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Here’s another archival release from Monochrome Vision, collecting previously unreleased (and already released) tracks from Architects Office’s history. Architects Office, according to the liner notes, were an ‘electro-acoustical intuitive aleatoric music-making performance & project group’; who operated around the US during the 1980s, and into the early ‘90s - being best known for their work with the experimental filmmaker, Stan Brakhage. Their membership was fluid and changing, but centralised around the one consistent member: Joel Haertling. ‘Soundtracks’ gathers up ten tracks, with durations varying from two minutes to nearly fourteen; but they’re all pretty much cut from the same cloth.
Shroud Of Vapour is a five piece collaborative project that brings together it’s members from the Japanese noise scene, for a moody, mostly subdued, and often chilling two track release on respected, up- &-coming Singapore based noise/ experimental label 4iB Records. This is the projects first release.
Zoviet France veteran Robin Storey has been spent much of the last 20 years focused on a form of organic/primitivist tribal ambient with his Rapoon project, releasing countless albums. This double CD, "Seeds in the Tide Volume 03", is subtitled 'Keepsakes and Oddities from 2003-2004', and contains songs previously available only on rare compilations. I haven't heard the first 2 volumes in the series, although I'm familiar with many of Storey's albums, as Rapoon and otherwise.
Danish death merchants Undergang are back with their third release since 2010, Døden Læger Alle Sår, Dark Descent is has released Undergang's latest just in time for their European tour with Stargazer. Proving that old school, low, heavy death is always in season, Døden Læger Alle Sår punishes the listener slowly and deliberately. For fifty-one minutes, Undergang leads the journey through the lower reaches of grime and punishment.
Ostroga imprint presents a new split cassette between Hiroshi Hasegawa & Vitaly Maklakov. Japanoise heavyweight, Hiroshi Hasegawa, needs no introduction. A legendary statesman of the noise aesthetic, Hasegawa has been melting faces for decades in such outfits as C.C.C.C. and Astro. Vitaly Maklakov hails from Russia and is perhaps better known playing under the moniker, Light Collapse. I just recently became acquainted with his non Light Collapse material and was pleasantly surprised by his free form noise sprawl.
Mezmorohosis is a ten CD box set that offers up a selection of unreleased material from one of the prime & celebrated periods in Merzbow’s length & highly prolific career. The set focuses in on the years 1995 to 1997, and this is the period of time that we saw such classic & noise genre defining releases such as Pulse Demon, Space Metalizer, and Green Wheels .
Profezia’s latest album Oracolo suicida didn’t leave a favorable impression on me. The inclusion of violins seemed forced, not adding anything to the sound and feeling awkward. On their debut full-length Black Misanthropic Elite – Moon Anthem, Profezia’s use of violins is confined to just the final two tracks, but the album isn’t much better off without it.
Here is another vinyl album from the Urashima label, presented in its customary, house style: silver ink, sparsely printed on black sleeves. As the name suggests, Torturing Girl is a collaboration between Alo Girl (the project belonging to the owner of Urashima) and Torturing Nurse; with the briefest of information on the album, suggesting that its a collaboration over distance (Milan and Shanghai). The album also comes with a small, smartly printed booklet; reprinting an old photo-story from a pornographic magazine. The album has two long tracks, each a side of vinyl and both untitled.
Version is a new project that brings together two of Europe's most progressive & creative artists from with in the walled noise/ static noise genre. It brings together uk based Clive Henry, who has been creating rewarding & original HNW/ANW since 2010. And highly prolific & multi project linked French wall noise maker Julien Skrobek (The Killer Came From The Bronx ,Ghost, The Sandman Wears A Mask, Ruine, Butch Bag, Gasp, Ruine, etc). Like the other releases on this label this self titled release tries to take static noise/ walled noise to somewhere new/ different- the focus of this release/ project( ?) is to try & create a dub version of walled noise utilizing a standard HNW set-up.
Boar has been active on the US noise scene since 2009- releasing around 50 plus releases, and doing a fair bit of US touring. The Dubuque Iowa based project started its life as a walled noise project, but in recent years has expanded its sound into other areas of noise, taking in: atmospheric noise craft, enclosing & terrifying Power electronics, drone matter & general creative/ moody experimental sound making. You Will Never Be Happy is a pro cd from April 2015, and sees the project focusing in more on the seared yet moody Power electronics/ harsh noise side of the projects out put.
Samhain Ritual offers up three fairly lengthy slices of horror themed retro synth craft, that’s edged with a few more experimental touches. The release came in the form of CDR, and appeared in late 2014.
Schnauser are a British rock band with a traditionally British sound, influenced heavily by Stereolab and Pink Floyd, most noticably. "Protein for Everyone" is their 5th album, and it's now been 10 years since their first self released album in 2005.
