Melómana Distorsión, Eye Floater 

& Hydra Cognitiva - Triunvirato Extendido

This time we will be travelling to the hot rainforests of Costa Rica. Three acts (Melómania Distorsión, Eye Floater, and Hydra Cognitiva) have joined forces to create a small EP/Mini-album called Triunvirato Extendido (Extended Triumvirate), and Triumvirate basically means (from Roman times) when three people are sharing power and working together towards a common goal. 

At this moment, it´s still a new release, so far you can locate and listen to it on Hydra Cognitiva´s Bandcamp site and various streaming platforms. It hasn´t been added to Discogs yet. And I can find any information regarding an official physical release. Although I have received a physical promo CD in a nice slipcase. 

The artwork shows a Christ-like figure on a cross, probably inside some ancient ruined church. The album contains 4 tracks, about 17 minutes in total.

The first track is called Herencia (Inheritance). The sound of a cold and hissing ghost-like vapor can be sensed and felt in a place where time... stands still. Later on, spiritually mourn-filled chantings and some distressed and stretched-out human voices in there. Nice opening of a track, cold ambient moods for a hot summer evening! 

The second track, Sueño (Dream), connects the former track with that icy ghostly voice/vapor-drone, almost kind of... when the wind is blowing through tubes made out of wood?. A hidden presence of paranormal activity in there, with some beautiful added echoed string work, giving the track a certain kind of ethereal and haunting element to it. Beautiful recorded sound of deep watery waves slashing on the shore, or is it inside a cathedral-like cave? 

The third track, Desde El Pozo (From The Well), stretches itself into... could be some live-recording session with real drums and string-work as well? The drums have been stretched to a degree that they sound like a doomy trip-hop rhythm. A layer of surreal sound-imagery fades in and out, and swirls around the listener like a dust devil... giving the sense of, well... losing your sense of direction. 

The fourth (and last track) is called Luz (Light). The sound of a bonfire, and those distant ethereal string work with some pitched angelic voices. Trippy rhythms ( with a bit of tempo ) are added. Interesting melancholic element here, you get the sense of hopelessness in a comforting way. 

Triunvirato Extendido is a worthy piece of melancholic moods, firmly established on only 17 minutes. When listening to it (at the beginning), my first thought was that... the sound sounded a bit too stretched. Be careful not to use it too much. But to my relief (and surprise), I was pleased with what I heard and i to do liked this EP. If it were a full-length album, then it would have been too hard to chew through. So yes, the release gets an approved sticker for me. Ethereal elements, ambient, mystical, melancholic stuff. Do check it out! 

Bandcamp (band):

https://hydracognitiva.bandcamp.com/album/triunvirato-extendido

 R_KKK - Saint Noizes

Radel Kopel, or simply R_KKK, is a Czech-based experimental noise artist who has been active as an artist and musician since the late 1980s. Starting in a heavy metal band called Krevel, and then moving on to doing free-impro grindcore-noise as Napalmed. And he has also worked as a solo artist. This album (which I received) was, to my knowledge, a new release by this artist. According to Discogs, this album was released back in 2021... problem is, according to Discogs (again)... ALL of his solo releases as R_KKK have ALL been released in 2021, so I don´t know. The CD booklet doesn´t contain much info either. Anyways, you can look it up on Bandcamp... but getting your hands on a physical copy can be a tricky thing. Back in 2021, it was only released as 15 copies! But offcourse, you can buy ALOT of his releases on Discogs, I'm no expert in harsh-noise as such... but I´m quite sure that Radel Kopel is an iconic figurehead in the world of harsh noise. Just check up on his Discogs profile, 300 albums, and having credits for 1410 releases! Anyways!

Saint Noizes is an album containing 6 tracks, about 60 minutes long. The cover artwork shows some kind of glitchy psychedelic computer graphics, and the back cover of the booklet shows his gear. So, let us strap on our crash-test helmets and dive into this! 

The first track is called Noiz For Girls. The sound of a distorted, smouldering, and glitchy digital earthquake cracks open a stomach-churning intro/beginning. Drilling sensations move from one speaker to the other, while everything melts into a digital cesspool. That´s just the first track! 

The second track Noiz For Boyz is not that different if you compare it to Noiz For Girls, move of a continuation of the same sound theme. Maybe a bit more chunky, with some added background sound to it?

The third track Noiz For Hmyz, warps and bubbles like a steam-hot piece of machinery, oil and lubricants squirt out of all the small openings. Some extra added psychedelic space here, and the track moves slower than the former two tracks. 

The fourth track Noizdra Z Pouzdra has a slight industrial feel to it. A nuclear meltdown? Could be. Feels like being buried in tons of falling bricks. Chopped-up laser sounds and surgical drills exploding into a vacuum sucking black hole. 

Saint Noizes is an album containing action-filled harsh noise from the start to the end. The mood is like a static wall, leaving the listener quite speechless. When you have reached halfway through, then you have (more or less) gotten used to the various sounds, and it gets a bit... tedious. Like when someone scratches you in the same place, or you are chewing on the same bubble gum. It succeeds 100% in delivering true action-filled harsh noise to the hardcore fans.

