Black Matter Phantasm — Untitled Ritual
I’m reviewing the tape version of the release. The tape comes in a small tape baggie, and features two Pc printed paper covers- on the front there’s a picture of an African shaman or priest kneeling in front of a skull. And on the back there’s French text, and the albums title & tracks titles in French Braille.
Each track here is fairly standard slice of locked down & unrelenting walled noise. Side ones track is entitled “Entrailles”( according to it’s discog entry). And this track brings together a slightly rattling crisp ‘n’ cracking textural pattern, with a hazed & muffled rushing roar. Both elements remain fairly firm through-out, though the crisp ‘n’ cracking pattern does possibly have some slight movement in it. To be honest this track did little or nothing for me, as I felt both elements were rather bland & uncreative, and together they just made a rather unrewarding & tiresome ‘wall’.
The second sides track is entitled “Chaos”. And this track brings together fairly similar noise elements to the first sides track- we have crisp ‘n’ cracking textural pattern, backed with hazed ‘n’ muffled rushing roar. The difference with this side is that the crisp ‘n’ cracking pattern is a bit more rewarding in it’s movement- taking in sways of detailed gallops & swirls. Once again the whole thing is fairly firm in it’s attack, through the crisp ‘n’ cracking element had some subtle movement in it. On the whole I found this track much more captivating, and it didn’t feel like a chore to play through.
So all in all this release is rather a game of two sides- with the first ‘wall’ really underwhelming me, but the second sides track been a good improvement- sure it was far from a masterpiece of ‘wall’ craft, but there is certainly some promise there.