Wreck And Reference - C̶o̶n̶t̶e̶n̶t̶ (2013)

EP, The Flenser
May 21st, 2013

Genre: Experimental/Electronic Doom/Noise/Industrial/Post-Punk
Region: USA

I always love requests like this one because I would've put it up anyway as the band involved is killer. Wreck And Reference just happen to be on a streak with everything in their creative history since 2008 (?) being strictly different and enjoyable while also cathartic. C̶o̶n̶t̶e̶n̶t̶  (or No Content, dual meaning) is their most recent record and continues onward eager to explore, remaining unsurprisingly heavy and delightfully gloom ridden.

Through two short tracks this humble duo can convey quite a lot. C̶o̶n̶t̶e̶n̶t̶  feels like a brief revisiting of Black Cassette's themes in some ways or maybe excerpts from No Youth at it's most 'metal' moments if you can call them that. The material has not weakened, only furthered tempered and those behind it thirsty.

It's not as shocking as No Youth was to me in that their sophomore release took longer to warm up to than the debut, and the difference here is the impact with this 7" is as powerful as when I first heard Black Cassette. I felt it as soon as I heard the vocals on the opener "Absurdities & Echoes" which it's fair to say are haunting and pretty different from their previous experimentation.

It works so well with the lyrics and for the gloomy vibe of the song. The beginning draws in a lot of sounds slowly at first without becoming cluttered while a strong digitized chime quakes out a captivating lead, and the drumming in this intro rules. Very hypnotic, indeed continuing once the vocals float shakily in. During the core of the song hoarse spectral wails reverberate in the open making for very spacy or ethereal atmosphere.

The lyrical build in this both tranquil and jarring atmosphere is strong, leading to a climax of tremolo waves and rising cymbals— and a stunning frigidity washes over the song like various moments in The Angelic Process' work which was felt in the previous record as well, "Spectrum" and "Nausea" for instance. The louder the better.

It's the rolling, crackling, concussive pulses looping behind the church bell paced MPC and organ drone and rich percussion, becoming more pungent nearing the final quarter. It feels/sounds like somethings burning softly in the distance behind the aching and cathartic performance of Felix and Ignat. The vocals are particularly explosive by the end. That style is refreshing in general not even looking at their interesting approaches.

"Abhorrence" brings back the blackened yells, making this track fuckin' awesome instantly. Lyrically far more in step with this return while the hammering on the snare, and blaring MPC texture things nicely and then when all but the 'bass' tones drop out that subtle doom atmosphere amplifies a lot more.

It feels like you've just stepped into a funeral doom jam for ten seconds which is something they do exceedingly well without bass or guitar at this point. Proceeding from that moment the climb instrumentally is intense taking cues from the lyrics and the vociferous, shredding vocals. This comes to and end quickly with those thunderous tones again and the swirling rise in high frequencies and static giving a short does of eerie anxiousness.

Absolutely recommended if you couldn't already guess.. 2012 wasn't that long ago but even since No Youth they continue to mature creatively and the hooks just dig in deeper. If you've liked everything they've done before this should not disappoint you. Passionate consistency, tense and rapturous, unorthodox heaviness — C̶o̶n̶t̶e̶n̶t̶  continues resolutely with all of this. It feels like there's more coming soon and they've generously shared for free a glimpse at that. You shouldn't skip it and if you're new it's as good a place as any.

You can grab a digital copy from them on bandcamp or a physical copy from The Flenser. The Flenser also put this up digitally for real cheap but everyone always appreciates "free" direct from the artists too.


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Crawl - Mine Maille Shone Not The Light of Death (2012)

Demo / Live, Self-released /Independent

August 1st, 2012

Genre: Sludge/Doom Metal
Region: USA

Not long after I listened to Crawl's demo I purchased the cassette release that follows it titled Mine Maille Shone Not The Light of Death. As I mentioned in that previous post this Texas experiment in tortured ambient doom has found a more unique avenue to express the weight of defeat and uncaring isolation through a simple ceremonial set up of drums, bass and vocals (and here a didgeridoo), and with Mine Maile... Crawl capture this desolate expression more intensely live.

"The recordings herein serve as an interpretation of failure. They are not intended as a gift to the spiritual inner, but merely as a gateway to the tunnels of depression brought unto the underwhelmed. 

These tracks have been released onto tape in order to properly express the beaten and downtrodden aspects of aural imprisonment."

This is how the author wishes to express this records goal and perspective. The three tracks here do a good job at instilling those feelings of swirling around a frigid and dark drain, droning agony filling your consciousness. Instead of shorter dissonant doom spells, on Mine Maille... Crawl is reveling in a slow, blunt bludgeoning from the out set, swamped in rust and archaic ritual odours. However the change is a shift away from the heavily distorted machine-like pace and sound in order to find other paths to grow from.

That is not to say this element is completely gone, but this tape seems more focused elsewhere. The first blow comes in the form of "Breath of the Dying", a ten minute descent marking the start of that different approach for Crawl. This kind of sonic force does well this way if tailored properly — again it's not funeral doom but it's also not the dual bass stoner rockfall of Horse Latitudes either. Crawl desires to meddle in more chilling, martial horrors. After a quiet build that brings the anxiety up with tribal thumps, feeback announces the journey has commenced. With this track it is the closest the record sounds to anything on the first demo (track two would be a good example).

You'll get an intoxicating dose of tone all the way through the opening song from the thick humming and growling that takes heavy swings in the pitch black atmosphere. A solid and slow groove is carved out in the tolls of a girthy bass tone and enormous, hammering percussion in harmony with one another. The way the track flows gives more insight into the title. It progresses to a point of feedback resembling a flat-line and kick/snare drops, and then becomes cold with only the beat that slows drastically like a dying heart in the cold of night.

