only downside is the choice of packaging.

seconded concerning Gnawed, my favourite among his releases

[FallOfNature]

Various  ‎– How Terrorists Kill
A great compilation covering various approaches and mostly of high quality. Highlights are Macronympha, Wertham, ASP, Grey Wolves and Operation Cleansweep. Does anyone know much about ASP? I've always wanted to hear the lone tape they put out but it's impossible to find even as mp3 version.

Slogun  ‎– Hunting Humans
Strongest release from Slogun to these ears. Sounds are dense and the atmosphere is unsettling. The vocals aren't upfront like other albums I've heard, but buried in the mix and distant.

Ex.Order - Shuchu Ryoku
I dismissed this as average at first but with further listens I've warmed up to it. Tracks 3-4 are real standouts, great use of layering.

[Peterson]

N.I.T./Kruelco split CS (self-released, 2018)
          Another from one of my favorite PE projects going today meets Kruelco, which is something called "black noise" (e.g. mixed with black metal, I guess). I haven't really listened to Kruelco's side, yet. N.I.T.'s material this time around flows nicely from one track to another and features some of the best vocal performances so far. Electronics sharp and cold as ever, but with some really nice throbbing ultra-bass that manages not to overload headphones like modern day rap. Frankly not a lot to say except that if you're a fan of Iron Fist of the Sun, Koufar and '90s-era Whitehouse, I can't recommend N.I.T. highly enough. Looking forward to the next installment (full-length) which will be on a certain label sometimes advertising here. Only criticism is that in the future I'm curious about how more vocal diversity and quiet passages might sound. American PE gets a lot of justifiable criticism for being derivative but I don't see that here.

[Zeno Marx]

Been enjoying the fuck out of Knurl.  He's new to me.

Hiatus - From Resignation to Revolt 1993 - I don't think about, nor listen to, them often enough; a band that is above appreciation and into that arena of reverence - I don't think I've ever heard anything from them that isn't great, but this is probably my favorite - stupidly sold the CD version of this album, which has great bonus tracks; one of those purges I regret.
Unhinged - Win Our Freedom in Fire 1996 - I remember how this album took Minneapolis by storm - I remember how the jacket felt like damp cardstock, like cardstock out of the freezer, and the texture of the reversed cover; loved the orange print - the whole situation felt different for some reason - never cared for the music a ton though; it was OK, but I wasn't bowled over by anything about it, and I'm still not - I like elements of it a lot, but the sum missed my mark.

Death Fortress - Among the Ranks of the Unconquerable 2014 - I don't now anything about this band; because of the gruff, deeper vocals, it makes me think of crusties doing Immortal black metal, which is NOT a bad thing at all - wish I'd listened to them a month or two ago when I was deep into 90's black metal - pretty cool stuff.
Death Fortress - Deathless March of the Unyielding 2016 - I'm just not crazy about the vocals, but they're also part of what makes this band stand out [for me] - "Merciless Deluge" is a good example of how this band can write great riffs and songs - might like this more than their first album, and I liked that one very well.
Death Fortress - Triumph of the Undying 2017 - I think I like the 2nd album more than this one; the vocals are more significant on this one; still, really good riffs and all.

Tarab - Idée fixe 2017 - phenomenal...truly...powerful field recordings and manipulations - big metal container(?), insects, birds, rustling "sonic rubbish" indeed - big sounds - big feel.

Analfabetism - Kniven Sitter Kvar i Bonden 2018 - I should like this guy more than I do - there's something about how he edits or his bigger idea of things that isn't dark enough, or maybe foreboding enough or something I can't exactly pinpoint; death industrial that feels more like something on Touch than where satisfying death industrial collects; like how ambient on Hearts of Space can be so "off" for me - some good bones here, but I feel like walking away from the plate mid-meal.

Jorge Reyes - Comala 1989 - PBS has a documentary series running right now called Native America.  I was really drawn to the music, and it had me thinking about Jorge's pre-Hispanic series of albums, which are some of his most focused and greatest.  While not technically one of those, Comala is enough like them to begin to quench my thirst.  A common problem I have with Reyes is that while I like him a whole lot, there's also something about his work that won't allow me to listen to an album or two without needing a long break before returning to him.  Cheesiness or tonally unsatisfying or something.  But inasmuch as I know, he and Tuu are the only ones who play in this arena that aren't more geared to soundtracks.  If you know something I don't, please share.  I'm always in the market for things like this.
Jorge Reyes - Prehispanic Music For The Forgotten Spirits 1994 - great ancient-inspired music of flutes, percussion and chants.

