The Irremediable appears on Uk based Void Singularity Recordings- coming as either a CDR or digital download- I’m reviewing the CDR. This features a blank/ label-less CDR, in a basic black & white hand number sleeve- mines two of ten. The cover artwork consists of a rather grim line drawing of forlorn humanoid figure standing hunched against a scribbled black background. It’s a simple but effective bit of packaging that nicely fits the sonic tone with-in.

Reading the minimal liner notes on the back of the release, apparently it’s a tribute to short surreal game Space Funeral- from a brief search on the net, it seems the RPG video game appeared in 2003,  and was parody of the horror game genre, with its crude art style, and frequent use of blood in its dialogue, graphics, and thematics….so again perfect fit for both the cover & sonics.  Anyway enough banter- let's get into tracks themselves- on offer are two nearing half-an-hour tracks, the first is walled noise & the second more bared-back bleak drone/ ANW, in the style of either Charles Razeur or Eugene Critchley. Each of the tracks starts off with dialogue & creepy sound-crafting from the excellent dark-synth-scaping-meets- dark/surreal spoken word Flowers Of Evil, which appeared in 1969 from Ruth White.

So first up we have the title track, and after it’s minute & half moody intro- the wall rises up & engulfs Whites creepy word-play. The ‘wall’ is a wonderful murky & darkly raging affair- it sees a crude, yet grimly mood blend of rolling low-end bass roasting, & skittering thinner sub-tones, that take in cascading clatters, hissing static washes, and lose judders. I normally enjoy the more structured/ unformed type of HNW- but I must say this track is most effective in its churning & dark maelstrom like feel. I guess you’d say its fit’s somewhere between amped-up & rough-shod dark ambient, bass-blown wall matter, with a slightly blurred/undefined industrial edge. The track perfectly captures a feeling of crude horror, which the Space Funeral game was trying to create.

The second track here is “Blood”, and after about two & a half minutes of samples, we’re into drone meat of the track. This is built around a constant tunneling & dankly tinged deep rumble/ slurred tumble- set back from the main drone focuses is a selection of condense & grey feasting textures- which slow flit & churn. As the whole thing moves on it feels like maybe both elements are slowly but surely fading back- but of course, this could be a sonic allusion.  The tracks really makes a very subdued but extremely effective feeling of sinister foreboding- as if ones trapped in a series of vast, half-lit & crumbling cravens- the floor is thick with murky & foul-smelling mud, and you just keep seemingly going round & round in circles.

I must say I was rather impressed by The Irremediable- both tracks here are great examples of the more darkly moody side of the wall-noise/ bleak drone genre, and its packaging & theme is most effective too. So, as a result, I’ll be very keen to hear what No123noise does in the near future- and as of this review, the label still has copies.