Sebastian Tomb — Whatever Exists Preys

Whatever Exists Preys is a two-track affair from recently formed/ Berlin-based wall noise project Sebastian Tomb. This is a digital/ self-released mini album- with the tracks featured moving from choppy hackings, onto rattling and ragging judders.

The release features a monochrome headshot of Nina Mae McKinney- an African American actress, who stared in films between the late 1920s and 1950s- going on to be labelled as the Black Garbo in Europe.  To hear the release drop by here. 

The features two tracks- and each of these runs at around the fourteen and a half minute mark. We open with “Whatever exists preys part1”- this opens with a brief sample of a man talking about the dangers of scuba driving?!...then we kick into the ‘wall’. To begin with, we have a blend of lightly treading static weave, which is topped by a more hacking mid-ranged tone. At about the two and a bit minute mark, it feels as if the ‘walls’ textures have been doubled-up, and this causes a nice feel of pelting static from every angle disorientation. The whole thing has both a worming, and lightly circling quality to it, as well as pelting, lashing, and hacking tonalities. 

Next we “Whatever exists preys part2”- and this opens with a minute or so of a 1950’s music hall track with a female singer on( McKinney, I’m guessing?). Then we’re into the ‘wall’- here we are presented with a mixture of fixed droning billow, which is topped with one or two layers of rattling mid-ranged static. The ‘wall’ has a slightly starker undercurrent to the first track, but once again we get a rewarding feeling of disorientation occurring- though maybe not up to the same level. I really do find it most satisfying when ‘walls’ attempt to create a feeling of dusty age-ness, and that’s what we get here.

So, Whatever Exists Preys presents the listener with two worthy ‘walls’- both possessing a feeling of, at times, disorientation rush ‘n’ rattle. I’ll certainly keep an eye on the project's Bandcamp in the near future, as hopefully there is more new stuff in the pipeline.