Wretched Crawler — The Thief In The Tower

The Thief In The Tower is a role-playing themed wall noise release, which over a c90/ digital download offers up eighteen examples of seared-yet-atmospheric wall-craft/ textured noise making. And I must say it’s a varied and creative ride of a release.

Behind Wretched Crawler is Alyx - a trans-gender noise/ jewellery maker from Pittsburgh, whose also behind the project Yotzeret Sheydim, who are always looking for interesting and creative ways of creating walled & harsh noise.  The Thief In The Tower is the projects first release.

The cassette version of the release came in an edition of twenty-five copies- with the labelled on both sides black shelled coming in a doubled sided black and white cover. This features on its front cover a drawing of a hooded adventurer holding a flaming torch, looking up at a stone tower- where a skeletal arm hangs out of a window. Inside we get the track listing, and the release comes(on theme) with a role-playing die.

Each of the eighteen tracks hits dead on the five minutes mark, and each was created by no-input feedback loops on a mixer. And all eighteen tracks are well-conceived, blending searingly intense focus with moody and atmosphere. I won’t of course detail all of the eighteen tracks featured here, but I will mention a few of my present favourite moments. These go from the churning flame feast meets gritty lashings of “Creatures At The Gate”, there’s the spiralling ‘n’ urgent snake charmer like bay ‘n’ turn of  “The Familiar Whimpers At its Masters Feet”.  We have stretched billowing from the abyss meets galloping clutter of “Boundless And Untethered Fear”,  or the choppy serrated slice mixed with bubbling static texturing of “Crackling Ball Of energy”. There’s the cluttering cut meets circular swirling of “Ascending The Final Staircase, or the final track “From Behind The Chamber Door” with its blend of urgent mid-ranged spinning and clutter grain fuzz- it works as a great end to the tape, and sets up the idea of a possible follow-up.

It’s great to see newcomers like Alyx coming into wall-noise scene with such passion and creativity, and that’s exactly what shines through on The Thief In The Tower.  All in all, this is a great debut release, and I hope there is more Wretched Crawler planned. As of writing this review, there are still copies left of this release, and I whole heartily recommend picking one of these up, and supporting this great up and coming noisemaker- and to do just that head here.