(Unmarked black cassette)

"Summon Greater Bonespirit" is a pretty substantial track despite what it might sound like. This is where the didgeridoo is utilized to surprisingly great effect, much like a siren in the middle of a either a raging fire or torrential downpour as thunder rolls ominously above. The combination works well, drawing you into Crawls hex from a different position. Those blasts oscillate occasionally as if off kilter sometimes (foreshadowing), the atmosphere only disturbed by eerie whispers in the right channel at around the four minute mark — and suddenly you're shocked from this fade by an augmented howl from the didgeridoo. Digitized, industrialized. Much more 'noise' oriented for that brief section, a very clever use of that instrument in my opinion especially for doom — blending a little death industrial in there.

By now it's easier to recognize that this heap of sludge has been experimenting more even within it's own forming niche, in "Frozen Horror" the ambient side comes out for four minutes but does not expand much. It consists of a chime or bell that has been distorted and morphed, and flexes over the course of the track sounding like something out of a horror film. The dragging samples are the final sounds on the tape.

As a live recording it sounds fucking crisp: bass and drums while pounded ferociously are not distorted or muddy, sharp cymbals, though the vocals are a little too far back. The style though may lend to being a little more buried: frenzied screaming like the angered caws of a raven fighting over a cadaver. It's a cryptic release and feels more like an interlude or teaser of what is to come than a proper or thirst-quenching record but what is hear is not replicated elsewhere too often, if at all.

If you're into the heavy and obscure there's no reason not to check this 19 minute live ritual out, it's free and crushing so I recommend you do. The changes do nothing but make the project more intriguing. Below you can get a taste of Crawl's recent pulverizing ceremony.

Also if you like what you hear you can grab a copy of the limited cassette over at Crawl's big cartel store in both regular and limited edition, and at Murder/Suicide Incidents, or a digital copy on their bandcamp page. I was informed he was going to update the store with more merch in the near future so check back if later if shit's not up. Follow on facebook for show and future release information.



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Sacrificial Totem - Hurqalya (2004)

Full Length, Katabatik Metacommunications
2004

Genre: Drone/Power Electronics/Dark Ambient/Death Industrial
Region: USA

Sacrificial Totem is or was a project that I've been aware of for a few years now but was never able to find a link or physical copies to any of his releases, so I just gave up looking for a while. There's a few reasons for the lack of availability: one being that they were limited runs under 100 hand made (often under 50) and most of the rare links that were up were torched in the whole shutdown waves a little while back.

Another reason has to do with the activities the sole member "Exile" was involved in. Apparently the ethic and ideology of atavistic environmentalism shrouding Sacrificial Totem was no gimmick, from the label's 2012 newsletter update:

"The project ceased to exist in early 2006 when the sole creator behind Sacrificial Totem, Exile, was arrested, having been betrayed by former co-conspirators, as part of the FBI's "Operation Backfire" for his involvement in eco-sabotage arsons attributed to the "ELF". After serving over six years in federal prison, he was released earlier this year."

So yeah, I don't know how much is true but it appears the guy was serious. The update explains that the already limited presses of all Sacrificial Totem albums became even more rare after most were lost, stolen or destroyed in the aftermath of a studio raid. It wasn't until recently I stumbled upon a few obscure links to the records as well as some tracks up on soundcloud which renewed my interest in this hidden creature of the cascadian sprawl.

On to the actual music already! Sacrificial Totem is entirely instrumental and 95% electronic. Their sound is described by other reviewers (and the one label it was a part of) as shamanic/atavist ritual dark ambient or "dark ritual eletronics", but you'd be safe calling it cascadian-themed dark ambient/drone with some industrial or noise clouding the two. With this kind of description you'd expect it could be either an unlistenable clusterfuck or a monotonous and boring sulk but I'm quite happy to argue that the rituals on Hurqalya are executed exceedingly well, escaping both categories and are in fact engaging.

I'd describe the sound and structure as Fauna if injected with death industrial attitude, some horror atmospherics and creeping grit. The ceremonial cascadian ethos and atmosphere however is preserved and remains a subtle thread running throughout each track but distinguished from the north american black metal interpretation of this style; always refreshing and welcome thing I say.

Despite the nature of the tools in use the soundscape woven over this record does take on a very organic, somber, earthen tone only mired in a ancient horror. As if you were trespassing deeper into a tangled and ancient forest, the sounds on Hurqalyya to me seem more like vibes from hostile and feral wilderness on the cusp of dusk. It never becomes too loud while remaining intimidating and very clear.

Repeating, cycling whirring noise, synths (or more likely an MPC), metallic instruments, pedals and samples — oscillating humming, declining then erupting only to decay and be repurposed. The huge orbit of the builds here and their raw, undulating nature make the ritual part of all this is very clear. Each track bleeds into the next forming a massive and oppressive series of ceremonial waves or chapters, reinforcing the spellbinding quality of Sacrificial Totem exponentially.

Simply marked in roman numerals each 'ritual' while connected is distinct, relying on repetition and growth within those cycles to reach enormous peaks. The first one from the outset is a warbled moan that has a very ominous presence. The deviations from this come halfway through, interruptions in the form of hazy, digitized bell-like notes that send the bends into the background temporarily. Eventually this transforms into an entirely different entity, more horrific, a clear revolving hum regulating the trance beset upon you by the shifting static and pitches; a wall of synth gathering behind everything. The descent is so gradual you barely realize it's happening as the tone becomes subdued and contemplative.

This first ritual is far more of a shamanic or transcendental atmosphere then some later rituals which bare a heavier cascadian tone. Other moments continue that meditative, very dreamy feeling such as the rising pulses halfway through "II" where the flow and static state of this section reminds me of The Angelic Process or Wreck And Reference when at rest, just following a track. The second ritual is far more placid compared to the previous one, disturbed at first only by looped samples of what sounds like a heavily delay/reverb swamped clean riff, chimes, clacking metal and wood.

