Naughty,The Ebony Tower, Big Hole, Impul — V​/​A 4 Way Box Set
The two separate cassette cases take-in single sided monochrome artwork, and come inside a cardboard jewel box. Also featured are four mini (under A5) posters- these are colour PC printed affairs, and each takes in image(s) relating to each of the releases artists. As you get a fabric patch with the labels logo on.
Each side of tape features an around twenty minute track, and really it’s dense, thick & unrelenting wall-craft all the way- with four sides of un-compromising HNW.
On side A we have a track from Female French walled noise act Naughty- this project has only been active less than a year now, releasing a hand full of releases( taking in taking cassette releases, splits, and a CDR box set), but has already gained a fair bit of praise with-in the worldwide HNW scene. The track offered up here is entitled “Light My Way Up”- this is a nicely barren, bleak, yet dense & rapid affair bringing together a deep boiling noise drone, with two or three layers of thinner jittering & rattling static grain bound layers. The main low-end drone is very thick, bothersome & unrelenting in both it’s constant rolling drone & vice like pressure. The other layers are also fairly set in their focus, though from time-to-time there is some subtle shifts in these. On the whole it’s a nicely bone crushing, yet terminal bleak opening to the release.
On side B we have a track Denton Texas based project Big Hole. Their track is entitled “Crisis Point”- this track opens with a blend of sampled dialogue & building ‘wall’ matter. The dialogue seems to be about tolerance to pornography, and is fairly brief. The ‘wall’ here brings together a blend of three/ possible four layers- these take in: a choppy-yet-galloping texture, a constantly pouring clutter & scuttle, and a rolling haze of uniformed static. Tonally the layers are fairly narrow in their mainly mid range, and this creates a most effective blurring feel- as ones minds constantly trying to chart the exact pattern of each layer. Also each layer is moving at a slight different mid-to- fairly rapid speeds, and this pulls you in even more to the ‘wall’. All the textures seem fairly uniformed in their patterns & flows, but it’s difficult to full clarify this as each layer has a fairly similar tonal range. This track stands as one of my favourite ‘walls’ here.
Moving onto the second tape, and side C. And here we have an untitled track from Greeley Colorado based The Ebony Tower. This project has been active since 2014, and is known most for it’s often multi disc releases themed around works of literature. The track on offering here is a typically hellishly dense yet layer detail affair- it’s a blend of the following: A rapidly rushing yet slightly swaying mid range textures, a rolling rumble, a thinner buffeting layer, and two or so layers of mid-thickness jittering ‘n’ swirling. Together these create a ‘wall’ that is both satisfying in it’s overwhelming & unbreakable dense flow, yet rewarding in it’s in worthy layer detail. For most of the ‘walls’ length the texturally layers remain fairly fixed, save for the last four minutes when a more pronounced rushing ‘n’ hissing layer is added to the mix.
So last up on side D we have a track from Impulse Kill- this is one of the wall-noise/hash noise projects of Jason Wolpert, who runs the Lost Light label. The track here is entitled “Starved”- and it really is a seared & intense slice of ‘wall’ nastiness. It brings together a muffled & slight awkward sounding low end set rushing, & this is set into a searing mass of painful /constantly spilling, roasting, and rushing static. From the outset the whole thing rips into you with it’s spitefully nastiness, holding you fixed in its all engulfing mass for the tracks complete length. It may not be the most texturally complex or creative of ‘walls’, but it’s damn intense- making a great exit to the box set.
According to the labels band camp there are eight copies of this set left, and if you enjoy full, dense, and unflinching wall-craft this is very worth of your time, with each of the four contributors giving their own take on genre in a worthy manner. So here’s hoping there’s another split box set in the pipeline from the label, because as with the first split release this is most consistent.