Leichen — 77 – 92
The release collects together sixteen tracks that were originally released via the projects Bandcamp- and these are each numbered, hence the title of the release. Each track here runs exactly for fifteen minutes, and each is equally ghoulish & crypt-like in it's atmosphere. The ‘walls’ bring together a pronounced backdrop of muffled hiss or haze, which is topped with an often wispy & eerier selection of minimal noise texturing. None of the tracks really move into full-out, thick & searingly dense HNW, but instead retain a sparse & haunted feel- which conjures up images of ancient mummified bodies, piles or patterns made from bones & skulls, decaying coffins, thick weaves of dust-laden cobwebs, & endless crumbling underground corridors engraved with the names of the dead.
The disc comes in a black DVD case, and this features on its front cover a picture mummified human head with its face & eyes caved in. The remained of the package only features the track titles, the projects crudely scaped out logo, and web links. And as of writing this review the label still has copies available.
I’ve now sat through the album several times fully, and really each time it’s sucked me in completely & utterly with its sparse-yet-chilling effective vibe. One would imagine that four hours of minimal static would test one's patience, but I felt fully entranced through-out. I think this is down to the fairly original way that the background is amped-up, and the clever selection of textures on each track.
Sure all of the tracks have a similar sonic identity, but each is subtly different enough to keep one focused. I really like each of the tracks here equally, but if pushed to choose a few favorites I’d go with the following. The first track “Leichen 77” which brings together a tight & compressing matt of hissing, with a line of constantly rolling & constricting static crackle. “Leichen 80” which sees a blend of buzzing muffle, with a selection of ghoulish scarping ‘n’ feasting textures- creating images in one's mind of burrowing coffin beetles- making their way first through rotten wood then leathery flesh. “Leichen 85” finds a droning & slightly rolling hiss, surrounded by a selection of smaller pops, snaps, and judders. And “Leichen 90” is a subtle penetrating blend of distant high pitch electro purr ‘n’ grey muffle haze, which is topped with a sonic terrain of tightly crackling & juddering micro static.
I do hope there are plans for more Leichen releases- as I really think the project has a fairly distinctive & wholly appealing sound to it. It would be great to see another similar audio DVD release bringing together the other Bandcamp release, as they started with Leichen 1-2, and from what I've checked out on the Bandcamp the early work is up to the same quality as the tracks here.
77 – 92 is most certainly a release for anyone who enjoys the grimly moody & constricting ambient side of static noise/ walled noise scene. And as mentioned above there are still copies present left….so if you did fancy this I’d act soon than later because as with most things linked to this scene this is very much ltd.