Bandcamp (label):

https://kanalrecords.bandcamp.com/album/r-kkk-saint-noizes

 

Ens Perfectissimum & VRNA - Necrognosis and Secret Rituals on the Edge of the Abyss

A new split is out, released on a label based in Mexico called Noctivagant. A label supporting and promoting various artists within the dark-ambient, ritual, and noise spectrum. A split between VRNA (which we have released earlier) and another act called Ens Perfectissimum (a side-project to another project called Occult Odyssey). A full-length one-hour album, where each project delivers 30 minutes. The CD comes in a thin wallet cardboard digipack, with some interesting artwork for the eyes. The artwork was created by Sang from Vhan Artworks, based in South Korea.

The concept of the album. Something about necro and something about gnosis, in other words... some kind of esoteric and ancient necromancy performed in a situation where it could be rather... rather dangerous. I like the way the cover artwork and the title go hand in hand. 

The first track is by Ens Imperfectissimum, and it´s called Ceremonies in the Cemetery under the Blood Moon. The sound of the wind through some kind of underground cave, and birds can be heard from some distant part of the cave. Eerie reversed sound effects, and the sound of someone painfully moaning in the distance. A shimmering synth is there, and some additional haunted-house and archaic chanting elements are added as well. A nice (and interesting) kind of surreal soundscape, earcandy for the imagination for sure. A bit in the same vein as Italian acts like Die Sonne Satans and Ain Soph.  

The second (and last) track by VRNA is called Incubazione Rituale al Cimitero delle Fontanelle (Ritual incubation at the Fontanelle Cemetery). Now that is quite interesting. I would recommend anyone who would listen to this track to do a Google search about this (kind of) cave-cemetery, and have a read about it. I'm providing a Wikipedia article (link below). Praying, whispering in the cavern below... voices of the spirit of the dead, or people praying for them. A voice from the other side answered the prayer, a stretched-out howl of despair entering the epic chamber of worship. The sound of a ritual gong and a beautiful sound-tapestry made out of Gregorian chants further enhances this experience. You really get to sink your teeth into the world of the dead, and how (and why) people take care of their skeletal remains, do remember to read the Wikipedia text while listening to the track!


A beautiful album, which has a certain kind of depth to it, which a themed concept album like this requires. The album artwork, the sound, the atmosphere... everything is closely chosen and highly focused to follow the common necro-themed thread. Hell, I might even take a trip to Naples and visit the cemetery myself! The album certainly gives me the motivation to do so. Highly recommended for fans of Italian ritual acts like Ain Soph and Die Sonne Satans! Excellent album!

Bandcamp (label):

https://noctivagantcollective.bandcamp.com/album/necrognosis-and-secret-rituals-on-the-edge-of-the-abyss

Bandcamp (band Ens Perfectissimum):

https://ensimperfectissimum.bandcamp.com/music

Bandcamp (band VRNA):

https://urna-rituals.bandcamp.com/

Wikipedia (Fontanelle Cemetery):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontanelle_cemetery

    

Kalteldur playlist 1 of 2025

https://soundcloud.com/kalteldur/kalteldur1?si=8f9cae51197b4ea59801bc9c924e97cf&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

First Kaltedur playlist. Representing some of the reviews I have done so far in 2025. A handful of promising industrial/drone-ambient acts!

00:00-04:18 reg gravens - road to ashes 

04:18-09:16 hexmyr - V

09:16-12:51 fog baptism - sunlight 

12:51-18:31 law - always forward, never back 

18:31-23:46 mourn path - lord of the graveyard 

23:46-28:44 yellow springs - meditation III 

28:44-34:37 TRYHM - breeding farm 

Enjoy!

 Regent Graves - Ashes

Released back in May 2024. Ashes by Regen Graves is the seventh album from this act. An Italian act which (for some reason) has slipped past my ears. The sole member of Regen Graves is also a member of the doom metal act Abysmal Greif and a former member of the goth-prog band Malombra. And with this project, he decided to get into that classic (and morbid) Italian industrial sound, and he has done that since 2017.

This album has been released by Bent Window Records. A limited 200 copies CD in a slim digipack. The artwork shows an old photo, a tram there, and some old buildings on the right... the sort of buildings that (usually) are demolished where I am... which is Denmark. And then there is the car, is it an older Lada car? Tram, old buildings, Lada? It could be from the late 60s. The album title is Ashes. Is snow representing the ash, or is it the other way around, or is it the ash that comes from the steam-fumes?  I don't know, let's get on with the recordings. 

The first track is called What Lies Ahead. It gets straight into a psychedelic death-industrial vibe with a minimal approach. Shimmering sound effects are also there to heighten the atmospheric experience. There is also a distorted pulse. Fleshscraping and moody intro-track, giving the listener a need to isolate themselves...from all the bloody snow and cold outside!

