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Static noise - an interesting and varied style of sound art. Some may say the form is too monotonous and boring, but to my ears, it’s not. As in any genre of sound, there are several styles, which are often disputed by artists and fans. Let's not talk about classification. We will limit ourselves only to the fact that the noise project called Å is one of the most famous in the style of Ambient Noise Wall. A characteristic feature of this style of static noise is the almost complete absence of abrasiveness as well as a deeper, atmospheric sound.
Formed in 2005, the extremely prolific My Silent Wake have released 10 albums of gothic doom/death metal, as well as a bunch singles and EPs. Hailing from that bastion of metal greatness Weston Supermare, the band fronted by Ian Arkley have been steadily making a name for themselves during those years. Arkley himself has been around the metal scene for around thirty years making his debut with Christian thrashers Seventh Angel with their first album Torment in 1990, as well as number of other bands in the intervening years.
This Untitled 3inch CDR severs up a twenty minute slab of constricting ‘n’ crude HNW from Tampa, Florida based Sloth. The release appeared last year on Florida's Inner Demons label, it comes in a edition of 42 copies, and as far as I can see it’s still available
Serbian based Raven has been active since 2013 releasing a fairly large body of work that’s moved from harsh noise to all-out walled noise. According to Discogs the projects released nearing 40 full lengths, plus around the same number of shorter releases/ etc. Life In Ruins is a 3inc CDR from April of this year, and it presents us with a minute sixteen mintue example of ear-searing & seesawing harsh noise.
'Church of Still' is a digital HNW release from the Ohio-based project Valvan. The release takes in a single wall clocking in at 42'25.
After Cannibal Holocaust, and Cannibal Ferox 1980’s Eaten Alive stands as one of the classic examples of the Italian cannibal genre that flourished in the late 70’s to early 80’s. Here we have a much deserved first ever Blu Ray/ HD release of the film- it offers up a new, great & vibrate uncut print of the film, as well as a good selection of juicy extras.
Chamber And Field Works (2015-2017) is a two-disc CD set bringing together selection of four works from this French composer- who creates sourly droning-to-stripped back modern composition.
French sound artist Laurent Perrier has worked under many aliases in the past. He has chosen to release his newest, Espace d'incertitude under the Heal moniker. Working with two different styles of modular synths, his latest release offers up two varying approaches to his sonic attack. With one side more classically modular sounding, and the other leaning toward ambient, Perrier's newest is like two albums in one.
Scott Sherk is a sculptor who also works with sound, sometimes deploying both disciplines at the same time in his productions. Alentejo is the offspring of a series of recordings and a resultant installation at the castle of Evoramonte in the Alentejo region of Portugal. The recordings held within focus on the quiet, sparse surroundings of the castle and the sonic possibilities produced by the architecture within its walls.
Here we have a recently uncovered work from Merzbow that dates back to the mid-1990’s. And it shows the Japanese king of noise throwing into the mix drum machine textures, decidedly harmonic electronica, and dance beats- through the lose/ playful noise/ loop structure side of things is very much kept in place. Meaning the release works as a halfway house/ missing link between his 90’s analog work, and the later Merz-beat albums.
It must be around seven or so years since I'd last heard new material from this Italian two-piece who create star bound improv, galactic ambience, and atmospheric interplanetary experimentation. Here we have a new CD from the pair, released on their own label, and I must say it’s another moody & rewardingly building slice of sonic space-bound exploration.
Originally released in 1974, The Old Straight Track is the second studio album from these North East based folk rockers. Reminiscent of the more famous Lindisfarne, this similarity can be explained by the fact that three of their members had left that band in order to form Jack the Lad. This remastered release comes courtesy of Talking Elephant records who continue to revive oft forgotten classics for our delectation. This is one a bit of a treat.
Simon Šerc is a Slovene audio/ video artist, sound engineer, & owner of the Pharmafabrik label -he started his creative activity in the early nineties. And he is involved with a few other projects, such example Cadlag, PureH, Matrix441.
