Cory Strand — Manson Ambient

Since he was handed a life sentence in the early 1970’s Charles Manson  has remained one of the most notorious figures in American culture- some see him as a prophet  or anti-hero, while  others  see him as an cold bloodied killer &  master manipulator. Over the years there have been numerous books, documentaries, films, different forms of art expression & even sonic attempts to portray & capture Manson’s particular  brand of evil, but few have seemingly managed to truly do so. "Manson Ambient” is one of the few successful attempts, and it real mangers to create a feeling of both tangible fear, sun hazed cult submersion, and a feeling of real malevolent evil.

Over the last year or so Minneapolis based HNW/ stark ambient artist’s Cory Strand has put out a series of movie soundtrack reinterpretation, and radical female  pop artists remixes/ deconstruction that have dwelt in both dread filled ambience & brutal yet creative walled noise. With "Manson Ambient” Strand takes Manson's 1970’s debut  album  “Lie: The Love and Terror Cult”, and complete deconstructs the tracks into truly dread inducing & at times truly horrifying  dark ambience.

The set is spread across three CDR’s, and it offers up fourteen tracks which last between just over the ten minute mark to near on the thirty minute mark. Each of the original Manson album tracks are deconstructed to the point where really none of their original structure is maintained, and with each track Strand creates a deeply atmospheric & chilling collection of slow motion drones which display a very tangible & real air of malevolence, evil & dread.  The drones utilized here mix together brooding organ like deep-ness, hovering & hope sucking mid to slightly higher tone sustains, shimming yet darkly expansive slow motion tone drifts, and genreal uneasy selection of drone matter. 

All the tracks here feel of another time/ place & aged, yet also time-less in their audio identity; whether this is due to the original material that Strand has manipulated, or it’s down to his production I’m unsure. But there’s no doubt over the three discs Strand has created a very distinctive mood that fits very well the crimes of Manson & his ‘family’.

The three discs come in the Altar of Waste house style packaging which is a see through DVD case.  The case features a double sided colour cover that takes in on it’s front a drawing  of Manson’s face surrounded by skulls & eyes, on the back there a rather ominous picture of Manson standing in his bare feet for a police photograph. On the reverse side of the sleeve are black & white pictures of the killer female members of his 'family', and these along with the track listing sit against an orange psychedelic like background. Each of the three disc features scrawled yet creepy colour psychedelic artwork relating to Manson’s case & ideals. 

"Manson Ambient” maybe not be as varied as some of Strands other reinterpretation/deconstructions, but it’s certainly extremely atmospheric and heady with a very real feeling of dread & foreboding. I hate to quote back press releases in reviews, but on this occasion I think it’s fitting to take a few words from this releases press release..'This shit is scary'…enough said really.