The second track, Road of Ashes. Chopped up distortion sounds and a ritualistic beating. Classic death-industrial mood. Some subtle and spaced high-frequency feedback warps in and out. Sound quality is really good, and the vibe is very low-tech and analog (so far). And again, Road of Ashes? Is it snow or is it... Maybe the corpses from when we had the plague? Various old roads in my town, beneath them... filled with people who died from the plague, bones, and dust. 

The third track is called The Hand. A high-pitched microscopic rhythm with some echoed effects to it. Almost pleasant ambient sounds in the background, with a sample from an Italian movie in the background. I get that 70s retro feel with that vibe, thinking back to Brighter Death Now´s Heart of Stone, while it had a sample from Salo... although they talked in English. Very hypnotic piece with that high-pitched sound going on, the listener will experience that feeling of getting... sucked into it. Moving without moving, sort of.

The fourth track, Winters Without Springs. Which means no food, nothing that grows... everything is just too damn cold! The track begins with a nerve-wracking jolt of sound, accompanied by a depressive ambient mourn in the background. You really get that feeling that whatever u do, doom is around the corner. 

The fifth track is called Normalization Pt.. 1. A warping and psychedelic intro sets the stage for a journey into the very eye of some... well, cosmic horror from beyond. The sort that eats worlds for breakfast!  There are (I think) some kind of spoken vocals here; they do not sound like a movie sample. Lovely kind of buzzsaw-sound in there as well. 

The sixth (and last) track is Normalization Pt.2. A warped retro synth kicks in, imagining Terminators rising from the ashes of nuclear-bombed soldiers. Yup, we definitely have movie samples on this track. And something which sounds ( a bit ) like a bomb alert. Yup, there is a John Carpenter feel here. 

And that ends the album. It´s a great introduction album for newbies to the world of Italian death-industrial, without a doubt! But for the hardcore type, you´ll probably be longing for the work of Marco Corbelli at some point. As for me (I'm the so-called hardcore type), I miss certain elements of madness and desperation. A bit more chaos into the expression/sound, a just a dose of unpredictability? It´s ok to just fxxx up the sound, just once in a while.  

Bandcamp (label):

https://bentwindowrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ashes

Bandcamp (band):

https://regengraves.bandcamp.com/

 

Interview With David Wolfenden

of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

They were among the countless and excellent post-punk acts from the 80s. On one hand, they were quickly labeled as gothic Joy Division acolytes, and on the other, they were described as a Wire-influenced act with a love for Black Sabbath and MC5. Nonetheless, they had a hard, heavy, pulsating, acid-drenched, and droning punk rock sound that is still unique to this day. To be honest, I can´t think of a single band that had a sound like theirs. Let us briefly discuss their history.

Leeds, 1981 - started by Chris Reed (Guitarist), Mark Sweeney (Vocalist), Steve Smith (Bass), and drummer Mick Brown (Drums). Mick Brown would later be the drummer for The Mission, and Chris Reed would be the permanent vocalist, as Mark Sweeney would eventually leave the group. Another second guitarist, Martin Fagan, was also added to the group.

The first release would be the Beating My Head / I'm Still Waiting 12" single, which would surely tell what the future would bring - thunderous, angst-ridden post punk aggression. It soon garnered a great deal of positive attention on the NME Independent Record Chart. After this release, Fagan and Smith would leave the band and would be replaced by David Wolfenden from The Expelaires (Guitar) and Paul Southern (Drums). Several band members would come and go, but Chris Reed and David Wolfenden would be the bands primary force and mainstay. In 1983/84 they reached number 9 on the NME indie chart (on the strength of singles "He's Read" and "Monkeys on Juice"), and radio DJ John Peel became a strong supporter. He would of course go on to record two Peel sessions for them (both are exellent!). The band would later re-do "Beating My Head", as they were unhappy with the sound. This version would later on appear the "This Today" EP, with AWESOME Edward Munch cover-art. The same year they would be asked by Xmal Deutschland (who were big fans), if they could support them on their UK tour. This is where the RLYLs breakthrough would really happen. They also shared bill together with The March Violets.

They released their strong debut ´Talk About the Weather´ in 1985. The album received a strong cult following and is still discussed today as being one of their best albums. Colin Newman of Wire was initially asked to produce it, but ultimately the band decided to produce it themselves. Darker than Joy Division, without mercy like U.S Big Black, and as evocative as The Swans. The record even had a decent position in the NME indie charts at number 3.

The band's follow-up, ´Paint Your Wagon' also had a strong showing on the NME indie chart (at number 3 again) and although different then the debut, it still contained harsh sludgy guitar psychedelics with a touch of cow-punk. Anyone would have thought that a group like Godflesh would have worshipped the punishing aesthetics of the track named "Blitz".

In 1987, they released the excellent "Crawling Mantra" EP and called themselves The Lorries. The record was produced by Vic Maile, who had also worked with Hawkwind and Möterhead. The sound would be described by Melody Maker as "ebullient" (exuberant, buoyant, cheerful, joyful, cheery, merry, sunny, breezy, jaunty, light-hearted, in high spirits, high-spirited, exhilarated, elated). The same year, they also released the 12" single "Open Up", which became ´Single of the week´ on NME. Although NME hated the band, the band´s success was in the US, which didn't seem to have the same prejudices as the UK media had.

