Schizophrenic Genius — Burning
The tape appeared on Stockholm based Ominous Recordings in February of this year- coming in an edition of twenty-five copies- these find the tape coming with a black & red color themed sleeve that takes in inversed drawing of a creepy & leering demon figure in a forest As of this review, the label still has copies remaining.
Each of the tracks is simply named Burning parts I & II- the first sides track is a very thick & bothersome ‘wall’. It finds a brutally buffeting & dirty bass bound noise tone, this is surrounded by a blend of thinner rattling & juddering tones, and a line of rumbling & crusty hacking. Together these elements create a wonderful primal & nasty ‘wall’, that feels both raging & atmospheric- very much bringing to mind been stalked by the demonic figure of the artwork over a rocky & uneven forest area. The way the textures have been blended is balanced & nuanced yet at the same time brutal & battering- which is a difficult balance to achieve. All told a most satisfying thirty-minute 'wall'.
Flipping the tape over, and here we, of course, find Burning part II- and once again it’s a very brutal & battering ‘wall’. Here we find a raging wind like bass bound noise drone- this is edged by cluttering hacks, and slightly skipping & jumping rattles. This sides track feels a bit more panicked & desperate in it’s feel- as one is climbing over bigger rocks to escape your demonic & deranged pursuer, and along the way, your clothes & skin are become ripped, torn & ragged. Though as the track progresses it feels as if the textures are starting to slow/ drag-out, which I think is just a sonic illusion- but it certainly works well for our sonic story- because this brings to mind your body slowing to a pained stagger/ then crawl. The tonal range is similar to the first sides ‘track, so it certainly feels connected to the first wall- yet Haltuu has managed to present a flesh selection of rewarding tones- which are once again presented in a balanced-yet- brutal manner. So another most enjoyable bit of wall-craft.
From memory I think Burning is the first release I’ve heard from the Schizophrenic Genius project- and I must say I was very impressed, as Haltuu certainly has a good ear for rewarding textures & generally brutalizing wall-craft, which he instills with both atmosphere & moorish worth. Certainly one of my wall-noise favorites of this first quarter of 2020- but if you fancy a copy I’d act sooner than later as the label doesn’t have many copies left!.