Black Crown - S/T

Black Crown was delivered in my mailbox some months ago. I had an idea where this tape was from (but I wasn´t sure!). The project/act calls itself Black Crown, which is written/printed on thin, light-brown and plain cardboard-like paper (love the font!). No notes regarding who did the recording, no notes about when this recording was created and where. No information regarding... well anything!. The tape does reveal some kind of information, which is as follows: Limited to only 7 limited copies, a & b side + track-title. The track titles are really hard to read, the handwriting doesn't look clumsy but strangely... mysterious and automatic. Like the kind of handwriting, one might do after being possessed by some ghost/spirit who wants to deliver some kind of message on a piece of brown and thin cardboard paper. 

Now again, we are talking about a two-track cassette tape release. Self-released from the artist himself )I think). The first track on the A-side opens the doors wide-open for anything being completely enshrouded in obscurity. Strange mesmerizing ritualistic words being uttered (German language maybe?), heavily reverbed sampled vintage music going (Early rockabilly, blues, Motown, etc). And that is it, it all sounds very simple.... but it really isn't. Try to imagine that you are in a damp cellar, and this strange ghost-like band from days-gone-by are playing upstairs in the school's gym. That is exactly how it sounds and feel like. Very, very ... interesting!. Never heard anything like it! It just has to be heard to really understand it. The way the sound and the reverb has been treated is really... otherworldly. Kind of ... David Lynch/Twin Peaks soundtrack in psychedelic and strangely erotic haze.

Next track continues the same moldy-aesthetic psychedelic vintage mood. And then you are asking yourself, is that a bad thing?. No, because you seriously enjoyed the A-side and would like to have that feel continue. I would say that when you get to the B-side you would then be utterly hypnotized. When you have finished the tape/B-side, you will then flip it over and continue with the A-side once again!. And yes, it is that damn good and interesting. Avant-Gard aesthetics with a touch of ghostly vintage rock music, pure mood music for those obsessed with it! (fans of early C93, Nurse With Wound, Zoviet France etc). Go seek it! (if you can!). Note for this release, there is no Bandcamp or Discogs link (to be a detective and seek this rarity out!). 

Anonymous Masturbaudioum & Tuffo

Our favorite nylon fetish project Anonymous Masturbaudioum did an older split release (On Marbre Negre) back in 2017 with another project called Tuffo. A 2 two track cassette+digital release, capturing almost 70 minutes of raw and moody noise-wall material.

Each project works on doing a kind of noise-tribute to one of their favorite flicks. With Anonymous Masturbaudioum we´re dealing with a flick by Tinto Brass called The Key. If you do not know who Tinto Brass is, then I can reveal to you that he is the guy who did the infamous Caligula movie! In his early days, he was dealing in avant-garde movies, but later on, he began working with erotic themes incorporated in his movies. Here is information could be obtained about the Key on the world wide web:

The Key (Italian: La chiave) is a 1983 Italian erotic film directed by Tinto Brass. Set in Venice under the fascist regime in the early months of 1940, it recounts a tale of a voluptuous woman in her forties who is unable to respond to her husband but undergoes a belated sexual awakening with her daughter's fiancé, which enables her to please her husband at last. The film caused a scandal in some quarters because it contains several explicit shots of nudity (characterized by certain critics as "gynecological") and sex scenes involving the well-known actress Stefania Sandrelli. However, the film ultimately obtained a decent level of commercial success.

A blistering stereo-stimulating pain and pleasure experience with occasional samples from the movie running in the background. The whole noise-wall sounds like something cracking from above and then moving further down, microscopic shredding of a paper in slow-motion would be one way to describe it. Hypnotic suggestions of looped ambient moods are also present. Sheer delicate brutality to the point of extasy! 

Next in life is Tuffo, who will be doing the tribute to one of the greatest horror flicks ever made. Yes, we are talking about the Ed Gein inspired cult-flick the Texas Chainsaw Massacre from 1974 by Tope Hooper (R.I.P). Atmospheric, heavy and ritualistic drone-based distortions start the lovely B-side. Almost to the point of being drone-metal actually! Interesting flesh scraping knife-to-the-guitar-strings-sound (or something similar) going on. Screaming and sutle-expressive distortion pedals join up as well, starting off in a gentle way and evolve further on to more classic (and aggressive) harsh-noise territory. Interesting metallic steel-like bangings going on,  which also can be heard on the soundtrack for the movie. The whole recording is a soundtrack journey through sun-scorched murderous madness. Very breathtaking and intense!

So what are you waiting for?!. Classic and weird vintage cult movies bash up with the sound of modern noise artists! It works! And yes, we need more of this. Way more!. Go around Marbre Negre and acquire this excellent concept split cassette of a beast!.

