Symbol To Be Forgotten - what a release. Nobody could ever mistake this for music or for entertainment.
Sound-wise it's signature FFH but does have some new elements to it, and feels like material that he could not have produced at any time other than after the LP.
Familiar use of samples, strained vocals with no histrionics or bombast to them, having all the more impact for how naked and upfront they are. Primitive and palpable noise, no attempts at forcing it to take upon a more structured shape, deliberate avoidance of even the most basic conventional musical rules. Slight elements of musique concrète creeping in, which I don't remember from any other FFH I have heard, and what I think(?) is the use of a modular synth on the first track.
In terms of atmosphere, this might be the most dismal and unforgiving material he has made so far. No catharsis, no PE used as substitute for metal or punk, nothing there to inspire headbanging or fist-pumping, just pure misery. I'm hesitant to say that this is what power electronics should be, but it's close to the ideal.