Dead Can Dance - Dionysus 2018 - I guess when some feel it is an EP and runs short, but is actually 36+ minutes, it's a good thing.  It flows and removes time.  This is an amalgamation of their worldly side of Spiritchaser/Sambatiki and their live presence and instrument-heavy arrangements with the additions of field recordings and concept-focus.  Drop the sandbags.  Untie the tethers.  Makes perfect sense for DCD.  I'm into it.

[ConcreteMascara]

Dead Can Dance - Dionysus 2018 - I guess when some feel it is an EP and runs short, but is actually 36+ minutes, it's a good thing.  It flows and removes time.  This is an amalgamation of their worldly side of Spiritchaser/Sambatiki and their live presence and instrument-heavy arrangements with the additions of field recordings and concept-focus.  Drop the sandbags.  Untie the tethers.  Makes perfect sense for DCD.  I'm into it.

Excited to hear this, especially with your recommendation.

[absurdexposition]

WHITEHOUSE - Thank Your Lucky Stars "Special Vinyl Edition" 2LP

The remaster sounds great. It's got "My Cock's On Fire (Long Version)". That about does it.

[ConcreteMascara]

Agonal Lust - Modern Atrocities cassette - this project seems to get better with each release. Modern Atrocities is noticeably more "focused" for lack of a better word than the first two tapes. the tracks are not overly long, making impact quickly and effectively. the sound is a tad clearer too, although this still sounds like a project meant to be recorded and released on used cassettes. the overall aesthetic from the art to the track titles has created a cohesive, ultra-negative whole over three cassettes released so far. it feels like all the best bits from the past 20 years of american industrial and power electronics have been taken and refined into something not completely radical, but very effective. a group to watch for sure.

Linekraft - 33 Purgatories cassette - newest Linekraft release, came out back in July. on the expensive side for no discernible reason as the packaging is basically a big insert that makes it hard to store with other cassettes. BUT, the music here is great. I'm learning to expect the unexpected with Linekraft releases as there seems to be no defining template or style, but rather constant exploration into new types of broken sounds. it's most similar to his prior tape on OEC, but it's distinct from that too. at times its the closest to death industrial the project has ever been, but then sometimes its just weird and warped sounding. loving the b-side, especially the last track which starts with a tasty Jim Jones sample.

Screloma - Dirt CD - surprised by this one. I was expecting slow moving electronics w metal abuse and instead I got power noise/rhythmic noise that falls somewhere between Converter's Blast Furnace and DJ Tron's Psychotic TriZt. Really its like power noise with speedcore bits and power electronics vocals. it's fucking nuts! the ridiculous bass kicks will probably turn many off but it was a welcome reminder to me of my love of speedcore and Ant-Zen.

Missing - Untitled II cassette - this one is hard to review. only one listen so far but I'd say its akin to having mercury slowly poured in your ear while you lay semi-conscious in an abandoned strip-mall parking lot, wind blowing silt and trash across the asphalt.

[Kim V]

Missing - Untitled II cassette - this one is hard to review. only one listen so far but I'd say its akin to having mercury slowly poured in your ear while you lay semi-conscious in an abandoned strip-mall parking lot, wind blowing silt and trash across the asphalt.

Sounds like something i should try.
+1 for your Agonal Lust review! One hell of a release!

[fantastique]

Hijokaidan - Legendary Live Collection of Hijokaidan Vol. 6 DVD
Just got some of these in for the distro and took one home with me. The older I get the more I need DVD/VHS of live actions. This is a set to be appreciated by all. Grainy classic footage from 1981, lots of blown out saxophone squelch, guitar noise, screaming, moaning and the like. Total fucking chaos. There's something so refreshing about watching footage from this era when the psychotic nature was natural and even if it were for legend, it was a building block and not an instant gratifying fix. I would say this is essential for anyone who doesn't already own it. I have it on a DVD-R that a friend gave me a few years ago but having the art is pretty key, a crystal clear high contrast shot of the band writhing around on the ground soaking wet covering in what appears to be garbage and vomit.

