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German ambient experimentalists Troum are back with the third and final part to their "Power Romantic" trilogy, Mare Morphosis. The arrangements for this album were created from 2009-2013 and partly based on Bach pieces. Taking the form of one long, flowing track, Mare Morphosis builds upon Troum's already large ambient vocabulary and adds unexpected surprises to the mix. Genuinely engaging for its 50+ minute runtime, Troum's close to the "Power Romantic" trilogy should please even the most jaded listeners.
Live Malfunctions is a live 3” CD-R, self-released by U.K. based noise project Zebra Mu. For those unfamiliar, Zebra Mu is the moniker of multi-media artist Michael Ridge, also known as the head cheese of the experimental/noise label Quagga Curious Sounds. I confess, I’ve come across the name Zebra Mu several times in the noise blogosphere and probably own a release or 2 of his, but I can’t quite remember if I’ve ever given the project a fair spin. I guess it’s the occupational hazard of being a reviewer.
I’ve always felt that Horna is the weakest of Shatraug’s three main bands. That’s not to say that it’s a bad band. On the contrary, Horna has released some great material throughout the years, but in comparison to Sargeist and Behexen, Horna is often found wanting. I’m not surprised to report that Askel lähempänä Saatanaa, like much of the band’s other material, just doesn’t quite do it for me.
From late summer 2013 this three C60 cassette box set pays brutal walled noise sonic tribute to the trilogy of the Omen films. With each of the three tapes been themed around each one of the films, and each featuring a brutal yet atmospheric tinged walled noise attacks, which are edged with the odd sample from each of these classic demonic horror movies.
This is one of ESP-DISK’s fiftieth anniversary remasters - and one which I arrive at with no previous knowledge or expectations. The name Paul Bley rings a bell, as does Steve Swallow, and one of the pieces is an Ornette Coleman composition (though, again, not one I recognise); but thats the extent of my knowledge here. So, we have Bley on piano, Swallow on bass and Barry Altschul on percussion; performing ten pieces in 1965, only three of which pass the three-minute mark. Rather than being headlong bursts of freneticism, these short works are actually concise, often unhurried and reserved, performances.
Raw, noisy black metal punk, that’s the short review of Enbilulugugal. Just how do you review a release with 79 tracks; very slowly and hope that the songs are short (which blessedly most here are). Enbilulgugal were created in 2000. A plethora of releases, full length and EP follow them. Noizemongers for Goatserpent is their 2004 debut. Released as a super limited CDR back in the day by Rusty Axe label, and now re-released by Crucial Blast in a double disc remastered cd form, with extra tracks from eps, singles and demo.
I.corax are a dark/ritual charged ambient two piece from Finland, and they are part of the Helixes collective that features projects such as Halo Manash & Arktau Eos. The material on Cella Phantasma dates from 1999, but has only recently re- surfaced, and the release takes in eerier & lo-fi mixers of blacked ritual tinged ambience that’s laced with more subtly noisy electro acoustic elements.
Peder Mannerfelt has been recording for years under the name The Subliminal Kid (not to be confused with DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid). After releasing a few singles under his own name, Digitalis give us his first full length, Lines Describing Circles. Stepping out of the dance scene, Peder goes full dark electronics on this one. It's a pretty solid release, too, hitting more marks than it misses, but it lacks the cohesion to bring it to the next level.
The Burton Greene Trio's "On Tour", with its beautifully psychedelic greyscale cover, was originally released on LP in 1968. It contains 4 improvised pieces, averaging 10 minutes in length. I was unfamiliar with Burton Greene prior to this, but after reading that this tour also included Sun Ra and Giuseppi Logan, I was expecting a spastic & forceful transportation to austere & unwelcoming dimensions.
Idiosyncratics label presents Cheval Ouvert the new album by the European avant-garde metal outfit known as Monno. They are not to be confused with the Japanese instrumental rock band Mono, though I admit I did do a double take before figuring out what I was reviewing. The quartet on this recording is: Marc Fantini (drums), Antoine Chessex (tenor sax), Gilles Aubry (electronics, synth), and Derek Shirley (bass).The four pieces that make up Cheval Ouvert were recorded in the waning days of 2012 by Roli Mossiman of Swans fame.
Purgatoried Torso is the 4th release from this old school sounding HNW & homicidally themed project from Frenchman Julien Skrobek(Ghost, The Sandman Wears A Mask, Ruine, Butch Bag, Gasp). The release comes in the form of a CDR on Julien’s on label Ink Runs Records, and it features two ‘walls’ which each last between the twenty to twenty five minute mark.
Sadistic Fall is another one of the more recent projects from prolific ‘n’ creative French HNW/ANW artists Julien Skrobek(The Killer Came From The Bronx ,Ghost, The Sandman Wears A Mask, Ruine, Butch Bag, Gasp). This CDR is the project first stand alone debut release (not sure if you’d call it a full length debut as it only features a single just over twenty minute track- so I guess you’d say it’s a debut ep), after an early split with Russian wall noise project Shifgrethor.
