Nundata - Untitled

A kind of veteran in the world of modern noise music. Nundata hails from Serbia and has (so far) been responsible for over 80 releases since 2009. On various labels like Smell the Stench, Required Rate of Return, and of course Marbre Negre. This one came out last year on Mabre Negre, as a limited cassette edition. Running over 50 minutes, with three tracks divided into 2 cassette sides. 

The first track Monodata Neon Part 1 starts with a blast of blistering white noise, high pitched without any bass. A very narrow and needle-thin penetration of noise slithering into the listener's ears. Harsh and psychedelic minimal-harsh noise would be one way to put it. At times the slithering noise sounds like tortured screams, smoldering rusty pieces of metal, warped short-wave radios, dentist drills, and the sound of falling bombs from bomber planes. I am not even halfway through the first track, which is 25 minutes long! The whole recording is being developed and warped throughout the entire track, lovely kind of live-feeling going on in here. Great noise! The looped noise at the ending is great, lovely rhythmic touch there. 

The rhythmic touch continues further on the second track Monodata Neon Part 2. While the punctuating sound-bits float above the listener like a noisy cloud. The distortion is soo tense here, that it sounds like bacon on a frying pan. Lazer-like sounds are added to heighten the psychedelic mind further on. Almost too many things are being added to the adventurous noise journey here, almost ending in harsh noise in the great cosmic!  

The last track called Mono No Fun starts with a recording of human voices. Sounds like some sort of political/religious speech of some sort, multilayered with added sound effects. Brutal harsh noise with that live thing again, honest improvisational brutality.

Quite a challenging beast I must say. It´s long, abstract, and incredibly brutal. Amazing that the artist could do these recordings without taking a break! A constant and menacing monster of noise, drowning and swallowing the listener into the world that the release contains. Bored with noise and need a new fix of extreme sound, go and look this one out kids!.

Bandcamp (label):

https://marbrenegre.bandcamp.com/album/untitled-10

Bandcamp (band):

https://nundata.bandcamp.com/

   

 Gespenst - Den Sidste Færd

The second time around I get to review Gespenst, and this is also their second album. The last album I reviewed with them was back in 2018, although it was released in 2016. This second album has been released in 3 formats! Vinyl, CD via a German label called Vendetta Records, and on cassette via Danish label Strange Aeons. About 30+ minutes in total, with 5 tracks on it. 

Cool and simple artwork, inviting the listener into a fantasy-inspired netherworld... not that far away from Isengard and Mordor. Nice and nifty-looking print on the cassette, and the inner sleeve even includes a lyric sheet. Again, nice design with a moody and picturesque design. 

The first track Dødsfærd (which is also the longest!) starts with a cold wind blowing through the leaves of trees, I could imagine that the daytime would be at nighttime of course. Slow and grinding black-metal guitar work with an epic touch starts the journey, with some cool-sounding drums (instrumental of course!). Kind of black-metal for doom-metal fans so far. I am not 100% sure, is there a synth in the background is it just the reverb of the guitars?. Nevertheless, the track gets more tempo. Why I don´t know, the grind of the slowness worked pretty well. This switch of tempo just sounds as if someone pressed the... well tempo button (FF) on the tape. It´s a matter of taste I know, as for me I have never been much for stuff that has to be fast (for some reason). The good thing is that Gespenst manages to hold the atmosphere through the entire track. I forgot to mention the vocals. Which I like a lot, never been much for the screaming gremlin vocals (that is). Heavy and deep vocals with some extra phlegm in the throat. 

The second track Besværgelse works as a kind of atmospheric horror soundtrack/ambient 1-minute intermission before we are submerged into the next guitar-driven track.

The third track Portal is a track without a slow intro but starts with quick tempos. Tempo switch to the slow also happens here. More of a straight black metal track than the first track. Less atmosphere, more action if you ask me. 

We change the side of the cassette and sink our teeth into the fourth track called Rejse. Starts with a slow guitar playing, which reminds me of the melody from the first track. Lots of atmospheric stuff going on here, love the part where you can only hear the bass. Starts with a slow tempo, and ends at a quick tempo.