Bandcamp (label):

https://marbrenegre.bandcamp.com/album/untitled-album

Facebook (Ampmous Masturbaudioum):

https://www.facebook.com/an77ma

WWW (Tuffo):

http://www.tuffo.es/

   

Anaru - Cold Zero

Long time since last time. Kalteldur reviewed the cult only-digital debut-album release named Rising Storm with Anaru way back in 2017. It was a VERY great debut, and I couldn´t help looking forward to hearing new material from this mysterious cyberpunk inspired Lithuanian electro-based project. This time we are facing a physical cassette-tape release via our favorite U.S industrial label Black Ring Rituals (see former releases!). Only 25 copies, but there is STILL some left at Black Ring Rituals (So be fast!).

First track Operacija Cold Zero enters cold soundtrack-based ritual music, very metallic... very hypnotic intro. Try to imagine sedatives being injected into you before an operation, that kind of touch!. Next track Vienintelė opcija - į pražūtį! works around the same hypnotic (and darkly futuristic) mood. Digital computer noises, train-like screams, whispering and echoed east-European voices and an exquisite and eerie rain-dropping on sheets kind of rhythm. The third track enters a more technoid isolated-feel. The coldness of the rhythms plus the almost psychedelic eerieness of the mood makes me think of U.S-based Illusion of Safety. I also can´t help thinking of Autechre´s classic Basscadet from their early years, you´ll know what I mean when you hear this track. The warped and multilayered samples here works REALLY good with the skeletal rhythms. Fourth track Ascetique Inhumane expands the eerieness even further, adding tribal rhythms, howling from a wolf... with a VERY weird and interesting soundtrack background recording which I cannot identify. I know that it does sound weird with a wolf howling with tribal rhythms on something being... cyberpunk inspired (BUT) I think it works for some reason unknown! Fifth track with it clinal aggressive drummings and vacuum-like soundscapes ends the A-side of the tape very nicely.

The B-side starts off with ėnomąsapisaižreV {system_reboots}, the longest track on the album (7 minutes). Static electrocution-sounds, deep ambient-synths, looped echoed voices and with a haunting and ghost-like tv-sample mood playing backward... actually kind of disturbing (in a good way of course!). The second on the B-side offers post-war-themed shellshock aesthetics of utter doom. Imagining a huge city being in total ruins, the radioactive matter cannot be avoided. Third track starts off with the alarm sounding (as if it wasn't enough standing in a ruined radioactive city!). Rhythms are added here, with something on the synth sounding like a melody. Almost being a jolly track with a danceable melody attached to it. I know I know, most people would probably think that the electronic drums are too primitive sounding... but I think that in the overall context it does have a certain charm. Next track Ordo welcomes the listener with the sound of diving German Stuka bombers (I think). The last you would hear before... well... The alarms are still ringing with this track. No doubt about it that a world war is close by. Last two tracks on this album being Club Bonus tracks, extra tracks for the thirsty. First one working as an outro sort of, resampling the intro track on the A-side of the album. Second (and last) track on the album closes it all up with an upbeat psychedelic treat, time to wake up from your sedative/operation?. Let us hope that the operation has been a success!.     

If you like the first album with Anaru, then this second release is a must to check up on. Functioning as a sort of continuation of the first Anaru release. Need a decent and unique cyberpunk mood, here is a good place to start! Remember to be QUICK on the cassette (link below). 

Bandcamp (label):

https://blackringrituals.bandcamp.com/album/cold-zero

Soundcloud (band):

https://soundcloud.com/suweln

Facebook (band):

https://www.facebook.com/anaruelektra

  

Doménico Vecchio - Untitled

Sure looks like a sick release... some twisted fantasy idea from a masturbating and masochistic teenage boy who has nightmarish necrophiliac dreams? Nevertheless, the cover-art is splendid and it hits you like a razor... or as a very sharp knife (like in the picture). A thick and lovely texturized sheet of cardboard paper with the sick bunny on, and a red piece of blood-colored paper with the tracklisting plus notes on. The cassette has been sandwiched between, and it all has been firmly slid into a transparent plastic cassette-tape bag (VERY sexy!). Are we dealing with a sicko release here?... absolutely! 

5 tracks, 28 minutes long journey into a depraved dimension which lies between self-destructive harsh noise and radio pop music? An atypical and weird harsh-noise with a... intriguing surrealistic aesthetic attached to it. It would be stupid to namedrop some of the hotshots here of course, but try to imagine early (and noisy) Nurse With Wound together with British Smell & Quimm? That kind of sick, surreal seductive and just ... sick. Having a very experimental and direct aesthetic, while having a focus on retrospective pop culture/music (the samples within). Very action-driven and very abrasive also. 

I am not really a great fan of harsh-noise, but this one I do like. It does have GREAT "entertainment" value, a lot of sick/interesting things are happening in the recording. Not just a guy pressing the distortion button and feeling like a noise artist. It feels genuine and honest from the start and to the end. 

The material was made by a Doménico Vecchio and this (supposed) mini-album has been released by Spanish Marbre Negre. I suppose you check it out if you need something being...depraved!.

Bandcamp (label):

https://marbrenegre.bandcamp.com/album/untitled-3