PLAYLIST with COMMENTS/REVIEWS

[ekastaka]

Slægt ‎– Beautiful and Damned
Melodic black/death on Iron Bonehead. Reminds me of the catchy album that Algaion did. Have to be in a mood for this kind of thing to enjoy it. OK for background noise.

Demo and White Medal split are great and showed real promise. The first LP is one of my favorite contemporary BM albums. The drastic change following that is a disappointment. I have and occasionally spin Beautiful and Damned plus the 2xLP successor. Storm of the Lights Bane mixed with certain Craft influences works when I'm in the mood, but perhaps I'm a victim of musical Stockholm syndrome and denial...

[ligature impression]

Worth - Blinder LP
Worth - Blood Possessed CDr
I've had a couple Worth tapes, but these were a total game changer. Blinder has such an amazing array of harsh textures. Constantly building and then changing, low/mid/high spread, different combinations. The intensity is not based on fast cuts but on perfect layering, tension and release. Unmistakably a harsh noise record but a lot more too. Blood Possessed is similarly harsh, but better develops a grim atmosphere, with warbly, groaning sounds and more wet, squelchy shrieks. I think it was nearly a year ago Mikko commented how the LP requires immediate repeat listens... when I got these the LP stayed on my stereo and the CDr stayed in my car for a week. 

Blood Possessed is awesome, and the LP is absolute perfection.

[brutalist_tapes]

Slægt ‎– Beautiful and Damned
Melodic black/death on Iron Bonehead. Reminds me of the catchy album that Algaion did. Have to be in a mood for this kind of thing to enjoy it. OK for background noise.

Demo and White Medal split are great and showed real promise. The first LP is one of my favorite contemporary BM albums. The drastic change following that is a disappointment. I have and occasionally spin Beautiful and Damned plus the 2xLP successor. Storm of the Lights Bane mixed with certain Craft influences works when I'm in the mood, but perhaps I'm a victim of musical Stockholm syndrome and denial...

personally, i really like their new album, the wheel and thinks it's their best yet. but don't expect lo-fi, kvlt black metal - it's almost just heavy metal, but it's fucking great, in my opinion

[Decrepitude]

Government Alpha - Insanityranny CS
Great new long tape of psychedelic noise with clear but raw enough production. Nice tape with A4 fold-out of the cover art on Total Black.

Gnawed - HARM
Gnawed keeps on getting more and more plays from me. Very well done death industrial again, more on the subdued monotonous tension building (like the Ruin tape which this predates by a year or so) and less full on heaviness of Pestilence Beholden.

A Book Of Knots - Calm Eyes Speak Of Nostalgia
Droning, monotonic BM with blasting drum machine taking turns with catatonic dark ambient and rumbling, almost HNW type noise. Okay I guess, has the same feeling of some Pausage D'hiver stuff although not as good in execution.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Government Alpha - Insanityranny CS
Great new long tape of psychedelic noise with clear but raw enough production. Nice tape with A4 fold-out of the cover art on Total Black.

I have feeling this was maybe thanks to tape format - ferric tapes dubbed on red, that there was tasty punch and saturation. Oscillations of electronic buzz, driven through distortions. If captured and released digitally, could be less good, but this tape - works out really nice!

[brutalist_tapes]

just received and am listening to deus ex garbage can by gelsomina and it is excellent! almost power electronics w/o vocals, but with the flow of harsh noise - and at the same time very industrial! next up is sacrosanct imperium and then i have to get to work, unfortunately.

[Decrepitude]

Government Alpha - Insanityranny CS
Great new long tape of psychedelic noise with clear but raw enough production. Nice tape with A4 fold-out of the cover art on Total Black.

I have feeling this was maybe thanks to tape format - ferric tapes dubbed on red, that there was tasty punch and saturation. Oscillations of electronic buzz, driven through distortions. If captured and released digitally, could be less good, but this tape - works out really nice!

I took a listen to the digital files also on the move and while it's hardly the best way to tell about any fidelity I really liked them also, clear but not clinically precise or sterile. And the tape seems to enhance the good qualities quite a lot.

[ConcreteMascara]

Linekraft - Engineering Analysis Of Inner Death LP - Hospital - the maybe the most hi-fi Linekraft to date, but also the most subdued, or close to it. and it's not like ProTools Linekraft or anything, just extreme clarity in the mix paired with excellent mastering/cutting of the LP itself. still digging the Zaetraom tape a bit more, but I have played this 6-8 times since I got it last weekend.

Naxal Protocol - Anatomo-Pathology Of An Aborted Civilization CD - OEC - a really nice mix of absolutely nasty synths, minimal metal bashing and the occasional guest vocals. I've heard a little Naxal Protocol before and I really dig the CazzoKraft CD but I did not expect this to be this good. Each track has a unique vibe and sound, but fit together as a whole quite nicely. recommended for those who want their heavy electronics a little meaner.

