Fantom Killer — Fantom Killer

Fantom Killer is one of the more recent projects from respected & influential US noise-maker Richard Ramirez. This self titled C30/ digital download is the first fruit from the venture, and what we have here is pummelling ‘n’ battering walled noise with a giallo / killer theme to it….it’s fairly text book example of the HNW form, but of course features Ramirez knack of creating suffocating, grimly atmospheric, yet entrancing wall craft.

The release appeared in April of this year as a self released cassette & digital download. I’m review the digital download of the release, but as of writing this review you can still buy it from Ramirez’s band camp- head here for more info.

The cover artwork features a picture of a women been stabbed in the neck, and pink blood spilling. When you do a search for Frantom Killer you come up with a 1998’s film of the same name. It’s a polish Russian shot-on- video production- which is erotic horror- it finds a misogyny serial killer offing variously scantly glad & nudie females in varouse nasty & creative manners. I’ve not seen the film myself or anything by the director Roman Nowicki aka Trevor Barley, but some seem to be compare his work to that of Lucio Fulci - and there where two sequels to the film too.

With the digital version of the release it’s just one long thirty minute track- but I’m presuming on the tape its split in two. The track kicks straight in with a blunt and murky blend of hacking ‘n’ rumbling descent- this under fed by a choppy-slight- aquatic cluttering- these elements are set in a fairly firm & fixed. As we get into the ‘wall’ one starts to get hooked in by the muffled & moody pummelling of the whole thing, and at points it sounds like they may be subtle shifts in both patterns, with at points the speed altering- but I suspect this is an sonic trick, and in reality it’s pretty stays firm, well at least for the first half or there abouts. At the 16.17 minute mark the top layer of hacking ‘n’ rumbling is suddenly pull out, and we’re left with just the cluttering descent- on top of this we have a very slight suggest of small crackling static-  the cluttering seems to speed-up & both take in a rapidly rattling quality- but once again this could be ones imagination.

It’s always great to hear new work & new projects from Ramirez, and if you dig his other giallo/ killer themed work I’m sure you’ll enjoy this- as it’s up to his usual quality in both textures used, entrancement & mood.