In 1988, the bleak and more melodic-based "Nothing Wrong" was released. It didn´t enter the charts like the first two, but the quality of the band remained intact. Tracks like "Nothing Wrong", "Hands of Me", "Only Dreaming", and "Open Up" are some of their best tracks in my opinion. To this day, this remains one of the band's most bleak releases.

"Blow" was released in 1989 and produced by Gavin McKillop (Shriekback, Xmal Deutschland, and Luxuria) and Howard Burgon (My Bloody Valentine, Godfathers, and Screaming Blue Messiahs). The use of the neo-psychedelic rock aesthetics became utilized more. One of their most downbeat albums, and one of their lesser dark ones as well. Allthough I am a sucker for dark stuff, this is still one of my favorite albums (beside Talk About the Weather). It was a strong step forward in terms of melody and diversity of sound, and it has a lot of personality and warmth.

This leads us to our interview. I had a lot of questions to ask about this album, so I caught up with David Wolfenden to talk about it. For your enjoyment, below please find my chat with Mr. Wolfenden, and I give my love and thanks to David for sharing his wisdom.

Hey David, something came up in my head today while listening to "Blow" by The Lorries. In particular, the track "West Wakes Up" - I have this sense in my head that I´m almost listening to several known tracks at the same time. The intro sounds a bit like "Down in the Park" by Tubeway Army. Then it develops into a kind of dub-reggae-rock thing and then later on it almost sounds like "The Model" by Kraftwerk. Is it just me or were you improvising a bit with that song?

I was never really happy with the way this song turned out. I'm not a reggae fan at all. The idea was more like AR Kane, but somehow it developed its own life.

It certainly stands out. Nevertheless, a great album with so many good tracks. I think my 3 favorites would be Heaven, Temptation, and In A World.

Hopefully, Mick Mercer is playing a brand new song this Sunday.

Was AR Kane a big influence on that album? I always thought it was something like Dream Syndicate.

I really liked the first AR Kane album, but I was the only one in the band who did. I think the problem was trying to communicate this stuff to everyone else and the producer. I like dub effect, it's just not reggae "songs".

I never really heard them, just know them by name, but I will definitely check out their debut now.

I've not heard it in ages. It's not really rock, but it creates a unique atmosphere.

Any other bands/albums you could recommend besides that? I´ve read somewhere that you/band were heavily inspired by Wire. I´ve always wondered what bands you were inspired by, just because you have such a unique sound. Quite doom´ish and dark, but you didn't have that goth thing which other bands had, such as Sex Gang Children, Southern Death Cult, etc.

I never liked goth at all, just good guitar bands like Killing Joke, The Banshees, and the only Cure album I like is Pornography (amazing guitar playing). We kind of mixed this up with stuff like The Stooges and MC5. We did like Wire and Patti Smith, but also '70s psyche stuff. Loop is still one of my all-time faves. Big Black also.

Ah, yes, of course. That's the same thing I also came up with. I´ve also thought that you had that Swans-ish kind of guitar heaviness in there as well.

I love Gang of Four, but just as a fan. They weren't an influence. The only Swans album I have is "Burning World," which I love. It is an acoustic album but great songs. The best band for melodic-type guitar parts was The House of Love, but maybe not tough enough for you.

Actually, I think I´ve heard one or two songs by House of Love, which I enjoyed, but I haven´t heard an album all the way through. You also have had bits of cowpunk here and there (Paint Your Wagon). The track, "Mescaline Dance" - that is so good,... Oh, and I also just remembered the track which made me think of Swans - "Blitz" on Paint Your Wagon.

I think the problem with punk was that for many people it was ground zero and they refused to accept that anything before '77 was shit. We, on the other hand, tried to embrace the best bits of 70s rock like Sabbath and be inspired by it.

Black Sabbath, of course. I always thought your band had a stoner-rock coolness. I think that a lot of those dark-punk bands started to look back in time a bit around the mid 80s. It was quite clear that The Mission and Sisters (of Mercy) had similarities with the likes of Neil Young, The Cult had something with Led Zeppelin, The Rose of Avalanche was into The Doors and even Bolshoi did a Jacque Brell cover.

I also love Young Gods - just an amazing imagination and the best programming. Love Ministry too.

Young Gods are grand. Ministry is ok too although my favorite Ministry album is still "Twitch". "Land of Rape and Honey" comes at number 2. The rest of it is fine I have just grown tired of the albums after "Land...". Twitch on the other hand gets better everytime I hear it. Kind of in the same funky style like Cabaret Voltaire´s "Code" album.

Yeah, Cabs were good. The first Clock DVA album is a classic. Virgin Prunes "If I Die, I Die" was produced by Colin Newman as well.

Yes! "If I Die, I Die" is their best, in my opinion. Almost sort of like Sex Gang Children and Coil being mixed up in a bowl. First Clock DVA album? Would that be those obscure cassettes from the 70s, or would that be White Soul in Black Suits (their first release on LP) I think my favorite Clock DVA would be the Thirst album. Gets under my skin kind of record.

