Cannibal Ritual/Chier/Damien De Coene/RR — Four Split

Here we have a four-way wall noise split, that brings together fairly different-yet equally intense examples of this most extreme of genres. This split appeared in March of this year, in either the form of a CDR(15 copies) or digital download- and as of this review writing the label still have copies of CDR available for purchase.

The monochrome labeled CDR comes in a slimline DVD case- this features murky black & white college artwork that takes in skulls, clock faces, wrapped & blood flecked bodies. It’s serviceable if a slightly predictable bit of underground noise label packaging.

First out of the gate here is German project Cannibal Ritual- they start things off in a intense, yet simplistic fashion with their untitled track that slides in at a few seconds shy of the nineteen-minute mark. The ‘wall’ sees a mixture of a whipping & battering noise drone, which is intensely pelted by a maelstrom of hacking, spinning & raging sub tones.  This is very much wall noise at it’s most firm & basic form- presenting the listener with the sonic equivalent of a blast furnace to put their headsn into.

Second up we have a track from French project Chier- this is entitled “Vers de tête”, and this comes in at spot on the twenty-minute mark. This ‘wall’ is a little more unpredictable and at times deconstructed in its feel- we find a selection rumbling/ galloping at-times slowing lows, hissing-to-cluttering mids, with a selection of more stretched & sustained micro textural tones. The whole thing feels nicely uneven in it unfolds, yet the mood/ tone of the wall remains nicely focused & moody sure through-out. Another great & creative ‘wall’ from one of the scenes more prolific, yet always consist of projects.

Spot number three is taken up by Spanish based sound creator & artists Damien De Coene, who is known for both his walled noise & stark drone work. The untitled track here comes in at a few seconds over the twenty minute mark- and is very much ranging ‘n’ gritty wall craft. It sees the bringing together of rolling-yet- slightly caught low-end, which is topped with a blend feasting static grit & pelt, with some effective slicing ‘n’ stretching sub tone detail on top. The whole ‘wall’ has a nicely chaotic feel to it, and in particular, I like the way the grit & pelt elements seem a lot higher in the mix- meaning the low-end takes on more of an unsettling quality.

Finally, we have a track from French project RRR- this is entitled "La nostalgie de la Mort", this is the longest of the four tracks here coming in at the twenty-minute mark.  Here we have a murkier industrial like looped take on walled noise- as we get an interlocking mesh of stark rolling drone, micro grit pop ‘n’ snap, and a swim/rattle loop. This is certainly the more moody & atmospheric side of the wall genre- though I’d say it’s just in the HNW camp, instead of been ANW. It’s a worthy enough end track, though personally, I felt it should have been nearer the twenty mark, then it’s near thirty-minute mark- as the ‘wall’ did start to bore me a little in its last quarter.

In conclusion, this split presents the listener with four different takes on creating walled noise- some are extremely seared, while others move towards the moody & pared back takes. I enjoyed all of the ‘walls’ for what they were- though if pushed I’d say the Chier & Damien De Coene stand as my two favorite moments here.