Here we are enveloped by, Ambient and Drone, created in a way that can mentally take us to another place, another time and another age. Mesketet was founded in the Netherlands in the year 2013. The creation of one Jornt Elzinga, it finds the listener been whisked away to a journey to the Netherworld. From Mesketets’ own press release, “The name ‘Mesektet’ comes from one of the two boats which the Egyptian solar deity Ra travelled in: Mandjet was his ‘morning boat’, and Mesektet the ‘evening boat’. Ra used Mesektet as a boat to travel back to the Netherworld from a long day of shining. The deity’s travels were an inspiration for the essence and rich sound of “Towards a Bleak Sun”.”
Not much is known about Canadian black metal band Thantifaxath, simply because the three-piece hasn’t released any information about the band members. There’s no lineup credited for either of the band’s two releases; there aren’t even aliases given like many bands often do. When the band plays live, the members play completely shrouded in black cloaks to conceal their identities. Very mysterious stuff indeed. Sacred White Noise is the first album I’ve heard from the band. I heard about the band’s self-titled EP when it was released back in 2011 by Dark Descent Records, but never got around to checking it out.
Simon Balestrazzi has been part of Italy's healthy electronic music scene for over three decades. His earliest releases were as part of the industrial rock band T.A.C. in the eighties, before joining Kirlian Camera in the nineties. After studying sound engineering in New York, he returned to Italy in 1998, settling in Cagliari where his output has increased and diversified into installations and theatre performance while also founding several bands and producing many collaborative and solo projects with a more improvised, experimental edge.
“Au Convent De Panthemont” is released on Altar Of Waste, which means another beautifully presented album in their house style. So, we get a smartly designed and printed inlay, in a dvd case; adorned with pictures of a nun (modelled by the artist’s partner, it would appear) somewhat forgetting her sacred vows… Wehrmacht Lombardo (which I hope and assume is a reference to Dave Lombardo, Slayer drummer) offers forth one long track, over an hour, of drone and noise - or rather drone and noises.
Desespoir is the 4th full length release from Cory Strand’s Les Legions Noire influenced blacked noise/ stark grey ambient project. For those unfamiliar with the French black metal underground scene- Les Legions Noire where a collective of black metal/ dark ambient projects that existed between 1993 & 1997, and they have built up have somewhat of a cult following due to ultra raw/unsettling nature of their releases.
In The Boundaries Of Nowhere presents the listener with two lengthy slices of taut ‘n’ tense walled noise from this Kansas City based project. The release comes in the form of a CDR on Frankfort, Indiana based dark noise/ambient label Occult Supremacy Productions.
NYC avant death metal band Pyrrhon released their debut album "An Excellent Servant..." in 2011, unbeknownst to me. Prominent metal label Relapse Records has just released their second album, "The Mother of Virtues", a dense, long playing document of technical metal that places Pyrrhon among the heaviest and most intense bands in the world, and makes a valiant effort to bring new intensity to a scene already jaded to the sound of Origin and Nile.
Murder offers up three lengthy submersion into 70’s/80’s tinged bass bound synth horror, & (mostly) subtle noise tone fluctuations. The Dead End Street Band are a three piece project from North East of England, who have been active since 2011, and have so far released around 3 or 4 full length CDR’s, & a few split releases
Hard Rope & Silken Twine was the 12th & last album from this Psychedelic folk/world music/mixed genre project. It originally appeared back in March 1974, and it saw the band move it’s sound almost complete away from it’s creative ‘n’ quirky world music tinged psychedelic folk origins.
Death metal is home to some pretty silly names (I still can't get over Deathchain), and Fisthammer is no exception. However, this Philly trio distances themselves from their goofy name on their second release, Infallible. Although pretty new to the scene (release-wise, anyway), Fisthammer has made some pretty solid waves. One listen to their newest release and you'll understand why.
Important Records presents Radiator, the first proper full-length by Total Life. For those unfamiliar, Total Life is solo project of one Kevin Doria (Growing). I’ll have to admit I’ve been familiar with Growing for quite some time now, but I never really got around to giving them an earnest listen. They’ve been on my ever growing list of bands to eventually check out, but admittedly, I’ve fallen way behind the eight ball. I guess I’ll just have to work backwards exploring Doria’s solo work first. So here’s the specs on the album: Radiator was recorded and mixed at home during the Winter of 2012, “inspired by standing on the gas and pushing forward by any means necessary in a fog of high volume and hazy memories, true love and terminal velocity. Intended for high volume playback.” Woot!
I’m not very well versed in the Slovenian metal scene, so Bleeding Fist is new to me. The band has been active since 2004 and has been fairly prolific, with several EP’s, splits, and a full-length under their belts. Death’s Old Stench is a compilation of unreleased material the band recorded between 2011 and 2013. This is the first time I’ve come across this Slovenian horde, and it makes a good first impression.