Yeah, Thirst is the one I meant. Have you heard the "Snakedrill" EP by Wire?

No, I haven´t, but I´ve heard the "Ideal Copy" album tons of times.

Snakedrill is amazing.

I gotta check that one as well. My favorite Wire stuff is in the Ideal Copy era. Also, "A Bell is a Cup Until it is Struck".

Finally, myself and fans alike could not be more excited to hear that RLYL has just finished recording a new album, "Strange Kind of Paradise".

That is correct. It was recorded at Ding's Studio in Manchester and will be out later this year.

Excellent! You are more than welcome to post the news and the new song in my group David: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1400654820200131/

Ok, thank you Per.

Label introduction

Lust Tapes

I will be working on something new, doing proper introductions for various labels for those curious enough to check them out. One of the first labels I want to check out is a new label from the Netherlands called Lust Tapes. In a very short time, so far, they have managed to release 9 tapes and a poster on their Bandcamp site, most within the boundaries of harsh noise and HNW, and highly inspired by occult and satanic themes, sprinkled with sadistic s/m imagery. There isn´t any information about the label or the various acts the label has released. So I have (offcourse) decided to interview the brain behind the label! So here goes. And below, I have made 2 small reviews for the labels' first two releases!. 

Rapid introduction to Lust Tapes: How would you describe your label?

Hi, I really appreciate the opportunity to introduce Lust Tapes to anyone interested.

Lust Tapes is a label that contains music from noise artists in combination with visually appealing designs. 
plus a tongue-in-cheek approach regarding subjects as the occult (seventies style), lusts, death, decay, crime, 
and accidents.

LUST is not really original in its style or content, but that is the whole idea

What motivated you to start the label?

I ran a tape label, Interrupt Product, with noise/experimental music back in the eighties

(www.discogs.com/label/60538-Interrupt-Product).
Because of life, this label was short-lived.

Much later in life, around 2019, I wanted to do something again in DIY. That project became Pool Pervert (experimental drones mainly).
(www.discogs.com/artist/7261627-Pool-Perverts).

I also started a label in 2019 (now obsolete) called Non-Interrupt.
(www.discogs.com/label/60538-Interrupt-Product).
The name was invented by Frans de Waard from Korm Plastics, a good friend and mentor. This drone label will re-emerge this year as Re-Interrupt and will put out CD-Rs with mainly drone music.

For aesthetic reasons, I felt attraction to harsh noise again, like my noise-project Weltschmerz, which featured on compilation cassettes back in the day. I became hugely inspired by Deathbed/Invisible City and many others, and felt a strong urge to do something with graphical design plus tapes/noise music.

Lust Tapes will be releasing graphics (art prints) that supporters can buy separately alongside their download. That part of the merchandise becomes more and more available within the coming months with each release.

So, LUST is a graphical label too, just for the fun of doing these typical graphics that come with noise/experimental music. Without any politics or serious meaning, of course. Xeroxed stuff, black & white, eroded stuff, German fonts, typewriter fonts, etc, etc...
I have a professional background in graphical design, which helps me do so.

In time, Lust tapes will release more products from other artists.
Blood Raven is the first foreign artist on LUST. The others, for now, are projects of mine: Abducted Organ (topics: death, disease),
Satanic Rite (topic: the occult atmosphere from the seventies),
Madame Blavatsky (topic: the paranormal), DNA Destruction Commando (topics: crime, forensics).

I needed a start, I needed stuff, so I decided to release a bunch of projects to get the label started. I will be mailing artists in the coming months for LUST, but I am not in a hurry... it will grow organically.

Soon to come:
a compilation (C90) with Sloughed/Abrasion Addict, ODAL, Modelbau, Blood Raven. Also, a C45 from Sloughed/Abrasion Addict, and later this year, a C45 by K2

What are some of your current favorite noise acts? And why?

Odal & DMDN (they made a great tape called Breinrot), Vomir, Brandkommando, plus all the stuff from E.C.T. I do worship.

It is hard to mention a favorite, so many artists out there that I like. I like listening to noise from a tape, record, or CD. I like all kinds of concerts, but harsh noise live on stage with a deafening sound system is cool, really cool. But... not my favorite way of consuming noise. Loudness and noise are two different things to me

A friend, Sjak, from DMDN (Antenne Records, Tilburg, Holland) once told me: "noise is a shower for me". I think it says a lot.

How is the industrial/noise scene in the Netherlands?

I am not involved in it, I only know a few artists from long ago and some new.

How do you find/choose the specific themes for your releases?

At the time of recording, the themes come to mind. Releases from other artists play a role in the conception, too. I have lots of unreleased stuff I can use. But it has to be edited further before the tape is ready. Meanwhile, I will download some images from the web to deform into a cover design. It is a strange process.
No clear structure.

Cassette releases instead of CD, any reason why?

Well, I really love CD/vinyl, but the joy of cassettes, the warm sound, the shape of the medium, that's why.

Any future plans for the label?

