The Italian industrial scene.

Whoever would have thought that industrial/noise music would grow and blossom in a place like Italy. This country would pioneer new styles and sounds and point in what direction upcoming industrial and electronic bands would take. 

The backbone for the early Italian scene was offcourse, the rise and popularity of the cassette format. A cheap way of recording/documenting your own music/noise. Without spending a fortune on professional equipment or studios. Cassettes also allowed the artist to experiment with the format, creating loops and enabling primitive multi-tracking by connecting more recording machines and manipulating the recording audio speed. In other words, the cassette format was both seen as a way of releasing your own music and a piece of equipment that could create new sounds.   

In the late 70s, a fellow named Maurizio Bianchi started to do articles for independent music magazines about experimental and electronic music.  Inspired by the cassette format and the music he wrote about, which was Conrad Schnitzler, Throbbing Gristle, and Tangerine Dream he then decided to create his own brand of experimental industrial-electronics. He started his first project Sacher-Pelz and made his first cassette album named Cainus in 1979. 3 other cassettes were also released, and the copies were handed only over to friends. None of these 4 albums was officially distributed back then, but they have luckily been re-released today. 

He then started the project MB in 1980 with the first official self-released album called Industrial Tape. Cold, harsh, minima,l, and atmospheric are the 4 keywords to describe the early works of MB. The breakthrough for MB, was when Symphony For A Genocide was vinyl-released in the UK on Nigel Ayer´s legendary label Sterile Records in 1981. After this release, MB signed an "interesting" contract with William Benennett´s label Come Organisation.  Steven Stapleton made a "joke" contract for MB, giving him absolutely no rights for his releases on the label. Come Organisation added Hitler speeches/fascist recordings to his albums, without his knowledge. Even MB was changed to Leibstandarte SS MB. These Come Organisation releases have also been reissued on MB´s own label Menstrul Recordings, just now with the artist name MB instead. To this day, MB is still active and releasing new albums! 

The scene in the early eighties slowly began moving more and more toward esoteric ambient/ritual music and further away from traditional industrial. As in the case with what was going on in England at the same time, just to namedrop Current 93, Coil and Psychic TV. Lyke Wake and Ain Soph both started in the early 80s, and both acts are from Rome. Lyke Wake is the solo work of Stefana Di Serio, and Ain Soph is a 4-man band.  

Ain Soph released their first self-released 300 copies of cassette I in 1984, re-issued later on Old Europa Cafe. A descent into murky esoteric ambient ritual music, also discovering drone-ambient at the same time. Even drone-metal act Sunn (o))) have mentioned the early Ain Soph being a huge inspiration for them! They would continue making horrific and meditative soundscapes on their own label Mysty Circles until 1990, where they would get their ideas from traditional chamber music, psychedelic rock, and even Italian folk music! Until now they are still active, they released a new live album in 2024.

Lyke Wake started doing noise-driven ambient music with the Necronomicon tape in 1981. Shared much in sound with the early MB and Mauthausen Orchestra, just a step closer to a kind of throbbing proto-death-industrial sound. A sound (and style) that would achieve recognition and cult status in the early 90s.  Lyke Wake would continue on this path until 1990 and then restart the project in 2014 with a new psychedelic synth/organ-driven sound.  Much in the same soundtrack style as classic 70s Italian horror/gothic movies.

Later in 1982, a new Italian project was released in the UK.  Pierpaolo Zoppo started Mauthausen Orchestra in 1982 and was one of the first power-electronics acts from Italy. The self-titled album and future releases were released on Gary Mundy´s cult label called Broken Flag as well as a new Italian power-electronics label called Aquolifer Sodality, the debut has also been re-issued on Menstrul Recordings. The early sound of Mauthausen Orchestra was even more harsh and cold, and less atmospheric/spacy than MB. Not that far away from some of the early recordings by Boyd Rice, the debut album would also be important in the creation of later styles like HNW and ANW. The new power-electronics sound was prober realised on the second album Conflict from 1983, which was also both released on Broken Flag and Aquilifer Sodality. Sadly Pierpaolo Zoppo died in 2012, but ended his career making 2 releases together with MB. 

The same year in 1982, another act/band called Tomografia Assiale Computerizzata released their debut Senza Titolo. Avant-garde post-punk with industrial sound material, like a cross between early Cabaret Voltaire and Pere Ubu. Later in 1987 and onward, they would start to blend classical and ambient elements in their recorded material, moving further away from their avant-punk roots. Their last album was released in 2017. 

More in the obscure section, a duo from Cosenza called Zona Industriale started in 1983. Mixing field recordings from real life with noisy elements. Anything from radio speeches radio-frequencies, hair dryers, train stations, creaking of trees manipulated through various effects. Designed to represent the repetitive sound of everyday routines. They managed to release 5 albums til 1987. Later on, Marco Corbelli (Slaughter Productions and Atrax Morque) would re-release some of their albums. The label Angst would also re-release their debut in 2015.  

Another occult-inspired act that has gained cult status is Sigillum S from Milan. Esoteric and minimal ritual-ambient with roots in Italian post-punk and ethnic music.  Gained attention in 1986 with their Broken Flag-released album called Trance Flexure. In 1989 they made a split album release with Ain Soph on Cthulhu Records, which later was re-issued on Old Europa Cafe. 

The next time Italian would gain attention would be around 1992. With the rise of the Italian label Old Europa Cafe and several important European labels Tesco Germany and Cold Meat Industry. Distributors and mail-order catalogs made it easier for underground artists to reach out and find new listeners on a worldwide scale. One of those who succeeded in this was Marco Corbeli, the one guy who started Atrax Morgue, the Italian death-industrial sound and the cult-label Slaughter Productions.  Influenced by bands like Whitehouse, Brighter Death Now, and Genocide Organ and a dose of mentally unhealthy morbid interests Marco then released the cassette album In Search of Death under the Atrax Morgue name. It was also the first release from Slaughter Productions. 

After gaining recognition with In Search Of Death, Marco continued working at Atrax Morgue and started to get in contact with projects that were similar to his. Some of these projects would then be released on his label.  Further influenced by the Swedish label Cold Meat Industry, Marco then decided to release the first CD on Slaughter Productions. It was a compilation called Death Odors, which to this day is a highly collected cult item and it is also regarded as being one of the best compilations in the death-industrial genre. It made an inspiring bridge between the labels Slaughter Productions and Cold Meat Industry, as well as showcasing Grey Wolves and Allerseelen. All of the tracks contributed to the compilation were even exclusive tracks!

After this compilation, Slaughter Productions began releasing both Swedish and Italian acts. From Megaptera ro Raison D´être to Die Sonne Satans and Runes Order. Between 1993 and 1999, he managed to release more than 100 tapes. To this day, all of the Slaughter Productions tapes are highly sought after.  Many of the acts on the label also gained recognition and were (again) distributed via all the various cult-labels, acts like Runes Order, Die Sonne Satans, Megaptera, Subklinik, Gerstein, En Nihil, etc. 

In 2006, the very last Slaughter Production release came out. The same year, the last Atrax Morgue album called Negative Frequencies came out as well. After that, radio silence. And sadly on May 6th, 2007, Marco Corbelli committed suicide.

And to this day in Italy, there are still industrial/noise labels and artists churning out morbid soundscapes for the needy. 

Industrial Ölocaust Recordings is one of the excellent labels around. A label that started around 1989, and has since then released new acts within the esoteric Italian industrial and ambient scene. Sokushinbutsu Project, Empty Chalice, Elena M. Rossi and Luca Ferro are some of the recommended acts from this great label. 

Another artist worth mentioning would be the extensive work of Daniele Santagiuliana, both released under his own name and his solo-project Testing Vault. Exploring atmospheric aural psychedelia through meditative and hypnotic soundscapes. Much in the same manner as Deutsche Nepal and Coil.  

We also have Gianluca Martucci, who more or less kickstarted the dungeon synth genre in 1996 with the project called Sagenhaft, with the album called The Legend Of The Forgotten Reign. Other than that, he has kept on exploring ambient and synth-based music with several interesting projects. Worth mentioning are Victorian Witch and Urna. 

Macelleria Mobile Di Mezzanotte (MMM) was started in 2001 by Adriano Vincenti. Early recordings were in the Italian power-electronics style, but later the act turned more into murky jazz music with hints of post-electronica and harsh noise. Cronaca Nera is an interesting side-project of theirs, with its primal focus on challenging power electronics. Vincenti is also responsible for the highly inspired nylon-fetish harsh-noise wall cult-label called Signora Ward! Be sure to also check out Zoloft Evra as well, murderous and suicidal drone-ambient with tons of sexual undertones! 

Italian industrial - The starter Pack.

1. Maurizio Bianchi - Symphony for a Genocide - 1981

A humming and vibrating rhythmic sense of steel relentlessly throbs towards a never-ending oblivion. These would be the words I would choose to describe the beginning of this pioneering piece of work, the track called Treblinka that is.  Hardly containing a kind of melody, but having instead a sense of utter meaninglessness combined with the rhythmic industrial sounds. While everything breaks apart or smothers into nothingness, the machinery just keeps on working. The very heart of classic Italian industrial starts here. 

2. Mauthausen Orchestra - S/T  - 1982

There is not a dose of souls or human remains left on the debut of Mauthausen Orchestra. Of the feeling of what is left behind, the atmospheric tension. It can be hard to paint a sound-wise painting describing the concentration camp setting, and the shock when it was first exposed. It cracks, and it hums with haunting ambient drones. The impression of desperate human activity behind a thick veil of dead souls. It´s shockingly dark and soothing in a truly sick way! For me it´s the perfect proto-ambient-noise wall album, even fans of dark-ambient should seek this one out.

3. Ain Soph & Sigillum S - S/T - 1989

It´s the perfect album to introduce both acts on this marvelous split from 1989. Where are also in that era when Ain Soph started to experiment with folk elements and chamber music, perfectly suits the highly esoteric ethnic industrials-sound of Sigillum S .  From murky synths,  beautiful religious chantings with intriguing medieval sounding string-work.

4. Lyke Wake - The Long Last Dream - 1987

Completely drowned in synth-drones and evocative industrial machine hums. The sound of Lyke Wake strangely being both epic and non-dramatic, like floating in space expecting to see wonders and all you see... is the great emptiness. Although having that mood and sound of empty ruins, you are also being transported into a huge adventurous world of sound... which is well worth exploring.     

5. Runes Order - 1988 - 2022 - 1998

Why they wanted to name the intro album/compilation 1988-2022 when it was released in 1998, I'm not sure. The inner sleeve doesn´t explain it. But what I can say, is that the album runs through the entire sound-evolution of this project. A step back to early synth music and classic movie soundtracks with an evocative and mystical touch. In my part of the universe, Runes Order is the perfect mixture of vintage synth music and ambient. The atmosphere and the melodies are quite... breathtaking! Some of the tracks on this compilation also hail from the Slaughter Productions era. 

6. Die Sonne Satans - Archive Compendium - 1997

In close contact with Runes Order, both sharing the same label (Slaughter Productions) and having a project between them called Atom Infant Incubator. Die Sonne Satans is a step closer to murky dark ambient, and eerie electronic psychedelia. Always a nut being too hard to crack, this project has been hard to describe. It´s unique in the classic Italian way, but also a project without any similar acts on the planet. Recommended. 

 7. Tombstone - Gothic Land - 1995

Gothic Land is a compilation containing selective obscure tracks from some of the tape releases on the artist´s own label Psychotic Releases. And what label decided to release this compilation, a side-label to Cold Meat Industry! Is it gothic? ... Quite if you ask me. Not culturally in a modern way, but closer to classic gothic art in horror literature and movies. Black minimal horror-ambient with creepy samples from old gothic-horror movies. Sounds like the stuff has been recorded in the basement of some old ruined castle! A release/album that will grow on you, and you will... return for more!

8. I Burn - Infraharmonics, Scald Cavities - 1998

From harsh ambient noise to melancholic and dream-soaked melodic drones. An underrated project which was active between 1998 - 2003. The debut is the strongest! The track Branding Jesus is a strange and mystical piece you can hear for hours on repeat. A strange focus on heat, fire, and cremation. Recommended would be gey the re-issue from Fuoco Records.  If the heat makes you thirsty for more, then the other albums are also recommended! 

9.  Sagenhaft - The Legend Of The Forgotten Reign - 1996

Early (and part) of the first generation of what we now call dungeon synth. Or simply dark-ambient with medieval/fantasy overtones. A cult classic for collectors, and a lovely journey back to the simple days of Dungeons & Dragons and text-based computer games! Gianluca Martucci of Sagenhaft is also behind other projects such as Urna, Victorian Witch, and many more. All his stuff is worth exploring.

10. Testing Vault - Testing Vault - Ghosts Are Thin And Full Of Filaments Disc I & II - 2022

The world of Testing Vault is HUGE. That comes from the recorded world within as well! It´s a unique journey every time u hear it. Parallel universes, paranormal activities, ectoplasm... stuff that we sense but do not see. In the case of Testing Vault, we get the opportunity to hear (and almost sense) that invisible world! The two-disc album is a collection of some of the finest moments with this excellent project. 

 NORTHR - The Catastrophe Of >

Self Destructive Mentality

Fluttering Dragon is back again! A Polish cult label that started in 1996 and ceased action in 2006. Some acts from Cold Meat Industry continued on Fluttering Dragon, Ildfrost, Nordvagr, and Puissance. And now Fluttering Dragon has been re-activated with a string of cool releases! 

One of them is a Norwegian dark-ambient project called NORTHR. NORTHR means going northwards in the old Norse language. The title of the album is "The Catastrophe Of A Self-Destructive Mentality", and by the looks of the cover artwork itself... we´re probably dealing with something about the ongoing end for mankind, that we are ourselves guilty of destroying ourselves... through war, pollution, greed, lust for power, etc...  The kind of depressing stuff that we have done since we used an animal bone as an upgraded weapon. 

The album comes as a nice-looking 6-paneled digipack, with some thorough graphics attached to it. A long red picture on the front, and a grey picture on the inside, both pictures following the apocalyptic sort of theme/concept. 9 tracks, almost 50 minutes in total length. 

The first track is called Rouge Planet, which offcourse means... Red Planet like Mars. And Mars (as we know) is a barren and desolate place, a place where... there has been life once... but then it was (probably) bombarded with meteorites. Maybe our Earth would be a red planet, after several atomic explosions offcourse. A quiet and spacy ambient drone lifts the listener up, whereupon we can see the red planet. Excellent epic and heavenly atmosphere with a subtle and saddened synth melody in the background, kind of a Terminator soundtrack vibe here... which is a plus in my book. 

The second track is called The Laughter. Desolation, ash, and a thick fog covering the land itself. A recognizable CMI sound is present, that sort of Sephiroth or Desiderii Marginis sound. A distant thumbing pulse, like goblins beating on drums in the distant mines offcourse. A beautiful and haunting synth melody mixed nicely into the murky drones and various subtle sounds. Very well done. Very smooth and very... streamlined so far, but still highly enjoyable.

The third track Principium of Fire, really interesting track here... and kind of simple but complex at the same time. And again, a very sad piece... but with the sort of light at the end of the tunnel. No, it´s not completely death-industrial here! Actually kind of majestic and dreamy. Love the metallic rhythmic sounds here, everything here is beautifully woven together. Pure magick in how the melody works in these weightless ambient soundscapes!

The fourth track Anamorphosis starts with a deep humming-horn sort of windy sound, with some additional extra ritualistic elements to back it up. Again with a cool synth melody and some additional subtle martial rhythms in the distance. The whole thing has a lovely organic feel to it, every sound is in the right place.   

The fifth track Warmachine gives the listener the impression of witnessing something... very large and impressive... and scary as well. Grandeurs and beautiful, but also impressively disturbing. That´s right, I´m getting the religious a-bomb feeling here! I don´t know if the artist thought about the a-bomb here, but I definitely do. 

