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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.
Escape Mask, either in CD or Vinyl format, is a rather intriguing & sonically unexpected reissue of a very early Merzbow release. It sees the noise legend offering up four tracks that blend together psychedelic ‘n’ spiralling guitar/ violin scaping, electro drum beats, industrial textures, the odd sample, & even buried vocals. But the most interesting & surprising thing here is a lot of the tracks have often fairly harmonic moments, as well as periods of almost groove like dwells.
I think it’s fair to say I’m personally more of a walled-noise/ textured noise fan, than a fan of more general/ straight harsh noise- so I think that’s possible why I have such decidedly mixed feelings about this recent CDR split. It brings together Ohio based Village Creeper, who offer up a sifting, though seeming fairly random & decidedly cack-handed harsh noise. And French RRR- who creates uniformed & creatively seared industrial tinged HNW.
Paul Wirkus is a Polish born electronic avant garde composer whose first released work came out in 1999. He released two albums in 2016, breaking a 7 year silence, one of which was Discours Amoureux. It is a concise, 34 minute work with 4 tracks, each 7-11 minutes in length. Their titles are four digit numbers of unspecified meaning.
Spanish duo LCC (Ana Quiroga and Uge Pañeda) are back on Editions Mego with their sophomore effort, Bastet. Letting their creation shimmer and unfold, LCC's latest works as a contemplative piece as well as abstract electronics. Named for the Egyptian goddess music, Bastet works within a realm of near ritual, but never gets constrained by what their release should sound like, and allows it to just be.
Music In Eight Octaves is a dizzying, disorientating, yet often captivating journey into piano composition. The fifty-minute piece on offer here finds this pair multi tracking four takes in each octave of the piano, to creating a rapidly spiraling, kaleidoscopic, and exhilarating rush of pure piano.
In the tape trading, pre-internet days, it was much harder to hear material from bands in other parts of the country, an even more so if they didn't tour. Such is the case for Milwaukee death meatallers, Dr. Shrinker. Not part of an exploding local scene and not embarking on national tours, Dr. Shrinker was forced to be part of a tape trade only network, and their material was grievously underheard. Relegated to being a footnote in American death metal history, Dr. Shrinker broke up. Fortunately, they had recorded a number of demos, and Nuclear War Now! is giving them the deluxe treatment. Over two LPs, Nuclear War Now! gives metal fans access to all of Dr. Shrinker's pre-breakup material, and introduces this once again active band to a new generation.
Here's a double headed feature from Vinegar Syndromes Drive In Series. The region free DVD release features two Bigfoot themed productions- a documentary from the 1970’s, and a family film from the 1980’s.
Portrait Of Miranda is a C40 & digital download from October last year. It features two dense-yet-layer detailed examples of wall noise, from this tight & leg themed Swiss project.
Is Life Truly Beautiful? is a two way split bringing together two twenty slices of walled noise. One track blends in elements of dark ambience, and industrial murkiness, while the second is a more formal example of ‘wall-craft’.
This CD brings together a selection of tracks from the 20-year career of this North Queensland Power Electronics project. The Australian duo utilise static analogue tension, feedback squeals and pitched rhythms.