Not big plans or ambitions. But, growing steadily, with fun designs and good artists. That's gold. It's a hobby. Furthermore....I must become a bit more loose, putting out more direct stuff without too much editing. That is a plan.

I re-style, re-edit (over-edit) some designs too much. But the first idea is the best in most cases. That is a struggle.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Satanic Rite - In Search Of Sodom

Released back in March as a limited cassette with Xeroxed cover artwork. Dynamic HNW soundscapes mixed with a brutal noise-ambient background, a brutal multilayered monstrosity. 2 tracks, 30 minutes each. At times, it does have that early NON/Boyd-Rice feel. Fans of harsh industrial noise with that 80s kind of sound to it will love it! The first track, called False Witch Trials, offers tons of steel fragments inside a washing machine, occasional low-frequency radio hissing, enigmatic humming drones, and something is definitely being drilled here as well! 

Second track, Ritualistic Group Abuse, has a lot more sound-wise action to it. Not as straightforward as the former tracks, but a bit more adventurous while still maintaining the brutality. A certain kind of fluttering wetness of slimy tentacles in this! Check it out and see what u can come up with!     

Pallor Mortis - D.N.A. Destruction Commando

D.N.A. Destructive Commando being Pallor Mortis, again...2 tracks, 30 minutes each. Stomach churning noise-wall with less dynamics and more focus on the texture of sound. First track, The Face of Dissolution, delivers just that! A slow and moody fix of heavy, moody noise-electronics. The noise feels like a drill through dirt, and the drones give the recording a spiritual, angelic feeling to it. The sound of the first track slowly gets heavier and more intense. 

The second track, The Color Of Decease, has a kind of noise which sounds like burning flames in slow motion. A slow-building heat in a kettle, maybe? Maybe we are in the lab of an alchemist? Cryptic human speech is in there as well, making it all a bit more mysterious.   

Bandcamp (label):

https://lusttapes.bandcamp.com/music

 Axiome - Rmx (By Aluviana)

Two projects on one CD. The first being Axiome, a veteran and a classic act from the golden days of power noise and IDM. The second act is Aluviana, based in Slovenia, and has been active since 2008. Been releasing stuff mostly on C-drik´s label, Syrphe. The Axiome tracks (which have been selected and remixed) were made between 1991 and 2022. And the tracks were then remixed in 2022 and in 2023 by Aluviana. The CD comes in a slipcase, sort of a digipack, in an edition of 100. The album contains 8 tracks, about 40 minutes total.

The first track is called Axiome 365 Météore (lost in a tunnel mix). A tunnel-like noise-drone in the distance, some lovely undertones of icy ambiance, excellent and dreamy synthkeys. Harsh kind of Esplendor Geometrico-like industrial drum-pattern kicks in. Very seductive high-tech stuff here. 

The second track, Superfluid (not so fluid mix), has this kind of cyberpunkish synth-ambient sound to it... with a touch of the more experimental and early Front 242. I think it's the moody synth melody, which takes me back to Front 242´s No Shuffle. Love the textures and details going on, sound quality is really out of this world! Love the chopped-up human-voice speaking here, has that kind of robotic low-fi sound to it.  

The third track, Hâve (dehumanization mix). Terminator-like synth work/mood with an apocalyptic touch. Excellent stuff to hear in the background while playing X-Com: Enemy Within! It has that sort of mysterious, high-tech soundtrack sound to it... could work on an episode of the X-Files aboard a UFO!. Love adventurous stuff, and this stuff is very adventurous. 

The fourth track is called La Solitude Du Grêlon Face à La Chute (eleventh hymn mix), which follows up on that eerie cattle-mutilation UFO-theme/mood/sound. It really is an excellent mixture of low-tech and high-tech stuff here. It glitches with acid-drenched sounds, haunts you with eerie moods, and the sounds jump to one end of the corner and the next! 

The fifth track, The Promise (not so electro mix extended), gives me the impression of a city that resides in an isolated geographical spot. It talks about the sort of strange stuff that goes on after nightfall in a city just like that. It's pretty murky stuff. Fans of Download would love this track. 

The sixth track Who Really Was Valdemar Von Erebus? With its strange mechanics and insectoid, nightmarish moods. Manipulated and warped retro synths, glitchy sounds, shamanic electronica rhythms all floating in an acid-drenched soup. Fans of Monolake will dig this.

Rmx (by Aluviana) is a very good remix album of Axiome. It will and can please any fans of a multitude of different electronic genres, industrial, power-noise, dark ambient, electronica, IDM, etc, etc. It doesn´t actually come to a point where u feel it´s all too mixed up, u do get that adventurous vibe and curiosity of hearing more. Eerie sci-fi stuff from some distant post-apocalyptic world, and it´s all worth listening to, you won´t get bored!.

Bandcamp (label):

https://syrphe.bandcamp.com/album/rmx-by-aluviana

Bandcamp (Aluviana):

https://aluviana.bandcamp.com/

Bandcamp (Axiome):

https://axiomeduo.bandcamp.com/album/who-will-control-us

Hexmyr - Öde Verser

Öde Verser means Deserted Verses, and it´s the name of the debut by a Swedish dark-ambient/death-industrial act called Hexmyr. It is also a reissue by Polish Label Fluttering Dragon, first released on cassette on Dovle Records in 2020. The label is run by the same guy behind the project. The reissue has come out on CD and vinyl. 