The Vomit Arsonist - Only Red & Meditations on Giving Up Completely CDs - Malignant - I've got a couple of early Vomit Arsonist releases but I thought it was time to catch up. After listening to Only Red the first time I remembered hearing it a few times on bandcamp when it came out. That one is more vocal heavy, relatively more up front. Giving Up is more atmosphere oriented, and I think I dig it more for that reason. both are albums that benefit from listening to them loudly. I really appreciate that the both feel like unified wholes. makes the grim proceedings go by surprisingly quick. my only complaint is I wish the vocals were more upfront and less effected at times, but I guess that they're distant on purpose. will have to dig deeper into the other more recent releases!

[FallOfNature]

Drowning The Light ‎– From The Abyss
The best output from DTL. Azgorh hit a new height with this album, prior to this I liked maybe one or two releases enough to hold onto them. New levels hit with song writing and production especially. If you need to own a DTL album, this should be it.

Vetevrakh - Demo I
Ok raw BM from Bosnia.

Vetevrakh/Snorri 7"
Same band as above, just 10x better here. Snorri is an Australian act of friends of mine. Both are totally unhinged raw BM and this 7" is worth hunting down.

Goatlord - Reflections Of The Solstice
Classic of clumsy and bizarre death/black with a very strange drum sound. Been years since spinning this.

SMES/Purulent Wormjizz - Split CD
Cyber-gore-whatever. SMES is too goofy for my liking but something about Purulent Wormjizz has me putting his side of the split and the rest of his material on repeat. Bizarre atmosphere that only this guy can create (same guy from Black Putrefaction, Anuus Altaar/Jhesu Masturbator and 100 others). Drum machines at max, weird electronic melodies, artwork of vintage women and young girls, song titles about vomiting, ejaculation, dysentery, insects etc, vocals are pitched down to a level where they sound like crocodiles or something...still don't know what the fuck to make of it but I've been an avid hunter of his stuff for years.

Hagall - Varldens Undergang 7"
Heathen themed obscure industrial/experimental. Good stuff, but I liked the split tape on Withering Crypt a tad more.

[Lazrs3]

I recently bought 3 Vomir tapes at a live performance at Nottingham Chameleon Arts Cafe. The show was different to last time, it was different walls and there were no black bags on heads. Vomir stood still and motionless for nearly an hour as his wall played out. It was as if he was lost or seduced by his own wall of noise, or perhaps enhancing the supposed emptiness his walls are meant to reflect? The performance was extreme and unnerving as he showed no signs of movement or emotion, the build-up of sound on the powerful Chameleon Arts Café sound system was relentless and produced a massive void of sound. There was also a combined performance with author Paul Hegarty which was vastly different to Vomir and equally impressive. Hegarty also gave a talk on noise, he played audio samples and discussed them and ways of perceiving noise. This was interesting, funny and good to engage in rather than it being all noise acts. Nacht Und Nebel played and were great as usual. This is the second time I saw Vomir and both times were equally memorable.

Vomir /Fecalove - Shit and Vomit, mm & viii

The Vomir side of this cassette does seem to build up as a sound form(less), as opposed to it being an immediate roar of sound which you're immediately within. The wall does seem to be created by a deep/low rumble that is covered by a sharper/treblier crackle. The combination of these two elements can either simply just contrast or form a static void right in the core of the work.  The deeper rumble sound does seem to resonate and vary in its tone slightly; a wavering roar. Is the emptiness that is quoted in regard to Vomir's sound replaced by a surrogate warmth via the simulated roar of flames? Or are you encased by radiating waves of emptiness on listening? Sometimes I think I hear other sounds buried deep in the mix.

Fecalove is at first playful in its colliding bouncing sounds that serve as an introduction before things shoot to the forefront of the listening sphere and collisions of sound become more aggressive. This is a very choppy, assaultive sound that doesn't let you inside like a wall of noise does, it's too shifting so focus is harder to achieve, you're moved around a lot. As the track progressive walls of sharp noise to build, despite the up rise of intensity it does become easier to exist inside the sound than before.  The sound does occasionally falter and choke, to allow massive rebuilds of the sound or sketches of dying sound experimentation.

Vomir/Bleak Existence – Untitled.

This Vomir release is very immediate, mid, wavering rumble that periodically sharpens in sound as if to intensify the waves of noise.  The movement from sharp to deep increases and splits so the deeper waves settle to a more permanent shape and the sharper crackle constantly shifts in a dramatic fashion. As echoes build and intensify from the deeper sound the sharper sound rises to flamelike intensity and shifts across the stereo range furiously. The flame like sharpness blast of static sound intensifies continuously and is now the focus of noise as echoes remain inside the core of the noise. The major shifts in sound happen early on, the sound eventually stabilises as a fattened out deeper, continuous roar of static.

