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Elektroniczne Systemy is the debut EP from Polish two-piece Marmur, which brings together Artur Rumiński (Furia, Thaw, Arrm, and many others) and Macio Moretti (LXMP, rumoured to be Mitch & Mitch, and many others). The sound over the three tracks is lo-fi electronica, with subtle guitar elements and a rather moody, at times abstract feel.
Danheim is the project of Danish producer Reidar Schæfer Olsen, who has here created an album of what I would describe as cinematic tribal ethnic downtempo - primarily hand drum rhythms and chants, which sound digitally produced and sequenced. It sounds akin to the soundtracks of Hollywood blockbusters like 300 or Gladiator or a show like Game of Thrones. Looking up his credits, he actually did the soundtrack for the show Vikings.
Stärker, a Canadian-French duo, really know what they're doing. Their latest release, the captivating Spectral, is pitch-perfect, each sound source simultaneously exacting and expansive, precise and yet open like a chasm.
A White Horse Is Not a Horse arrives on CD in a card gatefold wallet from the esteemed ESP-Disk, featuring five tracks varying from about four minutes in length to twenty-four minutes. Tang and Golden present improvised pieces which largely revolve around similar sounds and techniques - certainly from Tang, who performs with electric guitar, piano, electric keyboard, vocals, and small percussion, whilst Golden assaults the drums
The Shadow And The Wind: 1973- 1974 is a five-CD set looking at both the live and studio output of British rockers/ proto heavy metal merchants/approachable prog dealers, Uriah Heep in the early/ mid 70’s. The primary focus here is live material, with three of the five discs taken up by live albums, showing the five pieces as confident and versatile performers.
Five Thousand Pretenders Who Passed the Test By Luck Alone is a new(ish) long-form work from Massachusetts-based drone maker/moody noise creator Howard Stelzer. The single, just over fifty-minute track moves through a fair bit of varied sonic territory, from ringing and dense soundscaping, onto smaller/ detailed sound crafting, through to drone/ field recording crossbreeds, and beyond.
Scat Punk is the first slice of scuzzy & crude walled noise freefall from this new project from UK’s Tom Wilson(The Night Porter, Slowgurn, and Death To Dynamic label). This digital release takes in a single nearly hour-long track, which blends a constant searing rush & churn with fleeting darts of other tone/ texture.
Alpha Omega was album number three from New York’s Cro-Mags. First released in 1992, the nine-track album saw the band tighten up their sound, which blended elements of hardcore punk, metal, and thrash.
First released in 1993, Near Death Experience was the fourth album from Cro-Mags. It saw the New York band deepen their Crossover thrash/ metal sound from their hardcore punk roots. It found the more pumped-up metallic/ punk attack tempered with moments of moodiness and spiritual themes. Here from Arising Empire is a recent CD reissue of the album.
Plot Of Fear is a mid-1970s gialli that blends in elements of Poliziotteschi and proto slasher. The film centres on a group of people from an exclusive and kinky club, who are being murdered, with each body a page from a children's book is left. As you’d imagine with such a plot, there is a fair bit of sleaze/flesh on display, and while the killings themselves aren’t elaborate, they are varied- all finished off with an unmasking/resolution I didn’t see coming. Here from Powerhouse- as either a UHD or Blu Ray- is a new release of the film, taking in a well-defined 4k print, a new commentary track, and a selection of old and new extras.
From the early 70’s, Craze is a British film focusing on an antiques dealer, who accidentally kills someone in front of an African idol, finds a fortune coming his way, and decides to take up murder. In the lead, we have Jack Palance, with appearances of the likes of Trevor Howard, Suzy Kendall, and Diana Dors. The film is a thriller/ horror crossbreed- with light touches of both gore and nudity, making for an engaging enough & lightly campy 70’s cinematic ride. Here from 88 Films is a recent release of the film, which is available as either a Blu-ray or DVD, taking in a 4k scan, a new commentary track, and a few other old/ new extras.