The last track Intethed is something else. Ambient synth-work, depressing guitar-work (Excellent melody) with hints of ghosty human moans here and there. Sort of an ethereal/4AD (Cocteau Twins/Dead Can Dance) feeling here. A good way to end the album.

And that ends Den Sidste Færd (Last journey in English!). A moody and depressing piece of metalized rock music for fans of black metal. Well played, the sound is decent, with cool cover artwork and cool poetical lyrics. I would like it more if the lyrics had a certain conceptual influence on the overall sound of the album. If you don´t actually read the lyrics (which are good)) while listening, it will just sound like beer-chugging rock and roll music. But then again, I am not a huge fan of black metal. I am quite sure that veteran listeners of the genre would dig this album. 

Bandcamp (label):

https://vendetta-records.bandcamp.com/album/den-sidste-f-rd

 

Boredom Knife - Feticide / Tyhjio - 

No lives matter

Another deal/strike from French cult-label Abhorrent Creation Tapes, although this release isn´t on tape... But they are (as we all know!) delivering some killing-smashing industrial-noise releases on Compact Disc. The last 2 releases I reviewed from this label were by 2 acts from Japan (Third Organ and Government Alpha), and this time we will be looking at a split with two acts from Finland (The land with a thousand lakes yes, and the moomins!). 

The first act is an act called Boredom Knife. Hails from the capital Helsinki, and describes the act as experimental electronic noise eruptions. Several physical releases on different labels, and more digital releases on the Bandcamp link below. The second act is called Tyhjiø (means Empty in English), again some cool physical releases on more on the Bandcamp site. Described as noise created out of nothing.

The first track with Boredom Knife is called Feticide. A blistering wall of evocative industrial noise churns out of your speakers. Screaming and wailing machine sounds of utter hopelessness. The sound gets heavier, metallic, and more concrete while the evocative elements still being present in the background. A great back-to-basics sound here, a lovely expressive low-fi approach that takes me back to more soundscapes-orientated tracks by Con-Dom or the Grey Wolves. Tons of atmosphere here, and tons of brutality as well. Hell, I even want more physical releases with this act, which can be located via Discogs. 

The second track No Live Matter by Tyhjiø starts with a noisy hiss, with some ambient-driven death-industrial elements. Think the track is about Jim Jones and his last days with his cult. Suicide, and murder for those who didn´t want suicide. Don´t know about him, go and read all about them. The biggest evil bad-ass cult leader of them all, incredibly tragic. The depressive death-industrial/ambient elements work while the recorded tape of the suicide speech of Jim Jones runs in the background. Kind of a classic theme/sample in the world of industrial/noise music. The noise and the tape recording bring despair and desperation to another level. The sound intensifies with the desperation and the cries from Jim Jones´s cult. Very apocalyptic and very depressing, could work well as a soundtrack for a Jim Jones documentary. Not as dynamic as the former track by Boredom Knife, but still the track has a very effective effort to give the listener a sense of dread. 

And that ends the Finnish split from a French label. A cool and short 2-track EP/Mini-album on CD with 2 acts. It´s good because it´s only about 30 minutes long if it was longer then it would be a slight case of over bombing! An effective, dark, and small cocktail to end the party at the local noise party, to end it with a whimper (and not a bang!). As depressive as it might sound, the release (and the acts) do share a lot of charms with it. The whole back-to-basics idea works here, and I have a feeling that the two acts had (maybe) an idea of what kind of sound/feeling their split should have. Too many acts end up doing splits without having a specific idea/theme to work towards, here you have a feeling that the two acts have worked toward a common goal. Need noise for the upcoming apocalypse, here it is!. 

Bandcamp (label):

https://abhorrentcreationtapes.bandcamp.com/album/boredom-knife-feticide-tyhjio-no-lives-matter-split

Bandcamp (Boredome Knife):

https://boredomknife.bandcamp.com/music

Bandcamp (Tyhjiø):

https://tyhjio.bandcamp.com/