Nar — Vlad
The Blood red see-through cassette comes in a monochrome sleeve which takes in stark splinted tree like landscape on the front cover. And on the inside sleeve we get another grim black ‘n’ white picture of the small figure of human standing in front of a walled structure which has weird angled splintered spikes coming out of it, with the words ‘I hate Every One, I love Myself’ writen underneath the image. The tape comes in a edition of just 12 copies.
Both tracks here are Untitled, and the first sides track is built around a fairly rapid yet muddy 'n' sludgy sounding mix of the following elements: A slightly slower low-end moody ‘n’ bleak semi liquid churn. A more rapid ‘n’ constantly battering judder. And a selection of jittering ‘n’ bubbling yet muffled static subtones. The ‘wall’ brought to mind images of been buried in a constant stream of lumpy ‘n’ slowly suffocating concrete, while at the same time been lowered into the darkest, deepest, and lifeless water filled abyss( I know this description rather defiles logic & gravity etc, but that’s the best way I can describe this track). The ‘wall’ remains firm, unrelenting, and extremely bleak yet highly compelling through-out.
Flipping over to side two & this second sides track is built around a thick, bleak, and truly impenetrable sonic weave of the following elements: A rapid ‘n’ focused bass bound deep rolling tone. A fixed slightly higher ranged monochrome jitter, And possible some thinner & worming static sub-tones. This track feels a bit more stark yet crudely polished compared to the first side track, but once again it’s damn brutal & body pining in it’s attack. This track brought to mind something( or someone) been feed through a vast twin roller, as a constant yet controlled current of pure electricity archs 'n' dances above it( again, I know how/ when could this type happen.., but thats the image I get). Once again the tracks an extremely effective mix of textures that are both face battering in it’s intensity, yet at the same time very entrancing too,with the tracks runtime just seeming to slip by way too fast.
As a HWN project Nar seems to have the ability to create some of the most intense & bleak walled noise ever, yet at the same time he mangers to imbed each ‘wall’ with this extremely addictive & total entrancing feel. Vlad is yet another excellent release from the project- through it’s a pity really it has such a small edition, as more people need to be bleakly brutalized & yet total absorbed by this projects take on the HNW form.