One half of electronic/psychedelic duo Japanese Gum, Paolo Tortora heads off on his own for his debut solo, Waves of Fading Memories, via Torto Editions. Four pieces consisting of shimmering tones, waves, warmth, and soft, fuzzy nostalgia, Tortora's solo is the perfect soundtrack for spending time reviewing, reinvestigating, and reliving one's memories. Like waves crashing on the shore, their moment is fleeting, but their impact is timeless. While one wave lapping the sand may not seem like much, the life, nutrients, calm, beauty, and, conversely, destruction makes its mark before drifting away, only for another wave, another memory to be formed. Structured around layered guitar tones, soft, synth drones, wave sounds, and other effects, Waves of Fading Memories is rich with atmosphere, ambiance, and is the perfect setting for one to rekindle and relive their myriad memories.
From the early 90s, Baby Blood is a French film that sits somewhere bloody ‘n’ sleazy exploitation & glum/offbeat drama, with moments of limb-ripping violence, demented body horror, and dark humour. It regards a female circus worker, who gets something strange slipping into her, which slowly but surely starts growing. Here from Studio Canal- as either a Blu-ray or UHD- is a recent(ish) UK debut release of the film, taking in a 4k scan, and new/ archive extras.
Sergio Corbucci’s The Hellbenders (I Crudeli) was released in 1967. Sandwiched between two bigger and brasher efforts often cited as the director’s best, Django (1966) and The Grand Silence (1968), it’s no wonder that it’s often relegated in conversations of Corbucci’s work. Its profile is limited by swapping the action of those better-known movies for suspense and, on the face of it, reworking the plot of 1965’s The Tramplers (directed by Albert Band, who uncoincidentally produced this).
Malpertuis is an early 70’s blend of fantasy, horror, and off-kilter family drama. It’s a film that’s laden with occult imagery/ themes, with a huge cast of weird ‘n’ wonderful characters that appear from nooks and crannies of the Labyrinthian house the film is set in. Here from Radiance is a wonderful, classy reissue of the film, taking in a 4k fully uncut version of the picture, a second Cannes cut, new interviews with the director/ genre experts, and a good selection of new/old extras. It comes presented a mystical symbol-dotted slip case, with a colourful eighty-page booklet.
Here from Radiance is the second volume in their Daiei Gothic series, which focuses on period-based Japanese ghost stories. Once again, the set offers three films, dating between the 1960s and 1970s. These move between a hunting a demon action fantasy -come- palace-court drama, a vengeful cat ghost chiller, and a swamp revenge meets melodrama that brings back the dead.
Nestled somewhere between Throbbing Gristle and Einstürzende Neubauten, with a bit of Mark E. Smith thrown in, Split Apex's Thoughts in 3D is a throwback recipe, to be sure, except the ingredients themselves sound very much of today.
Breaking Point was the debut studio album from LA’s Heretic. Originally surfacing in 1988, the ten-track release offered up an often dramatic & memorable blend of power and thrash metal. And while you can certainly hear nods towards the likes of Metal Church, Anthrax, and a few other bands, it makes for a decent debut album, with the band managing to add in a few of their own touches here & there. Here from Punishment 18 Records is a CD reissue of the album
First released in 2002, Through The Cracks Of Death was the third studio album from this Oakland, California, Death metal band. It saw the three-piece deepening the hardcore punk, doom, and straight-out metal/ rock elements, for a more distinctive sound, which stood out from the run-of-the-mill stateside death metal. Here from Peaceville is a CD reissue of the album, which adds an extra fifteen bonus tracks- featuring assorted 7”, demos, and split release tracks.
Between The Wall severs up a thickly churning and grit-rattling slab of HNW from this highly prolific/long-running California-based project. The single track slides in at the twenty-nine minute mark, and while it's fairly simplistic in its presentation, it makes for an entrancing/ nicely world around you block-out ride.
Here from Cincinnati, Ohio’s Whore’s Breath are two weather-themed examples of the wall noise form. Each runs around the twenty-six-minute mark, making for a just over fifty-two-minute full-length release.
Here’s a three-way wall noise split, taking in three twenty-minute walls- each themed around each artist's favourite Vtubers. All of the projects are from the USA, with a fair variety between each of the tracks
Nightsweater is seemingly the debut release from this Oregon-based wall of noise project. It’s a twenty-minute ‘wall’ with a decidedly soothing clutter & mellowly juddering quality to its crumbling ‘n’ crusty unfold.
Dracula (aka Dracula: A Love Tale) is a 2025 film directed and written by Luc Besson -Subway (1985), La Femme Nikita (1990), and The Transporter( 2002). It stars Caleb Landry Jones, Christoph Waltz, Zoë Bleu, and Matilda De Angelis.