Hogg is a post-punk industrial act from Chicago, brought to us by Andy Ortmann's Nihilist Recordings. From what I can gather, this is the first release by this female two piece that likes kitties and showing off their butts. Hogg has been touring a lot this summer, and are getting a pretty positive response on their Facebook page. So, what does this act do with guitar, bass, drums and electronics? Um, well...read on!
23five Incorporated presents I’m Lost, a full-length CD by TARAB. TARAB is the moniker of one Eamon Sprod, an Australian sound artist whose career spans nearly 15 years. As stated in the liner notes, all the sounds on this album were found, collected, (along with being begged and borrowed) and ultimately arranged by Sprod’s hands during the years 2007-2011. There isn’t much information beyond that, but from what I can glean from the recordings, Sprod deftly captures the environment around him and presents it as five sound collages.
Avantgarde Music is certainly a label that lives up to its name. From the man’s own darkwave band Monumentum to the massively influential Darkspace, the label has a clear dedication to music that pushes the envelope. Sometimes that unearths veritable gems, but there are times when this search for interesting sounds fails. And yet other times, Avantgarde manages to unveil something I can’t quite decide if it’s good or bad. This is one of those times.
Poino are a dark, noisy British rock band whose primary influences are Jesus Lizard and the uglier, punkier side of Nirvana. "Bon Ick Voyeur" is their 2nd album, 4 years after their first, "Moan Loose" in 2010. It's a brief 37 minutes, but doesn't waste a second, exploring an impressive range of ideas within 8 songs.
This vinyl album is lavishly presented on Gruenrekorder, with nice artwork and photographs; it recounts the story of a box of records. This box, full of old 78s, was inherited by the artist’s grandmother and then passed down across many years and miles; with DinahBird then deciding to retrace its steps, and return to Salt Spring Island with them. She then toured the island, playing the records and recording herself doing this; as well as talking to islanders and her late Great Uncle: ’This piece is about rekindling lost, and perhaps forgotten, sounds. Are they so very different to those my grandmother heard? It is a personal response to the people and places of Salt Spring Island.’ Its also tedious as hell.
Azoth presents the listener with eight fairly short slices of HNW, ANW & harsh drone- these move from searing & intense fixed ‘walls’, onto more atmospheric & moody yet still brutal wall craft.
Monochrome Vision presents Rotterdam 54:21, the first collaborative work from international sound-sculptors: Roel Meelkop and Mecha/Orga. Released in 2012, this full-length CD offers 3 tracks of manipulated field recordings mixed with analogue synthesizers. For those unfamiliar, Roel Meelkop is a Netherlands-based multi-media artist who started creating music in the early 80’s with the band THU20. Since then, he has created an extensive body of work including many releases, sound art installations, and performance pieces. Mecha/Orga, the moniker of Yiorgis Sakellariou, primarily works with manipulation of field recordings and as a PhD student at Coventry University is exploring electroacoustic music and sound in rituals. Apparently, he also only performs in darkness to create deeply subversive sonic experiences.
Patience is a virtue in the music world. Six years since their last release, Karjalan Sissit is back with their newest, grim slab of rough industrial, ...Want You Dead. Not missing a beat, Karjalan Sissit continue to punish the audience with low, heavy atmospheres, hypnotic, pounding percussion, and harsh, angry vocals. ...Want You Dead may not be far from the truth, either, as the music is unrelenting in its brutality. 74th Cycle/Cyclic Law treats this album well, too, releasing it on CD, ltd LP (w/ Tesco Organization), and ltd cassette (w/ Total Black).
Dread is a self released CDR from Denton Texas based walled noise project Big Hole, and it offers up a single just over forty minute track of thick & unrelenting walled noise.
This c42 cassette offers up two twenty one minute slices of nihilistic, unmoving, and intensely hopeless walled noise. On side A we have the French black bag wearing king of HWN Vomir, and on side B we have scene new comer Cherry Blossoms at Night who hails from the north of the Uk
Slashed Pretty Girls is a three piece walled noise project from Huston Texas- it brings together noise legend & HNW originator Richard Ramirez, Sean E. Matzus(theNIGHTproduct, Thewhitehorse, Last Rape, and Black Leather Jesus), and Tanner Garza( solo work, Priest In Shit, and Black Leather Jesus). The project focus in on sleazy & crude HNW, which is themed around violence against women & cult movies- this particular release is themed around Blood Orgy of the She-Devils, a trashy US Black magic themed movie from the 1973.
It’s a good time to be a Blasphemy fan. After almost a decade of being out of print, Fallen Angel of Doom was finally re-released this year by NWN! and Ross Bay Cult as a CD with vinyl to follow. And (almost) just as thrilling, RBC has been putting out Blasphemy gear like there’s no tomorrow: patches, shirts, and killer flags. Needless to say I have a massive Blasphemy flag decorating my room.