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“These things wash clean the mind.” Uttered by a sampled voice, this is the closing phrase to “Give Your Heart to the Hawk”, the second track on Harvestman’s pitch-perfect EP, Triptych Part One. Said track is a well-tempered collage work of atmospheric noises and spoken word ephemera, a standout among the seven pieces that make up this release for its deployment of language (the rest of Triptych Part One is purely instrumental). Nestled between two dub-inspired cuts, “Psillosynth” and “Psillosynth (Harvest Dub)”, are four more like-mided, free-floating, compositions, each with its own character but retaining the overall mood: shadowy, low-key, but without a tinge of gloom and doom. It is no surprise, then, that such an expertly crafted work would come from the hands of an extremely seasoned and accomplished musician, Steve Von Till, of Neurosis and related projects.
Mick Harris may be most well known for his work with Napalm Death, his post-ND projects have shown that he's far more than just an influential grindcore drummer. His work in electronic and experimental music has filled his career for over thirty years, working with and pioneering many well-known and well-respected projects. In 1990, he formed his dark ambient project Lull, and has continued to release albums through that outlet. 1993's Journey Through Underworlds has long been hailed as a classic, and it is now back again thanks to Cold Spring. Remastered by Martin Bowes (The Cage Studios) from Mick's original recordings, Journey is given new life to inspire and enthrall new audiences and rekindle the flame for those long time fans of this excellent work.
A Shock To The System is an early 1990s mix of largely reserved thriller and low-key dark comedy- featuring Micheal Cain, as an executive who can seemingly get away with murder. Here from UK’s 101 Films is a new Blu-Ray release of the film- taking in a commentary track, and a few other things.
The Nude Vampire (aka La Vampire Nue) is the third film from French erotic horror auteur Jean Rollin. By its title, you might be expecting a sleazy & very fleshy affair- but in reality, the film is a mixture of atmospheric mystery and largely moody horror/dread- with touches of the surreal & disquieting…with fleeting nudity. Here, as part of Powerhouse's series of reissuing all of Rollin’s work, is a new reissue of the film. It comes in the form of either a UHD or Blu-Ray release(I’m reviewing the latter) which takes in a new wonderful crisp & clean 4k scam, commentary track, and a few new & archive extras.
Shades brings together three around twenty-minute works from Boston-based composer, curator, performer, and deep listening practitioner Nomi Epstein. Each piece has a sourly swooping-to-lightly seared drone quality about them- as they move between the angularly haunting, eerily discordant, and sombrely brooding.
Womb finds the sonic pairing of two important figures from the post-industrial genre. The nine-track album was recorded back in 1981- but never released, aside from a few tapes given out to friends. It’s a release sitting somewhere between sparse experimental electronica, moody-to-unsettling sound-scaping, and generally grimly atmospheric sound craft. Here from UK’s Peripheral Minimal Records is a most welcome first official CD release of the album.
There is something that just feels right about electronic music being performed by German musicians. And Sonic Behavior - an experimental collaboration between Berlin-based electronic duo Driftmachine and renowned German author, journalist and playwright Andreas Ammer - is another notable addition to this mythical canon.
Originally released in 1961, The Devil’s Partner is an American horror movie directed by Charles Rondeau (famous mainly for his work in TV including Mission: Impossible, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Wild, Wild West) and produced by Hugh Hooker (who is best known as a stunt man from filmslike Scarface, To Live and Die in LA and Parasite) for Roger and Gene Corman’s Filmgroup distribution agency. The film stars Edgar Buchanan (Shane, The Black Arrow and McLintock!), Jean Allison (Bad Company, Emergency! and 77 Sunset Strip), Ed Nelson (The Boneyard, The Screaming Woman and ABucket of Blood) and Richard Crane (Behind Green Lights, House of the Damned and Please Don’t Touch Me).
Here’s a 2023 documentary that compares charming American serial killer Ted Bundy to the Universal Horror’s The Wolfman. The film runs at the hour mark- being a good/ even blend of news footage, film clips, and stock footage. Here from WowNow is a barebones region-free DVD release.
Amateur Porn Star Killer 3: The Final Chapter is the last in this series of Faux Snuff films. It really takes from each of the previous films, from Part 1 it takes the mumblecore dialogue and wavering/ wondering soundtracking. From Part 2 it takes in moments of hardcore sex & stalking footage. Here from Wild Eye’s Raw & Extreme series is a region-free DVD of the film- taking in a commentary track, and a trailer.
The fact that …img…, the latest album from adaaa, ends with a track entitled “entrance”, should give some indication of the inverted logic of this release. adaa’s aesthetic is driven by forces of dissolution rather than those of cogency or wholeness. Listening to the bricolage of found sounds, field recordings, and occasional crooning is like trying to hear multiple radio broadcasts at once; or, like an imaginary station sandwiched between established programs, pulling from their material while scrambling any hope of a clear signal. The metaphor is likely foreign to many who did not grow up with FM radio, but the effect is surely familiar, sitting squarely within the parameters set by the recursive logic of appropriation. Save for the singing, it is almost impossible to discern the origin of adaa’s sources, likely a conscious choice for a generation inherently allergic to the fundamentalism inherent in origins, be they real or imagined.