The album's concept is about a specific location in Sweden called Norrland (and surrounding areas), which happens to be the artist's homeland. A place where forests have been destroyed, with empty and abandoned factories. A once-thriving community, which has been abandoned for the sake of industry and money. High suicide rates, rivers that have been drained, after-effects of uranium mining... You name it. 

The CD comes in a darkened and cool-looking digipack. Having some photos with it, which show Norrland (I think). The album has 6 tracks on it, and runs for about 36 minutes in total. 

The first track (just called I) works as a sort of intro to the album. A thundering big drum, the sound of a distant (and again huge) blowing horn with some harsh death-industrial noisescapes in the background. Sound is really dark and scary in a sort of... abandoned way. I can almost feel the silent and dead trees, and the windows of factories staring like dead eyes. Distorted and whispering vocals are there as well, giving the track an extra haunting feeling of despair. Really love the way the rhythms and the sounds develop later on. Howling cold winds and murky drums in the deep! 

The second track, Avverkning (Interlude Pt.1), and the third track III start with a metallic sound of a... cold wind, the sort of wind that bites your toenails. Kind of a steel-on-stone sound to the wind. The kind of wind that blows through a mine? Murky bass-drones howl like tortured ghosts, and some strange microscopic sounds crawl on my speakers like spiders. Excellent and harsh noise elements are added, lovely abysmal feeling to this track... don´t stare too long into the abyss! Vocals are also here as well, it has a kind of Mental Destruction touch to it.  

The fourth track, Dömda (Interlude Pt.2), is the harshest (so far) on the album. The sense, smell, and feel of black smoke... and something burning in the distance. U really get the feeling here, of how things are just... slowly falling apart out there, well, in the sticks. 

The fifth track, V. Well, there really isn´t any hope left at this point. Again, the distant sound of something thundering, something feeling apart, an explosion, or the sound of the earth moving—mines collapsing and the landscape changing to something else. 

The sixth (and last track) called VI. Slutet (Oestergaard Remix) has nothing to do with dancy rhythms... although it does say remix. It offers desperate and chopped-up ghost voices on the analog radio, spider legs on the microphone, and some slowly-droned and heavy ambient-drones as well. 

Öde Verser is quite...Öde. The artist's intent (soundwise) in this work is quite accomplished, I think. I do get the sense of dread, and the sense of feeling alone in a place which (once) has been a thriving community (to a certain degree). Definitely that Northern CMI early 2000 feel/sound to it, the sound of Sephiroth/Desiderii Marginis. 

I love the chosen concept of the album, but I do think that the focus on the chosen concept... should be a bit more focused? Some more recorded material that connects with the theme. Field recordings from the geographical areas could help, old actual radio recordings, when it was a thriving community. Everything seems to be gloomy and dark in Norrland, maybe a bit too much? If it is that dark in Norrland, then a bit more chaos and fragility in the sound (would be nice). I also came to think about that, when places/towns seem to shut down, nature usually takes over... which in my book is a good thing? 

Other than that, if you choose to look away from the concept of the album, then u do have a decent and good industrial-ambient album with a touch of that CMI-sound.   

Bandcamp (label):

https://flutteringdragon.bandcamp.com/album/hexmyr-de-verser-free-shipping

Bandcamp (band):

https://hexmyr.bandcamp.com/music

 

 ASTRO / Thorn Bug - The Other World 

and this World

The label Grubenwehr Freiburg is out with something else, something different, and something new. A split between Japanoise ASTRO and another project called Thorn Bug.  ASTRO is the work of Hiroshi Hasegawa, who is mostly known for the project called C.C.C.C. A highly influential veteran figure in the world of Japanoise. We also reviewed another album with ASTRO, which was released on Abhorrent Creation Tapes, described as electro-acoustic brutal ambient. Thorn Bug is a project with Raul Starcz. He started the project in 2021 with numerous releases on various labels, described as something in between melancholic harsh electronics and raw black noise. 

Now this release is a massive thing... mainly because of various editions and artistic creation that goes with it. To start with, I have the "standard" tape edition. A decorative blood-splattered white tape, with a red card containing info bout the art, etc. There is also the special edition with a pouch, a plastic spoon, deathheads, etc, which is offcourse... sold out.  You can also buy the poster, which is signed by the artist. U can choose the poster as being rolled, folded, black/white rolled, or black/white folded.

The album contains 4 tracks with Thorn Bug and 1 long track with ASTRO. 38 minutes in total. 

The first track with Thorn Bug on the A-side is called FAR-reprise. I was expecting an in-your-face noise treat, but we are met here with a murky, haunting, and mellow piano-soundtrack/ambient piece. A very beautiful and engulfing one! The piano keys have been pitched down, so the piano keys almost sound like moody guitar strings. 