Immediately after watching I watched two hours of live Butthole Surfers early 80s sets to keep the vibe going

[Peterson]

Missing - Untitled II cassette - this one is hard to review. only one listen so far but I'd say its akin to having mercury slowly poured in your ear while you lay semi-conscious in an abandoned strip-mall parking lot, wind blowing silt and trash across the asphalt.

Holy shit, thank you, Frank! Best review I've had hands down. Totally agree on the Agonal Lust observations - a notch up on the classic model.

[Ashmonger]

Serration - Machine Survival (C20, Unsound Recordings): Industrial/Heavy Electronics. This is good, but while listening to this, I'm starting to think that Unrest/Unsound really found its niche and I'm starting to find it a bit difficult to keep some of the newer projects apart. I guess the Unsound presentation (which is cheap, simple, but nice) doesn't help, but I'm sure it's also got to do with me running behind with listening to what's coming in, so perhaps I should try playing f.e. Detrimental Effect and Serration after each other. Anyway, if you like what Unrest/Unsound has been releasing, you'll most probably like this too.

Mania - Little Pieces of Violence (CD, Phage Tapes): Very recognizable Mania stuff, don't feel like I need to spend too many words on this, it's good.

Various Artists - Sex Noise (CD, Staalwaart Records): Harsh Noise & PE with some better known and some unknown acts and a traditional theme. Nice cover. With compilations you've always got ups and downs, but I feel like this is curated well, good quality overall.

Hymenal Opening/Cervical Smear (C40, Obsessive Fundamental Realism): Hymenal Opening has one long track. Fuzzy kind of PE, with some deformed vocals, didn't do much for me. Cervical Smear on the other hand is good. Rough and noisy PE.

Mz.412 - Ulves Broder (10", Cold Spring): I wasn't too familiar with Mz.412 yet, but I really like the Anima Nostra album and when I saw that Mz.412 returned, I checked the Ulvens Broder track and really liked it. Martial, brooding and orchestral in a way. The Father Uncreated is more ambient-like, Algiz - Konvergence of Life and Death is a reworking of an older track, which I'm not familiar with, so I can't compare. Nice 10" and a good incentive to delve more into Mz.412

ZSS - Moral War (10", F&V): ZSS good as always, but perhaps not his strongest material. Nice layout and that VJ cover is something else of course.

Citalopram Shunyata - Daughters of Emanuelle (C20, Hiisi Productions): Simple layout, tape in a folded A4 page with black'n'white porn pics. Not something not seen before, but it works. Track titles are hand written on a small piece of paper that's filthy, don't know what happened to it, but one can guess. Harsh Noise of the not-very-chaotic variety, at times quite calm. Nice tape overall.

Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped, Daydream Nation & Goo (CDs): So, I won these CDs 10 years ago with a shitload of other stuff. Lots of them were sold, the good stuff kept and then there's, even now, some stuff I had to give time and several listen sessions to know what to do with them. Sonic Youth was one of these bands. Of course, I found the concept of Noise Rock fascinating. I don't know why, but I found Goo enjoyable. The other two though... Doing rock music with noisey elements here and there sounds good in theory and actually there are nice noisy parts, some nice feedback, noise layers behind the music, etc. However, what they are playing is mostly soft radio friendly, just overall too nice music, which I can't do much with. Too bad, but I guess these CDs can go as well...

Gas Chamber Renaissance - Craniotomy of Reign (CD, Freak Animal): Don't know what the best genre description is for this. Industrial Noise? Enough distorted sounds, low on vocals (some almost Black/Death Metal vocals), but it's not chaotic, rather structured. Quite diverse sound palette, distorted sounds, feedback, synths, some vocals and I think some bass guitar too. Very enjoyable.

Am Not - Unpunished: Appendix (10", Unrest Productions): Unpunished was a great discovery and The Developing World is very good as well. Of course, I expect a lot from this 10". Perhaps my expectations were a bit too high, especially since the release is praised here? Or perhaps I'm getting a bit jaded with listening to too many new releases all the time, a feeling that's popping up regularly for the last couple of weeks. Anyway, this 10" is obviously good, but on first listen I'm not as blown away as I kind of expected to be.