Various Artists - Japanoise of Death II [Steinklang International - 2008]This as it titles suggests is the second compilation of Japanese noise on the Austrian Steinklang label, taking in near on 80 minutes and 16 tracks of mayhem and sonic chaos featuring the likes of The Incapacitants, Government Alpha, KK Null, Dissecting table and Aube. Though clearly much of what’s with-in is noise there’s a really effort to get contrast and variation in tone and sonic movement from track to track with a lot of the tracks learning more towards the musically end of the noise spectrum instead of all out wall noise, so on the whole this is a very playable and consistent compilation that works well as one long slice of chaos. My one and own criticisms if I had one about the project as a whole is that many of the tracks here are relatively short with only one track going over the 7 minute, but of course they have to be shotish to get 16 tracks in 80 minute playing time, it’s a fairly miner quibble it's just I’m a really sucker for longer noise workout. Anyway onto favourite moments early on we have Hijokaidan's Dog House Chop Chop which is built around layers of interlocking screaming electro tones along with possibly some human screams too and shifting percussive elements to bring a great dense and hectic vibe. Dissecting table’s track Collapse opens up with a mournful sonic whale like call under electro grim fog and stuck cinematics before jumping into an rushing ear singing twisting and turning tunnel of closing in static burning tones and feedback hazed oriental drums and ominous tone. Aube’s Inhibited Compressor rolls slowly into sonic view with its atmospheric looped drone that slowly but surely becomes more feedback and noise pulse heavy- it’s an nice, active and noisy slice of Aube that gets it 's sonic points across well in it’s relatively confined sonic space. And towards the end of the disk we have Timlsoara’s Hypnotic Corrosion which is built around slowly circling and amped bassy tone that have a more noise aircraft like tone coming out of them which slow makes things more nasty, edgy and corroded but still managing to keep it’s quite eerier tone through out. On summing a great compilation of Japanese noise that I’m sure fans already of the noise genre will enjoy, as well as this been an effective enter point to the world of noise to those who have still to taste the genre's fiery pleasures. Roger Batty
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