Barbed Wire Dolls stands as one of the moodiest, stark & grimly sleazed WIP films of the 1970’s. It’s also one of the most balanced & focused films Jess Franco made with Swiss exploitation producer Erwin C. Dietrich. Over the years it’s been one of Franco films I’ve returned to again & again, when I’ve been in the mood for pacey-yet-bleak sleaze. And it’s great to have this new digital restored & remastered version of the film in the form of a region free Blu Ray release on Full Moon Productions.
From the folks that brought us retro horror mag We Belong Dead, the excellent original Unsung Horrors, and Monsters?-We’re British Y’ Know!"-A Celebration of Peter Cushing. Here’s a new glossy & fact-packed tome bringing together reviews/ features on around 200 lesser known horror films- moving from dramatic 30’s/ 40’s chillers, onto 60’s/ 70’s creature features. Through to garish & weird giallo’s, onto flesh & moody vampire films, and beyond.
This Greeley Colorado-based wall-noise project is no stranger to long/multi disc releases. But this six-disc DVDR set/ digital release really pushes things to new & extreme limits, with just over fifty-three hours of wall-craft. The set was a joint release between the projects own label, and London based digital HNW Netlabel. And like all of this projects releases this is based around literature – and this time it’s the twenty novels in Émile Zola's Les Rougon-Macquart series, that focused in on France's Second Empire (1852-1870).
Despite the fact that the Slovenian sludge/doom group Leechfeast have been around for almost 10 years, I was not familiar with their work until now. Since 2010, they have released one demo, three splits and two full-length albums, the latest of which, titled Neon Crosses, has been recorded after a 3-year pause. The album was released by Dry Cough Records on vinyl and still available for order on the label's website or on the band's Bandcamp.
Masones is searing ‘n’ intensely feasting slab of euro noise that brings together walled noise, with some wall-ish harsh noise elements. This release appeared in October of last year- as either a C49 tape or digital download.
This self-titled debut release brings together gloomy-to-often doomy solo piano with atmospheric static texturing/more subdued wall- making. It takes in ten tracks- coming as either a physical cassette/ or a digital download on German label Geraeuschmanufaktur.
Spoken arts powerhouse Cadabra Records returns with another strong release of weird fiction with Thomas Ligotti's The Bungalow House. The award winning American author's short story is passionately read by ventriloquist and author Jon Padgett. Running behind this reading is an inventive and synthy score by musician and filmmaker Chris Bozzone. Another excellent addition to their catalog, The Bungalow House is a well done piece of spoken art horror.
'Realms of the Macabre' from Phantom Cadaver is the 427th release on Altar of Waste. It comes as a CD in a DVD case, with luscious imagery on both the outside and the inside. The outside depicts a darkly lit room in a faint reddish hue, a lone bulb swings from the ceiling as a person sits in the foreground with their arm to their chest and eyes looking upward. The inside is a bright and surreal mess of dark colours - blues, reds and purples.
The genesis of this album grew from two separate sessions recorded back in 2014. Tomas Järmyr had recorded duo sessions with both Eirik Havnes and Dirk Serries which led to discussions of the three working together on what was to become this album. Recorded in a single day in 2015 at Olavshallen, Trondheim, Norway on May 16th 2015. The album, a 55 minute improvised piece of jazzy, kraut/space/drone rock, was mixed & mastered by Dirk Serries.
Heart 2 Heart is the harsh noise / static noise project of the spouses Rossi, Mariela and Sisto (his most famous projects are Wallkeeper, Forecast and Foxhole).
SkyDive Trio is a jazzy instrumental rock outfit that immediately conjures up thoughts of 1970's krautrock, fusion and progressive LPs with their instrumental timbres and playing style. Their 2nd album "Sun Sparkle" was released on Hubro this year in 2018.