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In terms of packaging, Holy Ghost is literally a bit of a mixed bag: a pro-pressed and pro-printed digipak CD, a sticker depicting the front cover (a painting of a wounded penis, surrounded by a cloud of flies), various sheets sourced from Islamic and Jehovah’s Witness literature, and a small plastic fly. So, we have a professional standard clashing with a more bedroom-derived aesthetic. The fly toy is confusing - it clearly links to the cover painting, but in itself it remains a plastic fly toy. The obvious point being that there’s no real emotional/physical/sensual resonance to it’s inclusion - whereas an actual dead fly on the inside of the digipak would be more visceral and affecting. Nor does the model appear to have any real aesthetic resonance, since the album doesn’t overtly refer to ideas of replication or artificiality - although the lyrics aren’t printed, so it’s possible that they do refer to these. The release has 13 tracks, with the longest nearly five minutes, which sit somewhere between industrial and power electronics - all the work of Gaya Donadio.
Here’s a two C60 tape set that brings together four slices of no-nonsense, old-school, wall noise brutality from two of the scenes most intense & uncompromising acts. The release appears in a fairly scene generous edition of 75 copies, on long running & highly respected noise label Phage Tapes.
Here’s a recent release from respected female wall- noise/ harsh noise project Tissa Mawartyassari(aka Texas based Monica Isabel Sanchez). The release came in the form of either a C40 tape, or a digital download- I’m reviewing the cassette version of the release.
Here we have a C30 cassette release from this up & coming Serbian walled-noise project. The release appeared in early August 2016 on French walled noise label Rapture Records- it came in either the form of a tape, or digital download- I’m reviewing the cassette version, which is now sadly sold out.
Cadabra Records has been very busy this year releasing wonderful spoken art and music capturing some iconic pieces of horror literature. Focusing mainly on H.P. Lovecraft, 2016 saw them branch into the works of Clark Ashton Smith and now Edgar Allan Poe. Released on a limited, one-sided 7", their new disc continues Cadabra's vision of matching well delivered readings, interesting scores, and finely crafted horror art.
Ricardo Remédio is a musician who is known for his work with doom metal bands, most notably his own band Lobo. He has also worked with several electronic artists in his native Portugal. Natureza Morta is his first solo outing and represents something wildly different to his usual brand of heavy metal. The album was released earlier in October by Dissociated Records.
Well known veteran ambient/downtempo electronic producer Geir Jenssen has released countless albums since the early 90's, typically employing short melodic loops from the synthesizer for a style of music with the insistent repetition of dance music or IDM, but with a softened percussive force.
From early 2016 here’s a C30 tape release from Vagrant- the ‘static noise meets barren techno’ project of long running & highly prolific French noise scenester The release came in both a physical & digital form- I’m reviewing the physical release.
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This is a split tape between two German ambient / drone artists. [ B O L T ] offer up the first three tracks. Utilising two bass guitars these tracks are described as “exploring the wilder side of ambient sounds”. This simply isn’t true.
This album of traditional flute music from New Guinea consists of field recordings captured by Ragnar Johnson and Jessica Meyer. It was originally recorded and released in 1976. It is 2 CDs / LPs in length, entitled "Madang" and "Windim Mabu".
This split comes in a DVD case, with a card insert, and a plastic bag containing two further cards - both the inlay and the various cards carry images of the split’s devotees: Lana del Rey (The Sleeping Quarter) and Carrie Underwood (Carrie). The artwork is worth commenting on further. It is overwhelmingly dark, and if anything is reminiscent of more standard PE fare. The images on the inlay cover both have their eye sockets blacked out, as well as scribbles and scrawls across the photos. I mention this, purely because it is somewhat at odds with James Killick’s (as Carrie) usual aesthetics, which normally go towards a release that amplifies and pays tribute to its subject. Indeed, one of the cards depicting Carrie Underwood is printed so that her eyes are blacked out, and her white teeth picked out - giving her a very skull-like appearance. Whether this is deliberate, or an accident with the photocopier, it does generate very different ideas to the artwork we might normally expect from Carrie, or Love Katy.
Facez Of Death 2000 is a new Mondo/death film themed walled-noise project from Thailand. It’s both the projects first release, and the first HNW release on the Unbelievable Black Magic label- which began life as bootleg VCD label releasing Mondo and Shockumentary films from Japan and the US.
