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Believe it or not, Mortualia is actually yet another of Shatraug’s (of Horna, Sargeist, and Behexen fame) many projects. And honestly, if it were anyone else being this prolific I’d have my doubts as to the quality of their releases. However, it being Shatraug, I had reasonably high expectations for this album. This is the second full-length put out by Shatraug under Mortualia, which was actually first released back in 2010 but is now being rereleased by Moribund Records.
"...how can a work, if it is authentic, be described in words? This is the absurdity of all musical analysis."Pierre Schaeffer, First Journal of Concrete Music, 1948-1949
JAALJTH is a collaboration between respected sound artist/ electro acoustic sculptor Francisco López, and experimental artists/ Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) researcher Michael Esposito. This CD release is made up of a selection of untouched EVP recordings, and then a selection of soundscapes created from manipulated elements of the original EVP recordings.
‘The Hebrides Suite’ is soundscape release themed around the Scottish Outer Hebrides islands. It mixers together field recordings, conversations, oral histories, and interviews to create a multi layered work, that is takes in both the present & the past of these remote islands.
A split cdr from Claustrophilia, here; with one long track from Ecoute La Merde and two shorter pieces from Sleep Column. The release comes packaged in very diy packaging, utilising photocopying and sellotape; but the cover itself is a somewhat “retro” looking piece of abstract art - which actually sets the whole package off perfectly. The split also comes with a drawing from Lorenzo Abattoir (the man behind Claustrophilia), which depicts the aftermath of a massacre (of human and horse) in his creepy, “crude” style.
Melodic dark ambient veteran Raison D'etre is renowned for his ability to create haunting gothic soundscapes both unsettling and indisputably pretty, which possess a remarkable ability to fill one's head with images of history, particularly Medieval Europe. He has created a steady string of albums since coming to prominence in the 90's, the latest of which is "Mise en Abyme".
Croatia's Tehom has had a sparse recording schedule. Lacrimae Mundi is the act's third release, with their first being in 1996. Sadly, part of this is due to the passing of founding member Sinisa Ocurscak in 1997. Many years after what fans figured was the band's burial, Miljenko Rajakovic resurrected the project with Lacrimae Mundi. Coming in a limited edition from Cyclic Law, Tehom's latest release is a grim and organic sounding slice of dark ambient.
The Police Station finds this progressive 'n' creative UK wall-maker paying his sonic tribute to the Resident Evil games. And in particular the second game in the series Resident Evil 2, which appeared on the first Play Station gaming console in 1998- the release takes it’s name & influence from one of the games main settings.
La Goccia D'Acqua (English translation The Drop Of Water) is another new walled noise project from the highly prolific & multi project linked French noise artists Julien Skrobek (Sadistic Fall,The Killer Came From The Bronx ,Ghost, The Sandman Wears A Mask, Ruine, Butch Bag). Tradere is a 3inch CDR, and it’s the first release from the project, and it appeared on Julien's own label in late march 2014- the labels site lists the release as out of print, but I’m sure some searching on the likes of discogs might help you find a copy.
White Light/ White Heat was the second album from The Velvet Underground, and it originally appeared in January 1968. It’s fair to say it was the bands most searing & experimental album, and even forty five years after it’s original release it still mangers to stand apart from similar rock albums of the period due to it’s intensity, creativity, sonic scope & genreal chaotic yet distinctive feel.
Tranquility Tapes presents Turning Point, a full-length cassette by Norwegian sound artist/noise maker Andreas Brandal.
Seven years is nearly an eternity in metal. With most bands pumping out releases every two to three years lest they fade to irrelevance, Mayhem, as the legitimate founder of black metal, stands in stark contrast. Seven years after Ordo ad Chao, Esoteric Warfare marks the long awaited return of Mayhem and is the first album with their new guitarist, Teloch. I suppose the best and worst thing about Mayhem is that the band has never released the same album twice. By that I mean that is, despite the ever changing lineup, Mayhem albums always sound like Mayhem albums, despite sounding very differently. The bad thing is that it’s difficult to guess what to expect when listening to a new Mayhem album for the first time. And for me at least, this is a challenge.
