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Here’s a smart little package from Sub Rosa: a two CD set, in a fold out wallet, complete with booklet. The two discs are titled ‘Electronic Music’, and ‘Politic, Samplers, Ambient Music’, respectively, and the contents of each reflect these. The compilation covers a long period of time - 1961 to 2014 - but curiously, this actually translates into one piece from 1961, and then a huge gap chronologically until the next work in 1996. This isn’t really addressed in the liner notes, beyond pointing out that Bülent Arel (the 1961 composer) ‘did not have immediate followers’ - but there’s no further discussion or investigation. So, despite the title, the compilation really only covers a more modern, compressed, period of time.
24/7 presents the listener with two side long & untitled slices of noise mayhem. These move between searing noise-jamming, wall-noise like dwells, & sleazed 'n' slurred extreme industrial texturing.
Formed by Ian Arkley in May of 2005, My Silent Wake were born of the remnants of Ashen Mortality. The band have often been associated with the ‘Christian Metal’ scene due to Arkley’s previous work with Seventh Angel, however My Silent Wake choose to deal with faith, not as a product of one religion but as a universal issue affecting those of all faiths. Damnatio Memoriae, their 8th full length release was originally released in 2015, however this reissue on Minotauro Records adds 3 alternative versions of tracks already featured on the album.
From Intervision (Severin Films mainly SOV/ obscure VHS Imprint) here are two examples of cheesy, lo-fi, badly acted/ made–yet at times enduring horror cinema from the late 80’s/90’s. Dark Harvest is dumb tourist meets hillbillies & scarecrow film from 1992. And Escapes is a fairly tame horror anthology from 1986, featuring one of the last performances of horror legend Vincent Price.
Seeding Of A Ghost is a relatively recent release from French wall noise legend Vomir. It’s a C90, and features two lengthy side long slabs of unforgiving, raw, and terminally bleak HNW.
Kyle Motl is an American free jazz contrabass player who has released numerous recordings in past few years.Transmogrification is a daring hour long, 15 track album of improvised solo playing. The liner notes state that no editing or electronic processing was done to the music. There is nothing but the naked sound of the acoustic instrument.
Finnish avant-electro band Televisio saw their eponymous debut released this July from Ektro Records. Backed by a bold press release, this short, sparse, electronic offering does its best to worm its way into the heart and mind of a listener looking for something more than the standard synth routine. However, well worded statements and the best intentions aren't always effective.
The Portugeuse duo Beyond Enclosure write S&M inspired electronic music. The eight track Dungeon Of Total void is their debut album.
Even with-in experimental & extreme forms of sound/music there are not many projects/ artists that seem completely with-out peers or a scene. American noise jazz terrorist Borbetomagus are one of few that come to mind, with their overloaded, dense, and completely seared sound worlds - which seem to sit apart from simple genres labels, or definitions. Here we have a long-awaited doc about the projects 37-year existence, and fitting the projects intense & difficult sound- it’s far from easy, formal or approachable telling of their story.
Cousteau is a half-way house between lower case static texturing & set ambience. The release came in the form of either three C60 box set( which is now sold out), or a digital download.
Here’s a C60 release from June 2017, and it brings together two side long slices of dense, seared, and sleazed walled noise from this Russian project who theme all of their releases around kinky & darkly occult imagery.
Obsidian Outlander brings together haunting & unsettling ambience, with raw ritual percussive textures & subtle noise elements. It’s the fourth full length from this project that’s part of the mysterious Finish label/ collective Aural Hypnox/ Helixes.
Circle are difficult to pigeonhole. This genre defying outfit from Finland were founded as long ago as 1991 by bassist and vocalist Jussi Lehtisalo. Terminal is the latest in a long list of albums that the band have released over the years, influences range widely from krautrock and progressive rock, to ambient, and heavy metal, with a little bit of everything else in between. Terminal represents their first outing for new label Southern Lord and if ever there were a perfect fit between label and band then this surely has to be it. Southern Lord’s eclectic roster of bands seems to be the perfect breeding ground in which Circle will continue to thrive.