Tones rise coloured by sharp echoes and the pulses build in the cavernous atmosphere coming together once again extraordinarily well. Everything begins to fall into it's place and not long after that there's a change. Actually this track has a good section where you get a feel for the type of evolution the sounds and rhythms go through on some of Exile's work. At around the 11 minute mark this build begins amongst ringing clanging bells (like a warning) and distant industrial quakes, and eventually ruptures with a very mid-east flavored tribal bass beat; it's soft and works well in the ritualistic haze that has been constructed thus far.

Sacrificial Totem does this well, almost bordering on some kind of  Clams Casino-esque "cloud rap" atmospherics but never reaching a crossover that drastic. It melts away before "III" begins and wipes the slate, a track that uses the first 10 minutes to construct a rising wall of spectral static. It is oceanic and as the build hits its first incline we again hear the use of cold Wreck And Reference MPC tones, sustained and rising with the rumble and skips in the background. A satisfying example of their sound's beastial progression. Eventually the sound is twisted to a breaking point and then dropped to near silence, only to be brought back but stripped bare as a bleating hum. Like a horn being blasted intermittently. as soft keys drift around each wail. This is a great section of the track and leaves you ready "IV", it's serious and eerie and a little relaxing at the same time.

Now I haven't sat through all his records yet so I don't have a grasp on how much his sound changes between records, but Hurqalya has that strange property of residing in a very inaccessible genre yet producing material that I find easy to be immersed in. The final track "IV" is the first material I heard from Sacrificial Totem and the one ritual that drew me in much quicker than I thought possible with this genre. Have a listen:



The final track is certainly the most captivating part of Hurqalya for me ("III" is quite close I must say). It's much like a shamanic ritual being performed in an increasingly violent electrical storm, weathering it through ceremonial worship. It's pretty much split in almost four equal segments of which all are crushing: the first half leads in with mesmerizing electrical pulses and an occilating hum that sets the rhythm into hypnosis mode (much like a section found in track two). It's gripping.

Just as ingredients are added and things are becoming crowded this gives way to a calm like passing into the eye, as you near the edges the raging calamity can be heard in the periphery. The rhythm left by the last section carries on but through a different filter, punctuated with piercing industrial shocks and a build in pulses of drowned shamanic chant-like harmonies. Any of you remember the fire temple in LOZ:OOT, the whole banned islamic chant deal? That's kind of the tone this sample gives off but more ominous, far slower and buried. By the 12 minute mark it is an all consuming trance of collapsing distortion and looping darkness, pulling you under over and over.

It is a gradual decay from there as we enter a third phase. The ritual synth morphs and the crackling, muffled throbs grow slower and more erratic as it's choked right to the end of the track, grinding painfully with each rotation like a boulder being ground into a mountainside. It becomes more cohesive by that point, spiking and groaning loudly before fading into a final dark acoustic melody over minor percussion which abruptly ends.

Sacrificial Totem bring something interesting and worthy of listening to for those who are adventurous, or enjoy something deeply ritualistic with a serious ideology behind it that manages to break a few crutches. It's a steep one to work up to what with the track lengths and comparative minimalistic approach to what I usually post. Don't let the pretentious sounding eco-centric, ritual dark ambient dominant nature of this project foul your impression of it before hearing it. The amalgamation of genres here obviously creates a decent bar for entry immediately but the intoxicating ancient whirl buttressed by old growth rot should be given a chance. Sacrificial Totem steers this intense instrumental vortex expertly.

Those of you who enjoy power electronics like Blue Sabbath Black Cheer, strange heavy stuff like the Body or Terra Tenabrosa, ambient shit like Final or Lustmord, or blackened ambience like Fauna might want to check this out. If you like what you hear then I dunno. These are virtually impossible to find in physical form, however the newsletter Katabatik sent out mentioned having found a few copies of the first and last record in storage. The price is pretty steep and if you want to inquire email them. I have no idea if there are any left.

Follow Katabatik Metacommunications and keep an eye out for info on whatever the fuck Exile is planning to do now that he's free.

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Crawl - Demo (2011)

Demo, Self-released / Unsigned
July 11th, 2011

Genre: Noise/Sludge/Doom Metal
Region: USA

The album cover is simple, the moniker evoking some kind of Nails copycat riding on the blackened sludge wave. Don't be fooled though. Crawl is very deserving of the title, a new Khanate-esque mutant that fans of patient, surgical heaviness will want to take note of. Crawl is one guy with a bass and drums making bone-scraping sludge in Texas unlike much out there right now. I don't remember how I came across this whether by random search or through email request but I found the link today and popped this demo on, resulting in me being surprised and subsequently squashed.

This demo is only 15 minute long over five tracks but these four minute chunks of cold sludge drag in the best way possible. Each untitled song is like a glacier collapsing on top of you, suffocating and biting with every lead-weighted strike of the bass strings, distorted and sterile almost taking on an industrial feel — the breaths of silence adding an abrupt ambiance and heightening the creepy atmosphere. All this makes four minutes feel like it's swollen to ten from the raw stomping Crawl dish out.

Very loud, machine-like rhythms through fuzz and feedback, the percussion blending with the slams of the bass into a blurry and menacing bombardment; in the slower moments its more martial. The most straight forward track is probably the first one, which breaks into a more normal gait in the middle but is book-ended by savage eruptions. 'II" and the following tracks make use of silence more before delving into the down-tuned churn that I'm very much loving. It gets really blown out sometimes which embellishes the heaviness sometimes.

Both that and "III" are songs that bend slow, plodding riffs and the rising static distortion while shaking bass lines are left to grow and rattle the soundscape apart. "IV" takes the approach of oldschool swans on "Coward" with gravel bass jerks to a halt with the drums, eventually becoming far noisier than those early influences.

Crawl have some unreal industrial heaviness on very simple terms and I suggest you give this demo a listen. They kind of give off a power-electronics/death industrial feeling but in a different context.

