
Hooked Talons/ Internal Empty - Split [Oxidation Records - 2025]This is a C45 split bringing together two densely atmospheric edged examples of harsh noise form. We go from the bluntly baying junk drone meets malevolently lightly seared ambience of the Hooked Talons track. Onto the bass gallop, meet swirling slice of Internal Empty. This release appears on Iillions Oxidation |Record- with the label on both sides, white shelled recycled cassette. This comes in a zip-top baggie, with two sheet monochrome back and front covers featuring like sliced collage work, though it’s difficult to make out the out, as there murkily presented.
So first up, we have an untitled track by Hooke Talons- which is one of the lesser-known projects of US noise legend/ sub-genre inventor Richard Ramirez. Between 2011 and today, the project has only eleven releases to its name. The track on offer here is “untitled“, it opens with blunt/ baying drone craft, that fairly soon becomes underfed by mood slow-mo drags, forks, bays, and at points eerie harmonic rings & sweeps. The tracks feels murky & grimy, yet atmospheric- something a little different from Mr Ramirez.
Next, we have a track from Landisville Internal Empty ( Landisville’s Andrew Powell of Lacktrow ). The track here is entitled “Death Fantasies And Dreams Of Blood Lust (1/8/11)” which slides in at the twenty-one-fifty mark. It’s a blend of thick & dense baying/ buffeting, churning shred, on-mass jittering rattle, and slurred gut wipe wow-wows. It’s an engaging slice of ultra-thick, and slowly shifting noise craft.
So here’s a split with two worthy/ engaging tracks on- each has a rewarding take on dense/ overloaded noise form.      Roger Batty
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