Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Hoggle - Shifting Walls Reveal The Four Guards [Muzikaal Kabaal - 2012]

“Shifting Walls Reveal The Four Guards” is the 4th release from this US HNW project that themes all of its releases around the classic 80’s Jim Henson family fantasy puppet/ live action movie The Labyrinth.

The release comes in the form of a CDR that features three tracks that fall around the ten minute mark. The CDR comes in the Muzikaal Kabaal label house style mini DVD case, and this features a colour front picture  still from The Labyrinth movie, which  takes in two of the four guards from the albums title.


Up first we have “It’s not Fair”, which comes in at just under the ten minute mark. After a brief sample from the movie of the four guards taunting the films heroine we drop into the ‘wall’, which is a rapid mixture of billowing ‘n’ juddering low-to-mid end noise. The ‘walls’ made up of locked raging billowing, and a muffled slightly clattering ‘n’ crackling static judder- these elements remain pretty much fixed for the full length of the track. The only really major deviation happens in the tracks last minute or so when the ‘wall’ shifts more into a rapid pelting & battering down pour of noise tones.


Next we have “Certain Death”, which is the shortest of the tracks at the 9.27 mark. Once again this starts with a sample from the movie with a rather comic interplay between the films heroine & the four guards’. This ‘wall’ mixers together a muffled back drone billowing, with a ragging cold winter rain noise storm like battering. Once again the track stays fairly fixed & unforgiving in its feel, & in it’s last minute or so a more raging rain storm feel seems to start.

Lastly we have “Use Your Wits and Fail”, and this is the longest track here at just under the eleven minute mark. As with the other two tracks this opens with another brief movie sample, then pretty soon we’re into the noise meat of the track. And this ‘wall’s built around a mixture of billowing low/mid end noise, which has this great sort of thin skipping/ slightly clattering static texture on top of it.  This is my favourite moment here as the mix of the two tones is most effective & addictive. The track ends with one last sample from the movie of the heroine falling down a trap door

I really felt that the shorter lengths of all three tracks here  helped this release feel a lot more approachable & rewarding; as in the past this project has sometimes stretched out rather mediocre  ‘walls’ far too long. Sure none of these three ‘walls’ are mould breaking or particularly inventive, but there are often entrancing & brutally enjoyable.

Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

Roger Batty
Latest Reviews

Hoggle - Shifting Walls Reveal Th...
“Shifting Walls Reveal The Four Guards” is the 4th release from this US HNW project that themes all of its releases around the classic 80’s J...
061125   Ms.45 - Ms.45(Blu Ray/ UHD)
051125   Marc Benner - Rejection Sens...
051125   Barrena and See Through Build...
051125   Please Don't Feed the Childre...
051125   Illustrious - Mesmerine 111
041125   Anton Lambert and Thanos Poly...
041125   Charles Bobuck, - GOD O: Musi...
041125   Etant Donnes - Les Cents Jou...
031125   Sluta Leta - Drift Dekoder
011125   Kleistwahr - Winter/Music for...
Latest Articles

Michael Hurst Interview - Unbalan...
One of the more creative & original horror films I’ve seen/ reviewed recently is Transmission, a 2023 film which, a few months ago, received a DVD ...
281025   Michael Hurst Interview - Unb...
071025   Xiphos - The Rise And Fall Of...
030925   Third Window Films - A Label ...
130825   HNW fest- Barcelona- 12th Apr...
250725   Raté interview - Walled-in F...
180625   Matthew Holmes - Of razor-sha...
280525   The Residents - Visits From T...
090525   Ennaytch - Of walls, abused ...
150425   Dead, Dead Swans interview - ...
110325   Sebastian Tomb - Walls of unb...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2025. Twenty four years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom