Logical Fiend/Vomir — C20 split
The tape cover is made up of a single piece of tracing paper featuring both of the projects names, then behind this is a fold out inlay that takes in a rather bleak & wordless comic strip that involves a 1950’s like house wife & a mass of crows. It’s a nicely distinctive yet grimly effective bit of package.
So moving onto the tape it’s self, first up we have the Logical Fiend side. This project started at some point in 2012, it’s a one man project that’s all the work Rouen based Paul Grémare( who also runs the Autistic Campaign label, that releases all manner of noise & experimental music). So far the project has released seven or so releases, taking in splits & stand alone tape/ CDR releases. The track on offer here is untitled, and it’s built around a dense & fixed rolling mass of low-end rumbling/ juddering static, which has a nice crust of semi skipping meaty crackle on top. The track’s pace moves along at a fairly rapid pace, yet there’s a nice pressing & intense feel with-in it’s guts. The ‘wall’ remains fairly fixed with-in it’s structure & noise tone pattern through-out it’s just shy of twenty minute run-time. The sound here is not overtly original or distinctive, yet Grémare mangers to create a track that is both brutal & captivating.
Over onto side two, and we have the Vomir side- really if you even have a vague/ passing interest in the HNW form you will be aware of this project. Since the early 2000’s Romain 'roro' Perrot( Vomir’s real name), has produced a truly huge body of work that has defined & influenced the wall noise scene at large- his sound has always been crude, unforgiving & (mostly) unchanging. The track on offer here is another untitled one, and it’s built around a thick & low line of rapidly yet unmoving pouring ‘n’ slightly bubbling static- this main tone has running around it a selection of on/off sub-tones that take in rumbles, rushers, buffets & spurts. The track has a great overwhelming & engulfing liquid like feeling to it, and in particular it summons up in my mind being trapped inside a decaying underground sewage chamber, as it rapid fills up with spluttering, rushing & stinking luqid & faeces. It’s a great slice of what Vomir does best- unforgiving & crudely brutal wall noise.
All told this is a nicely presented split offering up two consistent & unrelenting slices of French walled noise. It’s great to see new acts coming into the French HNW scene, which at one point, a few years ago, was quite active with the likes of Å , Ghost ( and related projects), Ecoute La Merde, & Bördel Noïr; but of late seems to have been fairly inactive….lets hope that changes with the likes of Logical Fiend.