Jakob Skøtt's "Amor Fati" is a pleasant glide along never-ending analog synthesizer arpeggi best suited to fans of Tangerine Dream or Klaus Schulze, though more propulsive and jam band flavored than the work of either, due to the roaring electric guitar and active drumset playing - at times there are even two drumsets! Investigation into the artist's bio reveals association with Amon Düül II and others. The album has 7 tracks, and is 39 minutes in length.
The Very Idea offers up a collection of moody ‘n’ cinematic electronica that's cleverly layered with different musical genre traits, effortlessly moves from one mood/ vibe to the next, and rewards repeated listens with it's sonic detail & range of emotional depth.
The Soft Pink Truth, a side project of Drew Daniel of Matmos poses an honest question, why do the heathen rage? The heathens in question are those of black metal bands Beherit, Venom, Mayhem, Hellhammer, Sarcofago, Darkthrone, Sargeist, Impaled Northern Moonforest, and An. The artists accompanying Drew Daniel in his quest are Antony Hegarty and members of Locrian, House of Revlon, Matmos and Wye Oak.
From 1985 The Strongest Power was the 4th album from Swedish Christian/white metal band Leviticus. This 2013 reissue appears on Ektro Records (which is of course run by Jussi Lehtisalo of celebrated Finish experimental rock/ multi genre band Circle & many other projects).
This tape, from Autistic Campaign, is very smartly decorated indeed. A full colour, three-panel inlay, featuring a collage-work, is wrapped around a black and white card containing all of the release’s information. Three tracks from Ashley Blues and one from Logical Fiend, with the latter dedicated to Mikhaïl Kalatozov - a russian film director. This all amounts to about thirty minutes of sound, from two contrasting approaches.
The Loser Manifesto Notes From Dirt is the latest slice of sonic insanity & seriously deranged ‘n’ unsettling sound craft from this highly distinctive & original US project. Nighttime In The Abyss is a one man project who summon up a fairly unequal & always harrowing mixture of: disturbing spoken word, blacked noise, demonic power electronics, and dark ambience.
Nexus Monkey is the (relatively) new project of Hal Harmon (Vasectomy Party) and Zachary Short (Black Beast of Arrrghhh) of Florida noise fame. Project: Albert is the first part of a trilogy (!!!) about the first monkey sent to space in 1948. This approach is fun and refreshing, as the noise scene tends to be a bit serious. Project: Albert plays almost like a radio drama over noise instead of over dramatic music and bad foley effects.
Beaubong was the 10th album from this celebrated Greek electronic composer & musician. It originally appeared back in 1978, and it saw Vangelis offering up one of the most experimental works of his 40 plus year career. The album conists of two lengthy pieces that are built around an improvised mixture of polyphonic analogue synth work & ring modulation.
Muzikaal Kabaal presents another entry in their 3” Gnome Project series. For this volume we have Pear of Anguish/Knee Splitter, a 2-way split between the U.K.’s Acerbitas and the Netherlands’ Chantal. As evidenced by the series’ title, all entries are on a 3” CD-r representing various forms of harsh noise and HNW. The artists on this small slab offer 2 different takes on the wall-noise aesthetic.
Pareidolia is the debut release from Tetras, a cross-Atlantic three-piece with members based in both Zurich and Chicago, recorded in early 2011. An uncommon word, 'Pareidolia' is defined as "perceiving significance in a vague and random stimulus", perhaps reflecting the way the four longform pieces that comprise this double album were formed through group improvisation yet display shifting patterns amidst the spontaneity.
This three way split CDR offers up a truly intense, blackly disturbing, moodily searing, & darkly psychotic ‘n’ psychedelic mixture of HNW, ANW, & blacked harsh noise. The split brings together three acts from the blacked USA noise underground, and it’s fair to say this is one of the most extreme, blackly mind fucking, yet wonderful conceived & executed splits I’ve heard in sometime.
Quest, No Conquest is a C30 tape which features two side long slices of dense, crude & unrelenting walled noise from the French black bag wearing king of the HNW form Vomir. This release appeared in late January 2014, on Geräuschmanufaktur - a Germany based label that deals in all manner of dark ‘n’ moody experimental sound, and harsh non music.