Flesh Coffin — Headcase
On offer here is just over forty five minutes of prime & often horror fed atmospheric harsh junk metal lined noise that’s split into five untitled tracks which cover a fair bit of different textured & paced ground over each tracks running time. The first untitled track starts with a shifting, caustic yet gothic horror tinged atmosphere which it’s mixture of: storm type roar, rapid & violent chain abuse, ripping steel feed back & crushing rushers, and this eerier & mournful sea horn bellow that keeps appearing ever so often out of the chaos- it's truly a heady, damned & great start to the album.
Later on the third & longest untitled track (that's just shy of the 14 min mark) Brandal offers up a creepy yet seared mixture of perfectly cut chain & metal samples, that clunk & descend in the most rewarding sometimes semi rhythmic manner. Layers of atmospheric & grim noise texturing, and doomy to dread filled steel tolling & feedback dwells that becoming longer & more piecing/horror filled as the track progresses. Then lastly we have track five which starts out with rapid dragging, tapping & clanging of metal that’s under wound by this really creepy low-down almost wind-up sounding purring/dragging motor tone. As the track goes on a hypnotic & musty grim noise juddering & drone starts up along the now convey belt like hanging chain & meat hook cling, bang & knock. The whole track brings to mind wonderfully a feeling of some grim, musty & dank meat factory that’s hidden away in the backwoods- that processers human bodies instead of animals. Really the whole album is great from beginning to end with not a misplaced track or element anywhere & it perfectly balances noisy yet richly textured attacks & creepy, grim & horror soaked atmospherics.
Sadly this is now out of print with the label & usually I wouldn’t review something that readers will find difficult to get hold of- but as this is so special, rewarding & grimly enjoyable though-out I felt I couldn’t not let people know about it & also hopefully this review might get this great release a re-pressing of some form. Really this is some of the best work Brandal has done with any of his projects(which is high praise indeed because pretty much everything he puts out is good to great), it’s also one the most perfectly composed & executed example of Junk lined noise I’ve ever heard. Truly a must have item of the highest order!!!.