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/