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Over the last few years, there has been a real resurgence in the horror/ sci-fi side of Mexican cinema and 2016’s The Untamed is another arty & thought-provoking example of this trend. Here we have a recent Arrow Academy release of the film- in either Blu Day or DVD format.
Originally released in 1984 Pagan Day was the fourth album from Psychic TV. It offered up a blend lo-fi, sketchy, and at times haphazard tracks that move between: wavering blends of keyboards, drum machine beats & guitar. Onto off-colour light folk-rock or 60’s guitar pop. Though to dower & wound down (un)easy instrument music, and sparse/ off- center acoustic singer-songwriter fare. Here from Dais Records/ Sacred Bones Records, we have a recent reissue of the album- either coming in the form of a CD, or two different vinyl variations- standard black, or ltd red Vinyl. I’m reviewing the CD version.
Vocatique Sunt is the second release from this Seattle Washington based project who offer up a fairly original sounding take on textured noise with a ghost/spirit based theme. This release appeared in July of this year- coming in either the form of a C60 or digital download. Sadly all that is now available on the label is the download.
Big Hole is the HNW project of Christopher Charles Robinson- from Denton, Texas. Christopher has been making HNW for some time now, with many self-released editions and a large amount of work featured on the Minneapolis label of Cory Strand, Altar of Waste. Much of his previous work is known to me and so I went into this review very aware of how my reception of these previous releases might affect and inform how I receive this one. This release, 'Corll Revisited', appears on [listen loudly], which is a label founded in 2014 by Christopher for self-releasing some of his output as Big Hole.
Digitally released on Halloween (with physical copies set to drop next year), Hell's Headbangers brings the sounds of the season with the third album from Acid Witch, Evil Sound Screamers. Mixing layers of synth with metal mayhem and a dash of goofballery, Acid Witch's third album may not be for everybody. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, there is a lot of solid music on Evil Sound Screamers, and it definitely warrants a few spins on the table.
Hippodrone Club is collaborative album between Josette Ponette and the Poneymen. And according to the Discogs listing, is a blend of the alternative and surf rock styles with female vocals.
Here we have a double shot of late 80’s horror schlock ‘n’ sleaze from Roberta Findlay- an infamous New York City-based filmmaker, producer, and director, who between the 1960’s & late 1980’s moved between porn, exploitation & horror filmmaking. The two films on this dual format release blend together campy horror plotting, soapy moments, some effectively bloody & at times shocking scenes, with more than a good selection of female nudity. All wrapped up with cheesy dialogue, decidedly mixed acting, and a sometimes nonsensical & unpredictable unfold.
Wide-Eyed In The Dark brings together two of the originators & true legends of the wall noise scene, Richard Ramirez & Sam McKinlay. The release comes in the form of a pro-pressed CD, which features three fifteen plus minute tracks. The release comes in a very scene generous edition of 250 copies- so all been well you should be able to get still get hold of a copy of this.
Carach Angren are a Dutch Black Metal band, with one foot firmly planted in the sphere of the symphonic. The band released their demo The Chase Vault Tragedy in 2004, this was followed up quite quickly with the release of their debut EP Ethereal Veiled Existence the following year. It was another three years before their debut full length Lammendam was released in 2008. Dance and Laugh Among the Rotten is the band’s fifth full length release, and their third for Season of Mist records. The band’s style has matured over the years into their own unique brand of symphonic horror soundtrack inspired Black Metal.
Blut Aus Nord have been the leaders of the French Black Metal scene for around 23 years now, they flourished from the ashes of a band named Vlad who had recorded two demos in the early 1990s. Whilst they are most definitely a Black Metal band Blut Aus Nord are innovators and are always looking to take their brand of Black Metal in new and interesting directions, never happy to settle with a generic sound they constantly challenge themselves incorporating elements of ambient electronics, doom metal, industrial and death metal into their sound.
Technical death metal band Archspire have returned this year with their 3rd album, "Relentless Mutation", follow up to 2014's "Lucid Collective" (which I thoroughly enjoyed). The band has taken 3 years to perfect another satisfying collection of dense, precisely composed music.
Part glossy photo book & part memoir Misery Obscura is a fascinating & eye-opening look at (mainly) the three cult bands connected to punk horror/ Goth rock/ metal legend Glen Danzig- The Misfits, Samhain, & Danzig.
