Controlled Death/Mayuko Hino - Split [Cold Spring - 2021]Legendary Japanese noise acts Maso Yamazaki (Masonna) and Mayuko Hino team up for this grating slab of grim, blackened noise/death industrial. Maso's contribution is under his Controlled Death project, which is a far cry from the spastic, chaotic noise that made Masonna famous. Churing forth a thick, vile slab of death industrial, Maso shows that he's able to change and grow as an artist, and continues to impress. Hino's tracks are long, cosmic, and noisy, and an excellent complement to Controlled Death's quicker offerings. Starting with the legendary Maso Yamazaki, this split sees Controlled Death rolling forth low end buzzy drones, belched forth from the Korg MS-20. Serving as the gloomy treads driving this death tank forward, Maso's distorted vocal noise rides on top, screaming and shouting inevitable demise to those in his path. Lower in the mix and less chaotic than his previous solo work, the noise serves as a wonderful accent to the synth drones, and fleshes out the soundtrack. Moments of Controlled Death's side sound like an old, obscure film, with distorted shrieks signifying the characters' madness. The foggy distance surrounding these pieces adds a certain mystique and untouchable quality, which almost seems to be like Maso himself. Sluggish and lo-fi, "Devil's Sacrifice I-VI" are cold and vile without being overly oppressive like most death industrial.
Mayuko Hino handles the B-Side with two 9 minute tracks. Noisy and free, her offerings continue with the low end buzz of the A-Side and serve as an unexpected leitmotif. Continuing with the cosmic noise C.C.C.C. was known for, Hino is in form here with expressive and insightful oscillations and shrill stabs. Only sharing a low end with Maso's side, Hino sends her tracks into the atmosphere, oftentimes feeling like the autobiography of a man-made satellite, recounting its last days. With many layers well buffered from each other, one can sit and pick out a path that weaves and intermingles with the surrounding sounds and is independent from the rest of the mix. Yet, they all work together, just independently. Sky high and uplifting, "Metaphysis" and "Bone Memory" are a welcome companion to Controlled Death's distant death.
Pairing two Japanese legends, the Controlled Death/Mayuko Hino Split from Cold Spring is a great reminder that no matter what happens in this world, noise will remain pure, invigorating, and inspiring. Two different styles, both crafted with passion and skill, come together to cover a wide breadth of sound and influence. This is limited, so fans of either act would be well advised to pick it up before it goes out of print.    Paul Casey
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