Here we have a five-disc set bringing together all the studio/ live recordings/ demos of NWOBHM band Tröjan- who were one of the first bands to be labelled as speed metal. The set takes in material from between the years 1984 and 1990.
From director Colton Tran (The Sex Lives of College Girls and The Bell Keeper) comes Sorry, Charlie, a new psychological thriller based on a terrifying true story. ‘The Gentleman’, a notorious serial killer and rapist, is finally behind bars and Charlie (Kathleen Kenny) should be happy to see him rot. But her life has become one of isolation, working from home as a helpline operator she finds herself cut off from her friends and family. All it takes is one unwanted guest to make this peace come crashing down, and there’s someone else in this house with her.
At the risk of looking like a bad person, I’ll be honest: when I looked at at the line up on this, I wasn’t hugely excited, purely because I’ve heard a few improv albums which have combined electronics with acoustic instrumentation to little joy… So I’m very pleased - and humbled - to say that I was totally wrong here, it’s a really solid, engaging, and fun album. That line up is: Max Hirth - tenor saxophone, Ignaz Schick - turntables, voltage-controlled sampler, Max Arsava - piano, synthesizer, electronics, Alex Bayer - double bass, and Flo Fischer - drums, with Arsava the composer of all the tracks. Nowhere Dense has eight tracks, ranging from a couple of minutes in length to over ten minutes in length, and the whole recording is about 50 minutes long.
Pandemonium is a creatively structured horror film regarding the other side/ afterlife. The 2023 French production blurs 'n' blends in elements of fantasy, grim drama, and ghoulish oddness/ unhinge-ness to create an original & distinctive experience- which will fascinate, trouble, and at points freak you out. Here from Arrow Video- both in the UK & Stateside is a Blu-ray release of the film- featuring a nice selection of extras, and the usual care/ class we've come to expect from an Arrow release.
From the mid-1960s Planet Of The Vampires is a foreboding, at points decidedly chilling & terror-edged example of the sci-fi horror form. It was the 16th film by highly respected and influential Italian director Mario Bava. Here from Radiance is an extremely well-deserved Blu-Ray reissue of the film- taking in a wonderful clean, crisp, and bold scan. And a good selection of new and archive extras.
Originally released in 2008 Scratch Came Scratch Saw Scratch Conquered, was one of the later albums from respected and influential reggae producer/ composer Lee "Scratch" Perry. It’s a thirteen-track affair that sees Mr Perry collaborating with the likes of funk legend George Clinton, and Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards.
Terror Of The Master is a late 90’s SOV film that blends together vampires, gangsters, and mystery drama. And as SOV goes it features decent production value, a few locations, and a (largely) fairly good cast. Here from the resurrectors of all things SOV/low-budget genre fare SRS Cinema- is a region-free DVD release of the film, taking in a director's commentary.
Appearing two years after the first Amateur Porn Star Killer. This sequel irons out a few issues from the first film's set-up, increases the troubling sleazy side of things, and brings in moments of visual moodiness. Here from Wild Eye’s Raw & Extreme series is a region-free DVD of the film with a commentary track as it’s only extra.
‘A Story Written With Water’, is a 1965 family drama directed by Japanese New Wave luminary Kiju Yoshida in 1965. Here from the always reliable Radiance Films is a reissue of the picture, with a handsome Hi-Def transfer in a single pressing of 3000 copies.
Distrust takes in two twenty-five minute slices of bleak and battering HNW from this long-running/ highly prolific California project. With each track being as unrelenting, unforgiving, and hope-bludgeoning as the next.
Fitting its theme of child abduction, torture and murder here we have brutally churning & baying ‘wall’ from UK’s Utterblight. This just over ten-minute track is a digital release on UK-based label Untitled Record Label.
Meditation Of The Wicked is a three-track release from this Polish wall noise/ drone project. Each of the tracks slides in at around the ten-minute mark- with the tone of all three being very droned out and ANW bound.
Garth Erasmus’ first album has pretty much anything that listeners might want when looking for artistic engagements with the sonic culture of the Khoisan, a First Nation’s peoples native to regions of present-day South Africa. I realize that sounds like something of a rather esoteric niche, but there are countless recordings released that make use of some combination of ethnomusicological research (I.e., field recordings) and various post-production techniques. Either the documentarian impulse holds sway – we hear what our fearless researcher once heard, etc. – or the source material is turned into something vaguely resembling music. In either case, the very possibility of there being something sonically important at all tends to be taken for granted. What makes Threnody for the KhoiSan unique is Erasmus’ point of departure and what that means for the resulting work.