Quebec's Bleak Existence's sound really focusses on a faltering crackle, the minimal nature of the track makes for a more fragile, shattered wall.  There is a continuous dying sound quality splattering and cackling throughout the track.  As it develops the faltering periodically increases as if dragged along at force.  The faltering noise becomes an aggressive stutter that intensifies to a fuller sound with a harder bass depth and sharpness that cuts behind the splattering.  An acceleration in sound leads to a sudden end.

Vomir/Colique – Vomir/Colique. Scum Tapes

A sharp blast of Soyez Enfermés (be locked) begins to resonate in full restrained blast tunnel wall mode that seems to have a hissing back noise. It is as if the two exist side by side, deep roaring crackle and sharper static hiss. The deeper roar does seem to go through shifts in dynamic as if periodically riding across the stereo range as the static hiss becomes slightly deeper and acts as a base to the deeper noises. The shifts become more dramatic forming a widely looping wall as noises go off in the background.  The wall eventually seems to settle as the shifts are moved to the background and become noises behind the wall. The peace is temporary, a roaring, sharper distortion takes lead bringing things aggressively to the forefront of the work's sound as it intensifies and accelerates into a roaring sharpened avalanche of static. This is by far the most dynamic Vomir recording of the three that I have reviewed in this piece. As the tape moved on, I placed my hands over the boom boxes built in speakers I was able to interact and play with the wall as this adjusted and wavered it's sound, as I patted the speaker new resonations and pulsations occurred. 'Click', the tape ended.

The cOLIQue side is split across seven tracks. The maker is called Alex, possibly French. It's difficult to differentiate the tracks of cOLIQue as there is a formless form of experimentation flowing throughout what is happening. Low level electronic noise and acoustic instrumental tinkering combine and occur with both taking lead at different times. I'm unsure if old soundtracks are used as samples or this is genuine pre-recorded work by the artist added into the mix. It forms timeless, abstract, old world landscapes of sound and noise; the instrumentation is very much early 20th century whilst the electronic noise juxtaposes this as contemporary. I am unsure if these passages of sound poetry are spontaneously improvised or rehearsed. This is the second cOLIQue release, the project is worthy of an entire review of its' own. This release comes with an art zine.

Roro Perrot – Peu Importe. Echoue Mieux.

This is a Romain Perrot side project self described as Shit Folk. The Avant Garde random forms of cOLIQue leads me nicely into this, they kind of tie in on distant parallels. This is full of odd acoustic improvisations that are far removed from the walls of Vomir. Murmured singing/groaning occurs in the back ground, the guitar is plucked somewhere between random tuneless and melody; it becomes scratched and scraped as it progresses, the vocals descend into abstract, wordless growls and grunts. It helps me understand the Avant-Garde roots of Perrot and where he is coming from, this rings clear as a piano is abused. Things descend to more indistinguishable Noise in parts. It does have a sense comedic fun and really indulges the playfulness that sometimes occurs in bits of Vomir; but in other parts its randomness leads into serious territory.

[cr]

Bizarre Uproar - Verikiima
I don't know, this one leaves me a bit confused and at the first listen some weeks ago, I thought that I was somehow a bit underwhelmed. But nonetheless I can't stop listening again and again. Not much vocals here or they are here but buried in the mix. And yes - sexy digipack!

[eyestrain]

IDEA FIRE COMPANY "Live Aboard the Sinking Ship" C80 (Regional Bears):
Scott, Karla, piano, sparse horns, din of the boat. Long, simple and soothing album. Easy to loop all afternoon and lose track.

[Lazrs3]

Abysse – Bulles Noires. 3" CDR.

This is two live sets by this one-man French noise project known as Abysse. There have been several releases on Bandcamp, some self-released and on other labels. The project is also linked to the French Street Art scene; as marker pan artwork features on this release and many of the others. This recording collects two live performances to small, select audiences. This is linked to other projects including - The HNW Quartet, Static Park, The Future and Figures of Solitude amongst many others. The 3" CDR format is presented in a Black pouch with a White capital A patch sewn into it.

Minimalism is the key word for these unflinching repetitions of sound, it juxtaposes up 4 discreet sound elements together. Bulles Noires sounds like a locked grove surrounded by pulsating waves of sound jarring against each other. The sound subtly intensifies throughout the track with interventions of hissing noise. It reminds me of some of the aggressive loops used on early 70s, Krautrock albums. There is a feeling of controlled points of malfunction spread across the performance that serve as uncomfortable points of silence where the sound doesn't really start up again as it continues in your head throughout the silence. The subtle variations of intensity are assertive through their impact on the works atmosphere.  Rising levels of static hiss don't allow for the silence to be repetitive, they vary it.