The second track, Everything Feels Like Nothing At All is where all the fun starts. Directly into traditional harsh-noise territory. It grinds, it drills, it chops, explodes, cuts, and is stretched... a haywire robotic dentist making a mess in your mouth, blood spurts, and the brain melts through pain and too much nitric oxide. Does it feel like nothing at all? Not really, it´s littery n chaotic entity expanding through your speakers. 

The third track, A Loss of Meaning, has a charming bass-driven rhythmic beginning, but it all sadly ends up in the grinding machine as well. It gets the same aggressive noise-treatment as in track 2.  

The fourth track starts with a quick typing on the phone dial, and this sound also gets the same ride through the same harsh-noise machinery, a minor touch on something with sounds a bit like 8-bit sounds, maybe?. Other than that, it grinds, drills, chops, explodes, cuts, etc, etc. Noticing a lot of finger dexterity on the knops. 

We flip the cassette and continue with Astro on the B-side. The track is called The Other World and This World. A screaming distortion starts the track, with some additional layers of psychedelic sounds to accompany it. Not sure, I think there is a fluid-like high-pitched sound which sounds like... when u gently push the play button on your walkman and u get that sound. I do like the kind of cosmic and psychedelic touch to this...  it is harsh noise, but with an otherworldly mood attached to it. We also get to hear the engine of a tractor, ready to explode! Some people are chattering/talking in the mix as well. Different sounds on your speakers as well. Later on, the sound tunes down to a more gentle sound. A lot of cosmic bleep sounds that sound like a fast and old modem. The way the track ends, very nice! Won´t spoil the end, offcourse! 

And this is all we can get out of Thorn Bug and Astro. My favorite on this, I would say, is Astro. In my book, it sounds like a thorough idea that has been accomplished from the start to the end. At times, harsh noise tends to rely (sometimes) on one thing... which is how much chaotic noise and how quick u can create it in the time which has been given. I do think that Thorn Bug is in that category, where Astro (on the other hand) is more curious and creative in exploring different moods and sounds. But offcourse it's all a matter of taste! Thorn Bug is a traditional no-bull-shit harsh noise thing (for those who just want pure harsh noise), while Astro is more abstract and out-there. 

 

Bandcamp (label):

https://grubenwehrfreiburg.bandcamp.com/album/the-other-world-and-this-world

Bandcamp (Thorn Bug):

https://mnemosyne-recordings.bandcamp.com/

Bandcamp (Astro):

https://astro-hasegawa.bandcamp.com/

   

ZeroNull - Blue Mars

The third and final installment of the Mars-themed sci-fi trilogy! The first one was the Red Mars, the second was the Green Mars... and yes... this one is the Blue Mars. We reviewed Red Mars in 2023, and that one even ended up on the list of best-of-2023. Again, its out as a limited cassette-release on Marbre Negre. 

The design of the artwork follows the blue theme offcourse. Nice touch that the tape is a transparent blue one. Love the mystical kind of coloring, various kinds of blue... and that cool kind of deep-space sci-fi font really gives the release a futuristic feel to it. The album contains 2 tracks, each track for each side of the tape. Bout 39 minutes in total. 

The first track is called The Accelerando-Deep Space Exploration. There is... the sound of... something metallic like a huge church bell in space, creating this huge and engulfing sound... giving the listener the impression of how BIG space really is. Something or someone bangs on something, something with a lot of echo and reverb. Everything is levitating in free air at the moment! Another sound comes in, a bit like a huge geyser really... and the tiny tabbing of crystals in some deep cavern. In comes a lovely futuristic, melodic retro-synth ambient drone, wrapping it all up in a completely focused vision. It´s soo beautiful, I mean... damn... Klaus Schulze would have been proud! I mean, I'm not even halfway through the first track! Stuff is very moody with light touches of dark elements here and there, but there is a lovely sense of hope here. I do know that I often mention Frank Herbert´s Dune stuff in my reviews. And here I go again. Just listen and you´ll get it! The ending of this track is also... breathtaking! 

The second track on the B-side is called Phoenix Lake. Sound of rain inside a huge... open garage. U know... the kind of garage where all the machinery of the farm is inside. Then there is a strange electronic hum, of something vibrating... something alive. And that hum keeps on building, and getting more and more dynamic in the way it builds up. Not overwhelming, more in a subtle way. Additional layers of electronic drones of sound are being mixed into this otherworldly hum. There is also a banging hammering sound, coming from... some distant room. Everything tunes out, and the listener is being led into another strange room. Eerie sounds merge into one another, and some chittering and watery insect-like sounds are there as well. Is it the Martians? Who knows?... 

The big question here is... is there life on Mars?. I don´t know (really), but I do know that there is life in the trilogy that ZeroNull has managed to create! Not just life, but something that keeps on... doing its thing. The whole trilogy works as an independent and living, breathing entity of sound. Waiting for anyone to stumble upon its inspiring path. I really do wish, that this trilogy would be released as some kind of box set... with something like a small book or something. I hope that this project will continue to describe the great cosmos out there, Venus next time?  

Bandcamp (label): https://marbrenegre.bandcamp.com/album/blue-mars