Yang-Tul is a re-release of a collaboration between these three sound artists originally put out on Anomalous records in 1998. It consists of two side long pieces of unheimlich slowly evolving sounds evoking notions of spectres and the spirit world from which the album's title is drawn. The Yang-tul as the note in the digipak explains is in Tibetan mysticism an emanation proceeding from a higher form of spirit called a Tulpa.
Khost's most recent album, Corrosive Shroud, fluidly blended doom and industrial elements and painted a grim, haunting, mechanical soundscape. With this base to work from, Justin Broadrick of Godflesh took Khost's excellent album, deconstructed it, and then reconstructed it (hence the name) to come up with something very different. Needles Into the Ground sits nicely between both Khost's and Godflesh's sounds, sounds a lot like both, but thankfully stands out on its own.
Dark Matter sees this industrial legend & dark ambient pioneer returning to one of his favourite subjects/ themes- deep dark space, and it’s often eerier vast-ness. This CD release from late summer 2016 offers up three lengthy works, and it’s fair to say it’s some of the most compelling & haunting dark ambience I’ve heard in a good few years.
Over the years there has been more than a few attempts to mix the often perverse, challenging & inventive literary works of William S Burroughs work, with various forms of music. To name a few we had Bill Laswell’s Material, and it’s release Seven Souls- which saw Burroughs reading excepts from his 1987 novel The Western Lands over a blend of experimental rock, world music blends, and beat-bound cinmatics. Or the Industrial hip hop meets spoken word Spare Ass Annie and Other Tales- the 1993 collaboration between Burroughs & experimental Hip-Hop two piece The Disposable Heroes of Hypocrisy. Lunch Music is Yannis Kyriakides attempt at blending Mr Burrough’s work with modern experimental composition, that brings together male voice work, percussion, and subtle electronics
When Black Birds Fly is one of the most deranged, iris searingly psychedelic, and unsettlingly weird filmatic experiences I’ve had in some time. Here we have a early 2016 DVD/ Blu Ray release of this 2015 film from American animated horror film auteur Jimmy ScreamerClauz.
Principality of Hell are a Greek Black Metal band steeped in the history of this most difficult of genres. The band features 3 members, The Magus on vocals and bass, like many great black metal legends before him. Malestrom on drums and El on guitars. The project was born from the collective members need to interact with the dark roots of the genre. The influence of the real heavy weights of the genre can be felt throughout. Not just Bathory, Dark Throne, Immortal, Emperor and Satyricon but the bands whose influence spawned them so Kreator, Sodom, Celtic Frost, Venom etc. Both the songwriting and quality of musicianship is of a very high standard and must be applauded. It is very easy to try to replicate the classics but to be able to do it and sound fresh and exciting at the same time is a very difficult task, Principality of Hell manage to do just that.
British folk duo Padang Food Tigers and Hamonium player Sigbjørn Apeland have recorded for labels such as ECM and Hubro in the past. Between them they plough the various furrows of traditional composition – from Church to country to folk. On this collaborative release on Northern Spy the two parties come together to venture beyond what both normally create into an alternate world of atmospheres.
Here’s another contribution to Lurker Bias’s Neon Wall series of cassettes - though here I’m reviewing the digital version. Two tracks, both untitled, and both 18:05 minutes long - the work of Bee Spit, a new name to me. The inlay cover depicts what looks like an ice skater, but if not, it’s certainly a dancing figure. As you may imagine, we are in HNW territory…
From June 2016 here we have a release from French walled-noise project Black Matter Phantasm. It came in either a the form of a C80(which is now out of print), or a digital download. The release features two( mostly) set yet interestingly textural blends of dense wall-craft.
Moondawn was the sixth album from German electronic music composer and musician Klaus Schulze. It originally appeared back in 1976, and saw him fully embracing the Berlin School side of his sound. The album is justifiable seen as one of his classic creation, going onto influence future ambient, electronica, and trance music. Here we have a 2016 CD reissue of the album, which reprints the reissuing pressing from 2006.
Here we have a recent CD box set that brings together the four albums released by British space-rock institution Hawkwind in the late 1970’s, on respected & cult prog rock label Charisma. For the most part all four albums see the band in more focused/song based mood, with the later albums having a very distinctive new-wave/post-punk vibe about them.
Cult Finnish death metaller Jarno Nurmi's Serpent Ascending returns with Ananku, it's follow up to 2011's The Enigma Unsettled. Once again on I, Voidhanger, Serpent Ascending brings satanic, old school death metal to a willing audience. Grim and chock full of buzzsaws, Ananku may not summon any demons, but it will surely summon up good memories of death metal days gone by.