Crawl offers this frigid record for free on bandcamp so throw him a few dollars if you want and you can check their store for physical copies. A second record Mine Maille Shone Not The Light of Death (a live recording) is pressed on limited tapes over at Murder/Suicide Incidents, which I'm sure I'll be reviewing soon. Follow the blog. Big recommendation especially for lovers of harsh heaviness like Swans, Khanate, and Whitehorse and shit.


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Blue Sabbath Black Cheer / Griefer - We Hate You / Dancho Danchev Suck My Dick (2010)

Split, Deterrent Records
2010

Genre: Noise/Industrial/Death Industrial/Power Electronics
Region: USA

Hope you're not tired of noise yet — I'll get to some more recent and palatable releases soon. I meant to get this split posted here like a year ago and I don't know if any other blogs have it up out there. Two excellent noise inducers of very different styles.

As always Blue Sabbath Black Cheer unleash a shuddering heap of droning noise in one 14 minute track titled We Hate You. This was actually my introduction to this duo and it is genuinely impressive. It starts off as a coarse cannonade of bassy, rumbling ambiance and slowly snowballs into a grotesque tower of howling static complete with those absolutely ferocious vocals I love so much, basking in malice, pain and animosity (as the title suggests).

When they appear it's by far the best part of the track. They're accompanied by some kind of reverberating and obviously massive bell tone at points which add so much to their force An intense squall is stimulated by the final half with successive muffled explosions and knocks.

It molds a destitute landscape in the best way, becoming oppressively loud near the end. A huge atmosphere, a perfect build up to unfettered cruelty, and a disturbing decline as the harsh howls subside is what awaits all listeners.

Griefer's side is composed of 4 tracks of varying sonic malfeasance through power electronics. There are some exceptional and blunt lyrics buried under fierce processing, perfectly translating computer and network deviancy and themes of digital tyranny and brutality.

"Criminal Aggregators" starts us of well expressing the dismal character of financial an stock industries in the most blunt and aggressive manner possible, with a percussive force like that of a wrecking ball fading in and out. The sharp cycling rusted squeal and the warbled buzz serving as a base for the deeply distorted and digitized vocals. "SMS Ransomware" reads like computer prompts and code in lyrical form decoding the reality of SMS services and the implications for network security. A sharp buzzing with intermittent dips into crumpled metallic scrapes and knocks, spiraling upwards with pained frequencies; they are climbing relentlessly.

"Dancho Danchev", the subject of this split and the third track, uses this cyber threat analyst as a target with one of the more chilling lines on this record:

"you take care of yourself 

because it would be terrible 

if something were to happen to you."

A muffled rumbling and then growing bit-distorted signals rise more and more as the words are distant, masked and shaky. Rough booms enter eventually and from here it grows. This one is ominous and disturbing and by far the most entrancing, and the lyrics definitely feel the most direct and personal. "SS8 Interceptor" is the final track, once again reading like an windows error message for the first half, but far more clear, focusing on a specific cyber intelligence and security company. Spiking warbled sirens and a hypnotic buzz to blanket them are the core elements with only slight aberrations.

A great noisy and ugly split. Both artists lay down impressive material here. Head over to Deterrent Industries or Absurd Exposition to get a copy of this split in limited marble brown vinyl format.

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Blue Sabbath Black Cheer - Untitled (2012)

Full Length, Equation Records / Dead Accent Records
August 3rd, 2012

Genre: Noise/Industrial/Death Industrial/Power Electronics
Region: USA

This is the last piece of material from the releases enclosed on "The Boundary Between The Living And The Deceased Dissolved"; a set of rare and unreleased tracks in the Blue Sabbath Black Cheer catalogue. Not being as familiar with his various releases as I would like I cannot tell you when these were recorded, however it is quite a compilation of vile sounds to ingest.

There's a great deal of variance in terms of arrangement and intensity to be found on this album. Despite this the atmosphere never strays far from a violent hellstorm. It is truly a string of monstrous sonic eruptions, the essence of destruction laid down in harsh and unforgiving terms, never lacking in structure but always creative and surprising. Track lengths run from 4 minutes at their shortest to one 11 minute conjuration of spellbinding horror and everything in between; even on the more lengthy track it never loses you which is a testament to this acts ability and talent in such a niche genre.

Out of the gate I was immediately impressed by "The Sense of Violence", one wonders just how much you can do with harsh noise but Blue Sabbath Black Cheer prove continuously that it can be as engaging and creative as any other style. The sharp shrieks of metal on metal and roars of ferocity merge with metallic clangs, high pitch noise and muffled booms to create a jarring and haunted grind in this opener. Feedback and a rotating static grows before the iron clangs come back for a brief section of gritty silence, split open by feral roars. An industrial landscape being ruined by some unearthly evil.

"Man Is The Bastard" follows, and the last moments of the first track bleed into it with a crash; overwhelming radio static beneath. This track is only slightly shorter and certainly no less oppressive. The groan of machinery rumbles forth with purpose, as hollowed howls clash with urgent wailing sirens — it creates what one may hear in a hurricane ignited by the flames of an exploding volcano as it passes over you, fading into the distance horizon.

It's certainly a rarity when a quiet moment appears, really there's only varying levels of controlled chaos and bleak loudness. "Demise" displays this well with a fading silence overtaken by shifting distorted frequencies, a stinging high-pitched digital cry fades and returns as those demonic vocals go from low to a frightening high — all the more distorted as they rise. You almost think silence will return but it never does as that whine comes back, pulsing and shaking as it gets louder amongst the background noise.

Then it ends abruptly as a segue into the hypnotic muffled booms of the first "Untitled" song. This album just continues to impress.

