Griz+zlor — Glaciating 1
The Griz+zlor project has been putting out releases on & off since 2006, and the projects all the work of Philadelphia based Paul Dever, whose also of Failure Of A Great Machine, Cursed Aether & earthspace noise. The grey(& oddly physically weighty) tape comes in a pro printed black & white sleeve that fittingly features a picture of a grim arctic glacier. This tape was seemingly released as a double c95 tape set with “Glaciating 2” in spring of 2011 in an edition of 4 copies, this new single tape edition appeared a few month later.
Each side of tape here features a single untitled track which was created by feeding field recordings of a windy field into various peddles and electronic equipment. And while both tracks still hint at their chilling field recording orgins, there’s little in the end tracks that actually sound like windy recordings of fields. Each side of tapes ‘wall’ is extremely thick, crushing & completely over-whelming in it’s sonic weight. Side ones track finds a thick textural map of mid-paced & taut juddering static, that’s pitted & bubbled by weathered pops ‘n’ snaps- this added layer really gives the feeling that the tape it's self could be slowly but surely freezing or glaciating. The track really finds it’s grim, cold & airless pattern then locks down into it for the next 45 minutes of so.
Side twos track offers up a more crusty,deep ripping & juddering static ‘wall’ that has some neat billowing & battering subtones reeling about from time to time in it’s guts- these subtones ever so often sound like they could be very distant & mournful blacked guitar like billows or moans. Once again this ‘wall’ is fairly fixed in it’s state, and weightily battering for it’s entire length; though I do have to say this is the more enjoyable & re-playable of the two lengthy ‘walls’ on offer here, as I really like the shifting and blurring sub-tones beneath the main crust of the ‘wall’
So if you dig your HNW dark as night, bone-chilling, densely unchanging & completely unforgiving then “Glaciating 1” is for you. But be warned this is only really for the more seasoned & patient ‘wall-head’ as both sides of tape here really do batter away at your ears & spirit in a truly unforgiving & in the end numbing manner.