Bruising Pattern/She Destroys Hope — Split

Here we have a C30 spilt that brings together two euro-based walled noise acts. Each artist takes up a side of a tape, with each offering a single fifteen-minute track, which leans more towards structure shifting wall-making. And for the split, we have Austrian based Bruising Pattern, and German-based She Destroys Hope. The release appears on the always worth Russian based wall label Reason Art Records.

The white-shelled cassette features double-sided color labels, and this comes in a fold-out color card sleeve. Both the tape labels & cover feature a photo of a murky looking alter in the middle of woodland- I’m really sure how this relates to the release themes, as both tracks are untitled & there’s no mention of any themes on the case- but it’s a moody enough picture. The tape came in an edition of seventeen copies, and as of this review the label still has copies- also if you prefer digital downloads, that’s an option too for this release.

So first up on side A we have the untitled track from Austrian based Bruising Pattern- this project from Vienna has been active since last year, releasing both HNW & harsh noise- and has so far put out coming on for twenty releases, taking in splits & a few stand-alone releases. The track on offer here is best described as subtle altering wall-noise, which has a fairly lose-yet- at times detailed feel to it.  The track opens as a baggy & rough blend of low-end drone ‘n’ rumble, which is cut with smaller snaps & slices- it’s ok but personal I felt it lacked the disciplined & focus I enjoy in walled noise.  At around the six & a half minute mark, we get a pronounced shift in the ‘walls’ flow as we get a more active battering ‘n’ buffeting rumble set in, and this gets added to by busier & insect-like scraps ‘n’ snaps. Initially I did enjoy this half of the track more than the start, but as more layers of roughshod rumble & judder are added in, my interest waned. I guess how much you enjoy this track, is down to how much you like looser & less disciplined wall-matter, personal I’m not a fan- so as a result  this just didn’t do a terrible amount for me- as I just found it frustrating when we seemingly shifted too soon out of effective blends. I guess I’d go as far to say this feel more like it’s moving towards HNW/ harsh noise crossbreeding.

Flipping the tape over, and we a self-titled track from German-based She Destroys Hope- this project has been active since 2012- releasing around 70 releases. This track is self-titled, and once again it’s a fairly active & subtle altering example of wall-matter- but there seems a lot more discipline, focus & brutal urgency about this wall. The track opens with a fairly pared-back blend of rip ‘n’ judder, which is caustically edged by smaller & higher pitched jittering hacks ‘n’ simmers. As the track moves on both elements get more steadily agitated & violent in their attack, and at times tonally I’m reminded of the brutally-ear ripping & shredding feel of some of The Rita’s work.
I guess after the initial shift & building on the layers- this wall does become a little less active, but SDH still nicely twists the tension up with subtle nudges of grain sear ‘n’ slash.  As you’ve probably gathered I enjoyed this track much, much more than the first.

I’ve always found wall-noise & harsh noise blends a bit hit & miss- and I think this split is a prime example of that issue. For me, the first sides track just total lacked focus & searing flair, and to be honest, those fifteen minutes felt like a real slog to get through. But on the flip side, the She Destroys Hope track pulled me in from the first few seconds, keeping me total held in its building & brutal tension. So really how much you like/ enjoy this split- is down to where you stand of HNW/ harsh noise blends.