Quiet at first but the noise soaks it up as those dulled impacts continue to rotate. This is an industrial goliath that builds over the 11 minutes you're immersed in it. Again the distinct wail of metal scraped on metal returns, circling a cosmic drain as more elements are sucked into it to grow the chaos. It feels ancient, rhythmic, powerful. Nightmarish sounds from some tortured extra-dimensional entity pulse in and out of the fray. This repeats for the entire track as some elements fade and grow in volume until about the 7 minute mark when the booms disappear, replaced by electric crackles, hums and scratching all shifting in pitch and intensity. It becomes a deafening whirlwind before releasing, transforming into a static-laced quiet, and it is captivating the entire time.

Again the last track bleeds into the next. "Disgusting Body" carries a similar mesmerizing rhythm in it as well, replacing crushing industrial blows for a repeating alarm carried by more unholy bellows. It's less chaotic, more simple then the previous track and yet still jarring while showing a slight change in direction, staying fresh but no less intimidating. It only changes the formula right at the end as the alarm is slowed way down.

With a startling quake we are welcomed to "No Escape... You'll Still Die" — a buzz and successive, concussive slams under a suffocated growl. Grotesque static bursts in between the crushing blows and a frightening demonic howl wavers between the right and left channel.

The title is absolutely appropriate as this track conjures an image of a very violent, unfathomably powerful, rudely awakened cosmic force ravaging planets creating a piercing, harsh frequency as it inhales. You have no chance to escape it. When you're swallowed the rumbles of the outside environment become drowned and the hums of the inner-workings deaden your senses, ever increasing in volume — then it passes, leaving only a faint whirring chime in its wake.

A track like "Song For The Dead" literally sounds like an absurdly twisted emergency siren on some enormous marine vessel being overtaken by biblical sea creature. The constant cycling noise and whine grows at an agonizing pace with tortured shrieks bubbling to the surface more and more, only to slowly fade as that vessel sinks into the abyss.

The second "Untitled" track (closing the album) is an example of the BSBC formula at it's most quiet, breaching that silence with spectral croaks and moans as echoing stomps and a low reverberating hum grows steadily. These far off impacts in the background, and the intermittent knocking sound like the earth being pummeled by howitzers in the distance as you're huddled in a haunted bunker. It's on the edge of being ambient.

This is a compilation of forgotten sounds that is worth listening to. It plays as one whole song of mechanical, cruel, unstoppable collapse of empyrean might brought on by unknowable forces.

Truly a wicked journey that must be heard. I can definitely recommend this one. While this cd comes with the aforementioned package available for a limited time on Equation Records (also available over at Aquarius Records), you can also find a copy of this compilation on its own over at Dead Accents if you're only interested in this unreleased material.

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Blue Sabbath Black Cheer - The Boundary Between The Living And The Deceased Dissolved (2012)

Full Length, Equation Records
July, 2012

Genre: Noise/Industrial/Death Industrial/Power Electronics
Region: USA

Time to review and share a genre I'm not very familiar with but have an increasing interest in. Take my opinions with a grain of salt even more so here as I have a very small frame of reference for this style. This is a two-in-one review of cult noise sorcerer Blue Sabbath Black Cheer's new material from a live show on a 12" LP and a dedication on a 7" EP. The bundle came with these two as well as a bonus CD of unreleased material (and much more) which I will put up after this post separately sometime soon.

The focus here is primarily on the 12".

My first exposure to Blue Sabbath Black Cheer was actually a late one, that being his split with Victoria, BC's death industrial act Griefer and while both sides of the split are excellent it was BSBC's side that blew me away. Since then I've heard the Endless Blockade and a few others but not in heavy rotation; I suspect this will change.

This LP contains a 20 minute session performed live last Halloween. From the very few noise acts I've seen live it seems that while the recordings are always harrowing and cold, the performance has been something even more powerful if done right. Griefer's set when I saw it summer 2011 was stunning, even more so than his "Brute Force" album (which is marvelous), and much like his BSBC's live sets obviously bring the already oppressive undulating wall of catastrophic noise to another level. This record is evidence of that.

I would imagine it is a little more difficult to bring the atmosphere of such a style performed live and set it to physical form than it is with others, but I'd say it was absolutely done right with this one. You can barely tell it was a live ritual. It's crystal clear, and the atmosphere is thick.

The track is unsettling right from the start with deafening crashes of I would guess is a cymbal or gong with a slow, rising bass hum between the echoes. The slow start will fool you into believing this will be an ambient journey but you'll soon realize it's the complete opposite.

It feels like it was performed in some primeval sunken chamber or dungeon. It's such a slow and eerie build, with what sounds like an approaching storm or avalanche; the faint howling of wind, rumbling and eventually a prolonged moan or roar. There's something I really admire about his style of noise and that is it's literally creepy how the atmosphere expands so gradually, growing so loud at points it's nightmarish.

When vocals do emerge they're absolutely inhuman, you would absolutely believe this was some kind of paranormal or demonic entity. They take over from the halfway point onward and spike in and out, pained and heavily distorted, from the cycling, reverberating cymbals and cataclysmic crackling quakes.

At this point if you haven't shit your pants and passed out you feel like climbing out of your own skin to escape the hellish, harsh onslaught of sonic death. But it just keeps coming, growing more disturbing as horn-like noises shift pitch and drone in intimidating fashion. The sounds of possession collapse onward until they die suddenly, and all that remains is the sudden, startling smashes heard in the opening.

This record is terrifying. A soundtrack to the apocalypse. Best enjoyed in the dark with a good set of headphones. Do not listen if you have a weak heart.

After a taste of the main course, we move now to a short desert in the form of a 7" titled Destruction Dedicated To The Cherry Point which is "inspired and dedicated to The Cherry Point", another harsh noise artist (one I have not heard). It is immediately obvious that this is a far different creature than the LP, presenting a thick, muffled wall of harsh noise that drones for it's entire length, almost never wavering from this pattern. It's simple, direct and very short, and there's not much I can even say about it — I feel far more out of my comfort zone with this than the 12".