The repetition makes this function on the same principles as HNW as it doesn't really let up, when it pauses it is too late as it is etched into your brain, even when it ends suddenly. Despite not being so obviously aggressive, it is, as it zones you into the sound and you're stuck inside. This process is repeated on both performances, but little is revealed. I'd like to see how this process works on a whole album, over more tracks or a very long one. The little black pouch contains a brief happening of sound that is difficult and uncompromising.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Stockhausen "Aus den sieben Tagen" 7x LP box
Deutsche Grammophon
1968 works, "from seven days" is 15 compositions. Besides few noisy and sort of infamous works of Stockhausen, this box is among my favorites of him at this moment. Characterized as "Intuitive music"—music produced primarily from the intuition rather than the intellect of the performers - says the description. So often reminding of free music, but it is still following clear patterns and each piece is different. Some are more to my taste than others, but I can easily play though entire box at once - of course if just time allows!
Shitty thing is that the vinyl box I have, is 2nd hand copy from the early 70's and surface noise is rather loud. I was looking if the CD version exists and stockhausen-verlag CD edition from early 90's seems to be priced starting from 350 euro at discogs... fuck! If someone would be selling it for 70 or perhaps even 100,- I'd be willing to grab it.

SEMA "Time will say nothing 1982-1984" 4xLP
Vinyl On Demand
At the time when VOD was putting out box after box after box after box of archival recordings, it started to become too much. Seeing how many boxes cumulated next to eachother and remain unopened. After cancelling subscription probably year before label stopped active series, suddenly I'm in situation where almost everything has been listened through. Things like 8xLP's of Current 93 seemed often too big task to get started, yet when actually going for it, 4xLP length seemed just good amount of stuff to sit down and take couple whiskey glasses while rotating through them.
Same with SEMA. 4xLP goes fast. Very physical and eerie, droning, yet musical experimental works featuring real instruments as well as experimental elements. Last album being just piano works, rather credited to Robert Haigh instead of his SEMA moniker.  Not long ago I was listening Robert Haigh CD on Art for Life. Haigh is supposedly well known for his drum & bass project, but as that genre is among things I do not listen nor want to know anything about, I know name mostly as NWW contributor type of things. His solo piano works are ghostly and great, yet I may have to say early SEMA works probably even better, due extensive amount of good sounds and ideas.

PISSOIR ROUGE / SCATMOTHER "physics dissolve in urine" CD
OFR
Out of handful of Scatmother related collaboration projects, this is so far my favorite! Thanks to really rugged and primitive sound. Not inventing a wheel, but finding the great tone and level of noise destruction. Last track is a bit useless compared to strength of album in general. Fans of filthy & violent won't be disappointed...

ULEX XANE "Stances Semblance" CD
Cipher
Got to listen this with more care later on. First impression was slightly confused. Not that it would be surprising that Ulex is very versatile artist. While famous for his brutal and raw power electronics/noise, he was actually member or the leader in some really amazing atmospheric ritual-industrial projects. Known for wide taste is music and art. This CD goes mostly to "art electronics". It looks and sounds as if attempted to represent academic electro-acoustic works, yet there is very much underground feel to it. While it's clean, and it is formatted in lay-out as if it was works on some state funded artmusic publishing house, it is nevertheless very underground look to it. Possibilities of digital recording and processing gives most people almost identical tools that enable delicate and quiet sounds processed what used to be near impossible some decades ago. I have yet to make final conclusions of material itself. At the moment it looks like Ulex is walking on direction very few probably expected. He could milk his Streicher legacy with making new brutal materials what would be probably more wanted than stuff like this. Yet I suspect this CD is more to his liking to show that he can be creative in many ways, not only produce something people expect to hear.

ENTRE VIFS "The harvest" tape
Cipher
This tape is another example of odd way how Cipher does his releases. I think many of labels CD releases are odd. New SK.MV is fine, yet barely CD album worthy collaboration of Skingraft & murderous vision. Stuff like Crumer + DJ EOF (wtf that is?), Smell & Quim + Onomatopoeia live collab cd release in 2014... and so on. A lot of weird choices to make factory pressed CD's, what are barely good albums. Just live stuff, quite random collaborations... but then the tapes! Damn, label put out so many good tapes in small pressing. This being one good example. Certainly album worth material in good packaging!

[pentd]

COMPOUNDEAD / TAKLAMAKAN split tape
https://www.discogs.com/Compoundead-Taklamakan-Compoundead-Taklamakan/release/2898242

from 2011, but a keeper for compoundead!! taklamakan is still of the "endless black blob" variation here, and would later evolve into the junkyard/swamp thing stuff.... compundead from italy is already there. sounds like searching for a screwdriver through a washing machine full of bricks, very active destruction and overall tekemisen meininki!! broken machinery falling down the stairs noise. wonder what else they have.... this one is xlent.