1977’s Body Love was both a bizarre & at the time popular addition to this German synth legends discography- it was the soundtrack for an Italian porn film of the same name, and as with many popular releases it got a sequel. With Body Love 2 appearing at the tail end of 1977- & here we have a 2016 CD reissue of the album on MIG records, and like the other Schulze reissues you get a nice shot of bonus material, pushing this reissues runtime up to just shy of eighty minutes.
Well, T × R × P needs absolutely no introduction for even the most cursory death industrial fan. Bursting onto the scene back in 2008 he has gone from strength to strength, releasing music on labels like Malignant, Cold Spring and Tesco. Now, Sweden-based Trepaneringsritualen (or T × R × P as it’s conveniently shortened to) unveils the latest album, Kainskult – a 9 track harrowing venture into ritualistic/death industrial madness.
If there's one thing that was probably never said, it was "we need a gore metal concept album." However, whether said or not, it was thought of and executed by California goremeisters, Exhumed. Set in late 1820's Edinburgh, Death Revenge tells tales of grave robbing and murder for the sake of selling body parts. While not on the level of Quadrophenia, Death Revenge is still a fun, fast, gory album.
Nylon Encasement is a three C60 box set bringing together a selection of often highly creative, layer detailed, and skilled walled noise/ textured noise compositions. This Swiss project has been since 2009- first releasing Harsh noise, but in recent years focusing in on mostly purely walled noise, and as this releases title suggests all of the projects work is themed around Nylon/feet/leg fetish.
Triac's last CD album, 2015's Days, was a refreshingly cool blast of affecting electro-acoustic drone, offset by a lingering, almost gothic sense of dread. They distil from their spartan trio of laptop, synth and fretless bass a surprisingly organic and dense miasma of sound, none of which can easily be reduced to its constituent parts. This new extended EP on the Canadian micro imprint Polar Seas is a single thirty minute exploration of the textures and moods which on Days were drawn out in more isolated fashion.
Ukraines First Human Ferro return with their latest offering, the eight track, Heterodox. This must be the outfits 10th proper album since it’s inception in 2008 and comes out as a split release on Gradual Hate and Old Captain Records.
Originally released in 1988 Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama is a cheeky & campy slice of 80’s cinema- mixing together sex comedy, fantasy, and light horror elements. Here we have a blu ray edition of the film- featuring a new scan of the movie, a new commentary, and a very lengthy documentary about the film & its production.
Here’s a recent DVD featuring a remastered print of one of Jess Franco’s sleazy women in prison flicks. From 1978 Women In Cellblock 9 is a fairly typical example of the genre, blending together soft-core with moments of torture in an exotic jungle setting. The film features Franco regular Howard Vernon in fine leering & depraved form, & a selection of sweaty nude females & corny-yet-crude dialogue. It certainly won’t convert you to either the women in prison genre or Jess Franco films- but if you enjoy highly sleazy & bad-taste euro exploitation from the 70’s you’ll get a kick out of what’s on offer here.
Its some ten years since US ambient legend Robert Rich, and German-born touch guitar master Markus Reuter last collaborated. Lift A Feather To The Flood is a collection of carefully crafted, starkly moody, & often darkly languid works. The eight tracks bring together Rich’s often fragile & harmonically elegant acoustic piano playing, Reuter’s subtle & subdued ambient guitar scaping, and the pair’s nuanced production- all to create an album that both soothes-yet-enchants.
Baker, Goff and Harris are long time friends and collaborators on one another’s projects, however this is the first time they have come together in this way as a trio. They trio are all seasoned professionals Baker having played with Nadja and others, Goff as a member of Molecular and Bee and Flower, and Harris, a member of industrial legends Swans and various other projects. The album was recorded in Berlin at Redrum studios on May 7th, 2017, in an improvised session lasting no more than a few hours.
Friday the 13th, 2017 saw the release of the first installment of Cadabra Records Presents: Halloween. With passionate readings by Anthony D.P. Mann and scores by Slasher Film Festival Strategy, Cadabra's newest is a decidedly lighthearted take on their spooky, spoken word releases. Limited to 500 copies, Cadabra completists will definitely want to pick this one up.
Body Stress is project of Martin Schacke from Copenhagen in Denmark. Waterpower is a short release, taking in three tracks worth of noise matter spread over a twenty minute runtime.