BJNilsen has been a familiar presence in the world of field recording and environmentally informed electronic sound art for over two decades. His last solo record, Eye of the Microphone released on Touch in 2013 captured London's sonic environs in unusual and surprising ways. Since then he has mostly worked in collaboration with others on spectral and freewheeling LPs with Jóhann Jóhannsson, Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson and others. On Massif Trophies he takes his recording gear and subtle electronic treatments up into Gran Paradiso in the Italian Alps.
Here’s an album consisting of two long tracks, both recorded live at Cafe OTO in London, one in 2014 and the other in 2015. Both are ensemble works, though the line-up differs greatly between the two pieces, and the ensemble is named Apartment House for each. Noetinger appears playing reel to reel tape recorders, and Chessex’s role here is the composer of both works. The CD comes in a cardboard, gatefold wallet, with quite stunning black and white artwork. I think it depicts massed bamboo stalks, cut and leaning in different directions - my words here really don’t do justice to the beauty of the images!
Ulsect is a new technical metal outfit featuring guitarist Honis Bonis and drummer Jasper Barendregt of Dodecahedron and Textures bassist Dennis Aarts. Their eponymous debut was released this year on Season of Mist. The sound of the group is close to the recent works of Gorguts, Sumac and Ulcerate.
Legendary technical death metallers, Dying Fetus, are back with their eighth full length, and sixth with Relapse Records. With over 25 years under their belt, Dying Fetus return better than ever with Wrong One To Fuck With. With 10 tracks of death metal fury, their newest album reminds us why we love the power of death metal, and will definitely strip away any summertime blues.
Sabbath Assembly burst onto the rock scene in 2010 with their sublime debut album Restored to One. A masterpiece of psychedelic occult rock, the album took the scene by storm, featuring the vocal talents of Jessica Toth (Jex Thoth) their brand of Process Church infused psychedelia was a tonic to the soul. A masterpiece of occult rock to rival the greats, Toth’s vocals were the icing on the cake, the songs, or perhaps we should call them hymns, were hypnotic and beautiful and owed more to Jefferson Airplane and Coven than to more recent bands. Seven years later, Toth left the band after one album to be replaced by Jamie Myers, formerly of Hammers of Misfortune and Wolves in the ThroneRoom. Myers tenure started off a little unsatisfactorily for me, the band dropped their psychedelic leanings in favour of a straight forward metal vibe.
Debut album by this Norwegian dark ambient outfit, Fullstendig Brent, is a sonic masterpiece consisting of five very heavy, very detailed and atmospheric tracks. From quiet beginnings to bombastic climaxes Fullstendig Brent is nothing short of perfect.
From Arrow Video here’s a deluxe blu ray reissue of one of the great Dario Argento movies of the 1980’s Phenomena. The film blended together elements of Giallo, a teen girl with psychic powers, fairy tale imagery, and the expected gory murders- to make a film that’s both charming, inventive, and macabre quirky in only a way Mr. Argento’s cinema can be.
Here’s a release that brings together two of my favourite things- static noise/walled noise, and the supernatural. Unstable Spirits was the debut release from this project, and originally appeared in a three CDR set on Altar Of Waste- sadly this had now sold-out, and the release is just available now as a digital download from Geisst bandcamp.
Homemade Recordings, the first release in 5 years from this outfit, is a collection of recordings that includes A Dancing Beggars first EP,album and an array of remixes of selected tracks from the same period.
Well, here’s a strange one to review… This is a limited (20 copies) cassette reissue of an even more elusive release (10 CDRs) from Small Hours, which was originally birthed on Sweet Solitude, back in 2011. So, we have a shiny, silver, one-sided C112 tape, and new artwork. The piece is a reflection on the film Blade Runner, and this obviously informs the inlay, which uses a font from the film throughout, as well as imagery derived from the sci-fi classic. Perhaps the most notable difference, is that where the original CDR had a photo of Rutger Hauer’s character in the climatic end scene, this reissue has a painting of that same image. Earlier I said that this is a strange one to review, this is because I actually reviewed the CDR version, about five years ago… So I won’t be clinically picking it apart, but perhaps more generally reflecting on it.
This Place To Be is another slice of long-form, ebbing ‘n’ flowing deep ambience from one of the master of the from. The release is available in both CD & digital download, and I’m reviewing the CD version of the release.