This release came out in late January 2018, and appeared in a physical edition of twenty copies- these sold out fairly quickly, leaving one now with either the option of a digital download or trying to track a copy of the tape down on discogs.

The releases sees each party offering up a single close to the twenty-minute track. And first, up we have the Black Leather Jesus track “Ask For Pain”- BLJ should need little or no introduction to seasoned noise-heads, as this shifting collective has been making Homoerotic S&M fuelled harsh noise since the early 1990’s. The projects centered around US noise couple Sean E. Matzus and Richard Ramirez, and has a truly huge discog of releases- that brutally blur & blend together elements of Harsh Noise, searing junk noise, extremely industrial edges, & walled noise to create a truly overloading & sleaze bound sound. I’m fairly picky when it comes to Harsh noise- preferring more the often locked & enchasing patterns of HNW, but I’ve always had a soft spot for BLJ sound. The track here starts with a gay porn sample of a man asking someone to bend over, and take them down- then with-in seconds we’re into to searing maelstrom of noise. The track is built around a crudely battering & searing washing of hovering & roasting drone drifts, slowly grating & slicing junk noise forkings,  sluggishly galloping banks of juddering industrial tone, and  (possible) muffled male screams & wails. The track's title is spot-on, and really gives you the noise pain you’re looking for- in a pleasing Moorish mass of swirling & searing jam noise form. All in all another successful example of BLJ crudely sleazed take off the noise form.

Up next we, of course, have the JSH track, and this is entitled “International House Of Prayers Of Hate”. JSH is the more harsh noise focused project of  Johan Strömvall Hammarstedt- whose behind walled noise projects like Rien, Gamiani & J.S.H- as well as the runner of the excellent  Ominous Recordings. The JSH project started in 2012 and has so far put out around eleven or so releases. The track here is my first taste of this projects work, and while it didn’t quite hit the spot that BLJ  track did- it’s worthy enough example of searing & galloping harsh noise that’s edged with more wince-inducing higher pitchers. The tracks a seesawing & sickly crude blend of bounding ‘n’ battering low-end grind, and hacking static churn ‘n’ clamoring- that’s serrated with sudden forking sustains, worming tunnels of white static, and sweeps of wiry sear. In the last five or so minutes we get the addition of a spoken word sample from some deranged sounding end-of-days preacher, and around this, the noise tends to pause & pare back more. On the whole, the track kept me interested & held though-out, though I’m not the biggest fan of the more high pitched noise touches, and really I could take or leave the sample at the end of the track. But it works well as a companion to the BLJ track.

So, in conclusion, this is well-balanced split, that will please fans of densely seared & perversely depraved harsh noise. Thanks to one of our paterons Stephen Lloyd for suggesting this title, and if you too would like to enter in suggestions of what we review on M[m], as well as other perks- please head over here.