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This collaboration comes on starkly presented vinyl: the artists’ names on the front cover, in black on grey, and the very barest of information on the back cover - and that’s that. Continuing this theme, there’s one track per side of vinyl; with the first piece called ‘UNstable pt. 1’, and the second, ‘UNstable pt. 2’ - both pieces clocking in at exactly seventeen minutes. Thus the presentation is pitched somewhere between the ‘usual’ Vomir fare, and perhaps a more austere electro-acoustic work - which is where the album lies sonically, too.
If there’s one thing blossoming in the black metal scene it’s quality atmospheric black metal. Ranging from the deepest sacred forests to the farthest flung galaxies, bands are capturing the raw spirit of nature in more ways than ever. One of the largest homes to the expanding cosmic black metal scene is I, Voidhanger, with the impressive bands Mare Cognitum, Midnight Odyssey, and Spectral Lore under their wings. With the release of Tome of the Unreplenished’s Innerstanding it seems they have welcomed another strong band to their ranks.
British industrial doom duo, Khost, made their official debut on Cold Spring in 2014 with Copper Lock Hell. Their much anticipated follow up, Corrosive Shroud, shows the act once again building an intense link between doom metal and industrial, two acts not often associated together. Heavy, fuzzy guitars, low, metallic drums, and twisted electronics add a level of machine terror not seen quite enough these days. As engaging as it is punishing, Khost's sophomore effort is enough to make even the most jaded fan fairly depressed (in a good way, of course!).
This four disc split brings together two respected walled noise projects for their sonic tribute to a literature & cinematic classic One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.Each project offers up two discs worth of material- with UK’s Small Hours discs been a tribute to the 1975 film, and US based The Ebony Tower been a tribute to the 1962 novel.
Seclusion Room is a c60 release that offers up a side of piece of inclosing & intense HNW from France. Each project offers up a single thirty minute track- on side one we have the black wearing king of walled noise Vomir, and on side two we a track from up & coming wall project Black Matter Phantasm. The release appeared in June 2015, and came in two editions: a C60 tape & book edition, and just a C60 version- I’m reviewing the stand alone cassette version.
Norweigen trumpet player Arve Henriksen, who has played with Supersilent, among others, has released countless albums both solo and collaborative since the year 2000. "The Nature of Connections" is but 1 of 5 releases in 2014.
Here we have a digital release that offers up two tracks worth of engaging & rewarding shifting wall craft from this London based project. The release appears on Maniacal Laugh, which is the digital sub-label of respected British wall noise/ static noise label Vagary Records, which is run by James Killick( Love Katy, Small Hours, ect).
Here’s a triple disc set from Altar Of Waste, delivered in its house style, with - as ever - the smartest of packaging. This artwork collects up images of women, presumably from the porn movies of Andrew Blake: the Raoul Valve of the title, is the primary soundtrack composer for Blake’s films; and these cdrs are a tribute to his works. Miguel Perezin - the man behind La Mancha del Pecado - has taken Valve’s pieces (described in the liner notes as mixing ‘lounge, world music, jazz and ambient’) and subjected them to ‘effects and amps’; resulting in the three discs here. Each disc is dedicated to a specific Blake film: ‘Exhibitionists’, ‘High Heels’ and ‘Girlfriends’, respectively.
Zoharum imprint presents Mantras of Bon, the latest offering from the Russian music collective and performance art group known as Phurpa. This full-length CD presents 70 minutes of live and studio tracks from this musical oddity. The brainchild of Alexey Tagin, Phurpa pushes the human voice into unknown territories, while also using traditional and nontraditional instruments (in particular, making sounds using human bones found in Tibetan wastelands). Their live performances purportedly resemble shamanistic rituals, which doesn’t surprise me as their music is the sonic equivalent of a religious experience.
Bulger was the first physical release from this northern English project who creates intense & bleak walled noise . It appeared in May 2015, and came in two different versions- a pro cdr ltd to 30 copies on Australian Palinopsia Recordings, and a cassette version ltd to ten copies on DeathSex Electronics, which added in an extra track. I’m reviewing the CDR version of the release.
Hearing "late 70's/early 80's compilation" would likely conjure up Punk, Post Punk, or New Wave images, and that's understandable; these genres shaped many lives during that era. However, stuck between the ubiquitous cold pop and booty shakin' disco, a soft, smooth scene full of grooves was chugging along. Whether it was called blue-eyed soul, yacht pop, or any other descriptive name, the music was the same: awesomely chill, softly sung, supremely catchy, and sunny as a California afternoon. It's this scene that has captivated Berlin's DJ Supermarkt. In his second volume of soft, joyous ear candy, DJ Supermarkt presents acts from corners as far flung as L.A. and Cologne, with stops in between.
Black Feast’s history is a short one: formed in 2009, the band released a handful of demos and splits before splitting up by 2012, later to reform as Witchcraft. This isn’t unusual in and of itself. Plenty of bands dissolve after just a few years without completing a full-length. But not many of these short-lived projects end up on the roster of Nuclear War Now!. Released last month on vinyl, Larenuf Jubileum compiles the band’s Worship of Darkness demo, their Abominations of Darkness split, and a few previously unreleased promo tracks.
D.S.W.A.C.V is a HNW/ doom wall project which mixes in the odd bit of ritual ambience here & there. The projects is based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, and it started in late 2012- & so far put out around 20 plus releases which take in CDR’s, splits & digital releases. Venus In Furs appeared in late June 2015, and came in edition of twenty five copies- these came in two different editions: a c90 & mini CDR, and just a C90- I’m reviewing just the C90.The release is themed around 1870 S&M/ female dominance novella of the same name- which went onto influence a certain Velvet Underground, and euro sleaze director Jess Franco for his 1969 film of the same name
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.