Despite the fact I'm far from a noise enthusiast at this point in my listening habits I know when I hear something great, and I can absolutely say that the LP is totally worth checking out and definitely worth buying; especially if you want to to be horrified in the most pleasurable manner possible. It has encouraged me to seek out more of BSBC's work. The EP while much more simple is an added bonus with all the other goodies that come with the full record. If you want this excellent package of merch and sounds you can storm Equation Records (or Aquarius Records) to get a copy. It comes with a bunch of excellent Blue Sabbath Black Cheer swag (all listed on their site).They're limited to 235 copies so act fast.

The Boundary Between The Living And The Deceased Dissolved 12" LP:

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Destruction Dedicated To The Cherry Point 7" EP:

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Wreck And Reference - No Youth (2012)

Full Length, Self-released/Independent
April 15th, 2012

Genre: Experimental/Electronic Doom/Noise/Industrial/Post-Punk
Region: USA

This is a pleasant surprise. Wreck And Reference have just released their new album No Youth as a pay-what-you-want digital download on their bandcamp. They've requested I get this up here for you guys to check out. Be kind and give them something for their extreme generosity.

Another record mastered by Colin Marston (this guy is fuckin busy), but self-released by this duo that seem to be the only group outside of possibly Bad Life that approach the great Have A Nice Life in terms of strange weighted beauty, haunting ethereality, and their ability to escape categorization with their sound.

Wreck And Reference continue to develop and hone their unique style to new interesting levels with No Youth. It still retains that despondent atmosphere. No Youth is a little more tame and symphonic at the outset compared to Black Cassette, but and at various points this is contrasted with the ever-changing vocals and with many more sections of black metal percussion as well — for instance on "Cannot", "Inverted Soul", and "Nausea", with the MPC being subtly introduced underneath, buzzing and pulsing between the craters of silence and eerie sounds. "Nausea" has some excellent soothing vocals that contrast sharply with the blasts present and is one of my favorites on this album, next to "Cannot".

Moments of doom-like heaviness do appear though among the spoken passages laced with ambiance (the opener "Spectrum", "I Am A Sieve", or "The Solstitial"). Far less often than on Black Cassette admittedly but not to the album's detriment: No Youth is still plenty heavy but the approach has shifted slightly. Many tracks like "Obsession", "Edifice of Silt", and "Stage Collapse" are heavily symphonic, thick with cold entrancing melody and gloom. Sparks of industrial noise, humming, cycling psychedelia created by the MPC are far more haunting this time around.

As mentioned the vocals can be soothing and soft or droning, then in the next track they're scratchy and blackened, only to be followed by sombre speech or shaky singing. This can all occur within a single track ("I Am A Sieve", "Cannot"). It always works in the strange spectral atmosphere they create. And again the drumming drifts through multiple genres as well, sometimes tribal or semi-jazzy, sometimes doomy or black metal but as a key component it draws a lot of attention and is consistently entrancing.

Big recommendation for those who enjoyed their last one, another trip through the eletronic-industrial doom haze. Unlike Black Cassette I'm not sleeping on No Youth. I'll updated this if there's ever news of a physical release but their is no comment on that topic yet.

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Sutekh Hexen - Larvae (2012)

Full Length, Handmade Birds Records
February 21st, 2012

Genre: Black Metal/Noise
Region: USA

Another disturbing and hazy excursion from Sutekh Hexen.

Larvae envelops the listener slowly, far more incremental and atmospheric than Luciform's brash attack. Isvar Savasana begins creeping with a hypnotic energy. Swirling and frigid, crackling and dragging through bleak static/noise before an ebbing wall of chaos falls upon you, turning into more disturbing scratchy tremolo riffs and fuzzed shrieking. This halts suddenly, morphing into ethereal chimes and a synth-like build only to jolt back into the dark fog of disarray: warped riffs and faint frantic drumming.

This fades and cycles slowly into the next track Lead Us In Warfare. Opening with an evil crawling distorted guitar and bass groove as thunder underneath with sharp discordant sounds circles endlessly. This leads to a break and then heavily distorted vocals with the the groove behind it, eventually shifting slightly in tone and rumbling forth like a fast approaching avalanche before leaving only the bass line. It's like a ritual being performed beneath an collapsing mountain.

Finally we reach the mammoth La Det Bli Lys (Let The Be Light). Cycling samples, creaking and scraping over top a cavernous static while glimpses of a clean guitar surface slowly. As this grows pained cries and whispers rear from the darkness as the background static mounts, and a spoken passage is thrust upward with the acoustic passage quickening. The atmosphere is thick at this point, trance-inducing and deep. This proceeds with various sounds peaking over top the eerie clean riffs with a constant cacophony of whispers and noise twisting in the background; it builds so well. A short gap forms as the oppression loses its grip and then a blast of chaos appears once again, spiraling through the entropic wall of sound while a slow groove gradually breaks through — a final crushing blow from this record entrancing you in the last 2 minutes.

Larvae is much different than their last album and shows off an even darker aspect of their sound, calculated and cold with moments of focused chaos. The vinyl for this album is long sold out but the CD is still available over at Handmade Birds, so pick it up while you can. This is the vinyl rip.

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Sutekh Hexen - Luciform (2011)

Full Length, Wands
August 2nd, 2011

Genre: Black Metal/Noise/Ambient
Region: USA

I only just got around to listening to this and kind of regret waiting as long as I did. They have a new record coming out in the next month called "Larvae" so I figured I better get on this.

Luciform is a harsh and noisy animal. It seems though young, Sutekh Hexen have a masterful ability to mix orthodox styles of raw black metal with absolutely bleak noise and frightening ambiance to conjure up something unique and challenging. Sharp screeching and wailing mixes with the fuzzy, quick riffs and drumming with a few short but haunting ambient breaks to relieve you from the relentless onslaught of terrifying furor.

It may require a few listens to grasp the wicked riffs and subtle melodic touches beneath the dark, jarring static and noise that this album revels in but once you do you uncover a ferocious storm of chaotic black metal. It's short but concentrated, blasts that are unnerving but manage to retain an identifiable structure despite the initially overwhelming waves of chaos.

