
Opaque - The Cult of Survivors- Unreleashed tracks 1997-200 [Kovorox Sound - 2007]This four disk set brings together unreleased tracks from between 1997 and 2007 by this uk guitar collective that fall some where between noise, drone, Psycho Ambience & grim cinematic. With well respected noise Surpremo Lea Cummings(Kylie Minoise, Burning Swallows, ect & kovorox sound label runner) as one of the key figures in the line-up. The tracks go from all out dense and stormy layered guitar attacks that need to be played at high volume & often stretching on for 10 to 20 minutes a piece, through to more darkly harmonic, eerier and creepy slow guitar unwinds & dwells that slowly build up dread to a fever pitch. To horrifying & often discordant edgy cinematic shots of audio fear. There’s a lot of variation both in pace, type of track & their lengths too going from short just over a minute guitar burns or dread inducing guitar painting, to ten or twenty minute slow torture/ fear inductions, or barrages of flayed and distorted guitar layers. A lot of the tracks come from fiery and eerier live recordings which often really add to their intensity and feel- with little or no crowd noise. The first two disks are the highlight here, seemly flowing very well and varying in track type. The last two disks though still enjoyable have a few longer tracks that don’t really go any where for me- but at £16.00 for four disk set you can't really complain!. Of interest to those enjoy dense burning guitar storms of the likes of Birchville Cat Motel to more subtle and creepy but never the less effective moments- To buy direct, hear samples and find out more go here.      Roger Batty
|