This record is already in its second pressing over at the Wands shop and you can get it at Nuclear War Now! as well so I suggest grabbing a copy when you can. Highly recommended for fans of strange and harsh sounds.

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Enemies List Home Recordings - Santa Is Real (2012)

Full Length, Enemies List Home Recordings
January 7th, 2012

Genre: Industrial/Shoegaze/Post-Punk/Pop/Electronic/Noise
Region: USA

"For the first time ever, the misanthropes and bedroom weirdos of ENEMIES LIST HOME RECORDINGS have banded together to celebrate the disappearance of the sun from the skies of New England with a completely free digital release featuring disturbing and turgid meditations on holiday gloom." - Enemies List Home Recordings

I was waiting for this. The only Christmas album worthy of spreading around.

The strange dudes over at Enemies List Home Recordings have composed 9 tracks for this album, 4 covers and 5 originals that read as follows:

1. Guggenheim Wax Museum – HAVE A NICE LIFE
2. Marches – Sleep In
3. The Icon and The Axe (HAVE A NICE LIFE Cover) – Giles Corey
4. Basic – HAVE A NICE LIFE
5. Way Down In The Hole (Tom Waits Cover) – The Flowers of Saint Francis
6. TALK AGAIN – Sleep In
7. A World Well Lost – America Addio
8. All Teeth (Afterlives Cover) – HAVE A NICE LIFE
9. Just Like Christmas (Low Cover) – Giles Corey

Yeah that's right: among the greatness there's 2 new Have A Nice Life tracks plus a Afterlives cover, a Have A Nice Life cover and Low cover by Giles Corey, and a Tom Waits cover by Tim's noise project The Flowers of Saint Francis. Those two Giles Corey covers man — wow. New Have A Nice Life is excellent and a perfect gift for the holidays, and everything else is just a tasty bonus for any ELHR fan.

They put this up for free and only ask in return that if you can, donate to the Enough Project. Enjoy and support ELHR however you can.

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Wreck And Reference - Black Cassette (2011)

EP, Flenser Records / Music Ruins Lives
February 25, 2011

Genre: Experimental/Electronic Doom/Noise/Industrial/Post-Punk
Region: USA

Here's one of those 2011 releases that I didn't listen to soon enough but had heard of vaguely throughout the year.

Wreck and Reference are a hard one to place and describe. The Flenser describes them as "pure misanthropic electronic doom". They're clearly influenced by the likes of Big Black and Swans to some degree, and I would even compare them to Have A Nice Life and The Angelic Process in some sense. Lo-fi, noisy, DIY basement/bedroom industrial doomgaze pop? Sounds idiotic and contrived but Black Cassette is definitely a unique and challenging record which really can't be boxed in by genres. One of those love or hate releases.

Vocals are what I noticed right away, clean and a little off key with that Dan Barrett style of singing from your heart, and there are very short sections where he reaches a yell you might hear in hardcore or screamo. Lyrics are focused on the "darker components of existentialist philosophy including the non-existence of god and fated death."  From what I can glean from other sources the only other elements used outside of vocals are live drums and an MPC which other than samples takes the place of a guitar and bass, and to be honest until I read up on it I almost couldn't tell it wasn't a guitar/bass. It's used exceedingly well throughout the record to conjure a bleary, despair-filled atmosphere. Drums range from slow and sludgy to jazzy to a hardcore/black metal pace, doing a great job of throwing you off before laying a nice foundation to the gloom.

There are some interesting sounds to be heard here and a big dose of atmosphere to be enveloped in. Black Cassette has very ethereal and melodic moments interlaced with the heavier machine-like trudging. "Surrendering" starts off quiet with what you would swear was a bass with creaking samples behind it, eventually squirming into a dense and noisey haze with a wicked warped synth section. Melodic, intense and depressive.

"In Chains, Awakening" throws you for a loop with a fast drum section that moves into a satisfying bassy, distorted groove that grows, getting louder and louder as the drums pound and the vocals dive below the noise. "Evening Redness" starts of twangy and sludgy with pained yells and ends with a bouncy coda heavily affected by the volume nob and some ace drumming. Halfway through "Desire, Ether" a huge switch to a psychedelic and very heavy industrial doom sound is made, very gloomy and dark. All the way through its strange knowing what you hear is not a guitar though some moments do jar you just enough to question it.

I think Wreck And Reference show great promise and have laid down something strange and bold here. This definitely isn't for everyone but I certainly suggest giving it a try. It's grown on me immensely. Those who like Have A Nice Life, Swans, Big Black, Mamaleek, etc. should take a chance on Black Cassette. You can get a copy on vinyl over at The Flenser and you can download it for free on bandcamp.

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A Scanner Darkly - A Scanner Darkly (2006)

EP, Gilead Media
January 1st, 2006

Genre: Grindcore/Sludge/Noise
Region: USA

A killer release from a band that is dead. Gilead Media again have housed another winner. Themed around the excellent novel by Philip K. Dick (as well as several of his other works), A Scanner Darkly have molded a fierce sound from grindcore and sludge with some noise influence sprinkled throughout. This shit is a face shredder and has a pretty unique sound for such a grindy band, very spacy atmosphere in between the blasts, feedback and huge powerchords.

I'm pretty sure this is their only release. There are six tracks that alternate between quick 1:30 technical blasts and 4 minute sludgey batterings (often with great use of the wah), some of which start with ominous statements in a Hawking-esque speak-and-spell voice. Vocals range from standard powerful grind vocals, deep raspy roars to distorted and effect-drenched yells. The final track is a haunting 9 minute drone with a minimal acoustic backing, filled with feedback, warped electronic pulses and samples which come together to evoke images of a sci-fi totalitarian landscape; much like the cover. It's all catchy as hell, polished and sure to please any fan of grind.

This is truly a forgotten gem. I think there are still some hard copies left at Gilead Media, or if not you can pay what you want (no base price) at Gilead's bandcamp page as well. Definitely recommended for fans of Gadget, Dephosphorus, and Black Arrows of Filth and Impurity.

Get a taste here.

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Gates - A Precessional Winter (2011)

Full Length, ASTRAL RA / Ivory Antler Records
June 21th, 2011

Genre: Drone/Doom/Noise/Ambient
Region: Canada

I've seen the 'spectral doom' ensemble Gates three times now (most recently last night) and honestly they get more dark, intense, loud and fierce every single time. Last night they tore the venue down and drowned it in waves of suffocating/oppressive noise and drone, performing a slight variation on this album (and thus of They Hide In The Shadows as well to some degree). Visual evidence from the show can be found here and here in two parts. It was quite an experience. If you ever get a chance to see them live don't hesitate.

This is a 2010 live recording of the album "Moths Have Eaten The Core", very limited (30 copies originally self-released from ASTRAL RA) though there are still a few copies floating about at live shows and Ivory Antler Records (who are repressing the aforementioned album) — I highly suggest grabbing one. Extremely loud and raw, paced well and engrossing. These guys deserve your attention and support so follow them here for updates (or listen here) and do what you can because they're doing something different, and doing it very well consistently.

"Recorded at a show last November as the snow began to fall. This one was the first performance where it all really came together. A fairly raw, rough document of the evening and of a developmental point in Gates growth as a live ensemble."

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Nahvalr - Nahvalr (2008)

Full Length, Enemies List Home Recordings
2008

Genre: Noise/Industrial/Black Metal
Region: USA

Don't know about my fellow posters here but I've been a little busy with presentation preparations, papers, readings, and now Battlefield 3 so apologies for the lack of activity. Have another bizarre release from the weirdos at ELHR.

"Nahvalr is Open-Source Black Metal. What does that mean? It means using the internet, using the solitude and separation caused by home recording and digital distribution, to bring together sounds, songs, and lyrics from dozens of artists, each working in complete ignorance of the other.

Collected, edited, and added to by Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga (of Have A Nice Life), Nahvalr evolved from dozens of unconnected sound files into a shrieking whirlwind of noise, blasphemy, distortion, reverb, and evil. Distortion and noise are used as intruments; cacophany gives way to quiet ambience, ambience gives way to black-metal pounding and screaming, screaming gives way to mumbled singing and lo-fi buzz."  - Enemies List Home Recordings.

Not for everyone that's for sure. It's a very dark, ambient, chaotic record filled with strange samples and noise, and while one may get the impression that an album composed the way this one was would be disjointed or unfocused, this record comes together cohesively. If you didn't know better you'd think everyone involved was in the same room when it was created. ELHR described it better than I ever could so have a listen if you like their other projects or just strange shit in general.
 

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Gates - They Hide in the Shadows (2011)

Full Length, Handmade Birds Records
July 19th, 2011

Genre: Drone/Doom/Noise/Ambeint
Region: Canada

"Gates bring a refreshing sound to the dark landscape, documented here in this enormous live performance from The Music Gallery in Toronto, Canada on 11/3/11. Those of us that were not present to bear witness to this epic performance are still experiencing regret. Thankfully, the performance was archived here; a perfect segue into their forthcoming Handmade Birds full length due late 2011." - Handmade Birds / Gates blog

I've seen Gates twice, once a few months back with Wolves in the Throne Room/Thou/Thantifaxath and again this past Saturday. Both times they put on extremely hypnotic, loud and noisy shows that impressed me a lot. As a full group they're fairly new and perform live even without all members present, resulting in some interesting experimentation. They've been described as "spectral doom" and you can get a preview of They Hide in the Shadows here.

It is one long and slow "continuous performance, comprised of live adaptations of the songs from 'Moths Have Eaten the Core'" split into three tracks just over ten minutes each. Despite the fact this record is based in a previous recording the changes are significant and engaging. Each track has the musicians building on each other meticulously to form a wall of suffocating atmosphere through wailing guitars, chaotic swirling noise, roaring vocals, and quaking bass. Creeping and ebbing. It's controlled very well, you can hardly tell it is a live recording, and does not wear on you as some drone can.

Great creeping drone that stands out in the genre. Recommended.

EDIT: Link has been fixed,  first track no longer has a gap at 1:04 in.

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The Flowers of St. Francis - Volume 1 (2011)

Full Length, Enemies List Home Recordings
August, 2011



Genre: Drone/Noise/Ambient/Folk
Region: USA

"The Flowers of Saint Francis are confessional, spontaneous, and moving compositions by Tim Macuga. They are collections of aphasic, four-track rabbit hole confessionals... home recordings of the home recordist debating the relationship between mysticism and madness.

They are the private scribblings of Tim Macuga."

Tim is the second half of Have a Nice Life, and what we have here is the first of a series of tapes released by ELHR. The excerpt above should tell you what you need to know, there's 2 big tracks here and if you need a genre then this is close to drone/ambient with folk elements as well as the ethereal sound that the boys from ELHR are known for; similar to Natural Snow Buildings if anything. More psychedelic and less depressive than the other projects Tim is involved with.

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Griefer - Brute Force (2007)

Full Length, Deterrent Industries
2007

Genre: Noise/Industrial/Death Industrial/Power Electronics
Region: Canada

"Network malfeasance themed power electronics and death industrial from the west coast of Canada."

I and a few friends saw Griefer last night at Mitochondrion's Parasignosis release show. I didn't really know what to expect, and I'm not a fan of noise but I was hypnotized by the end of Griefer's set. While he didn't perform anything off of this album (I assume everything he did was off of the Griefer/Blue Sabbath Black Cheer split), Brute Force is just as disturbing, cold, oppressive, and chaotic as what I heard performed last night.

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