The sixth track After the War, has that kind of mood of what is left after... the a-bomb has done its job. An act of crime against life itself, a marked area cursed by blight and radiation. Whatever will come, with wither and perish. Might just be the most sad track on the album, but again... with just a tiny dose of hope (again). 

The rest of the album follows the aesthetic. In a really perfect way, storytelling kind of melodies with the extra sound and ambient elements to it. It was meant to be enjoyed, and yeah... I enjoyed it very much. Actually (I must admit) that I ended up hearing it... many times! It´s a very simple album but also has a kind of interesting complexity to it. I was kind of skeptical in the start because I'm a (bit) sort of fed up with the whole apocalyptic sort of concept. Most apocalyptic stuff has that sorry-ass kind of attitude (I think), but... I kind of like the idea of adding a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, it´s pretty daring (I know) but I actually think it kind of works very well here. That´s why I'm getting that, Terminator soundtrack sort of vibe. It´s pretty bleak, but there is always a means to escape that (or confront it!). Highly recommendable for any fans of ... soundtrack for dystopian movies or computer games. Everything is very well done on this album. I have only one bad thing to say, it does tend to feel like the same thing track after track... the same sort of means of action (if you know what I mean). But, the overall quality of it all overweight the chosen conceptual monotony. 

Bandcamp (label):

https://flutteringdragon.bandcamp.com/album/northr-the-catastrophe-of-self-destructive-mentality

 Damien De Coena & Urge to Kill

The last time we reviewed HNW-maestro Damien De Coene was in 2020, with the Corona-inspired collab with Julien Skrobek. Urge to Kill is slightly new to me...but I know the guy behind the project. The same guy behind the aggressive power-electronics/harsh-noise project called Gyakusatsu, which I have also reviewed back in the day. Nevertheless, these two noise-mongers bang their heads together in a collision between HNW and harsh noise.

The limited ProCDR comes in a DVD-sized printed cardboard, with an attached plastic sleeve for the CD inside. The front cover shows a moss-covered forest in the background, with an image showing some holy saint sort of person (Could be Jesus offcourse). Could look like he is just trying to say... hello, while waving his hand. Inside you´ll see a multilayered photo of a metropolitan city, which could be Tokyo. If you take a closer look, the image of the saint can be seen as well. It´s a 60-minute-long noise journey, with each artist delivering 1 track each. 

First track by Damien De Coene is called Irrational Inner Self-Defense. The sound of a blow torch and the crispy sound of blistering flames. A deep humming sound from some veteran airplane is present, and a whining drone ( way in the background! ) sounds like brakes on a train being used in a deep subway.  I noticed a weird thing he really, was turning my head to get my potato chips... and the sound actually altered and I noticed another sound. Sounds like, a mine cart somewhere deep in the mines. Strange kind of 3D-surround thing going in here, but I like it! After halfway through, the humming airplane almost has... something in it that has a slight melody to it? Not melodic like in music offcourse! 

The second track with Urge to Kill is called And Summer Will Not Come Again. The second it starts it goes directly after the throat. A repeated loop of an atomic blast with the sound of water trying to cool down warm metal. Kind of like, the sound of one of those HUGE industrial iron foundries. The sound of warm vents, hot bubbling liquid metal, steaming fumes... and something extra. Is there a sound of a human voice in there, a hissing human voice? The same kind of sound-altering element is in here as well, turn your head and you´ll notice a new sound. Lots of looped elements in here, which actually makes it kind of rhythmic and not just static. There is ALSO another sound here. A fan with a plastic bag on it, but you can't hear that sound if you turn your bloody head! The sensation of things getting warmer and warmer, always at the point of blowing up. That´s Urge to Kill to you. 

Two VERY different approaches to HNW. One more on the subtle sort of way, and the other much more in your face... sort of. Both acts are very in it and will have the listener deeply submerged into the prober-made layered soundscapes. Continuously plasma being boiled and in the end being spit out from the mouth of the great sun! A non-stoppable force bound to warm you up on these cold winter days! 

Bandcamp (label):

https://marbrenegre.bandcamp.com/album/untitled-14

  

 Fog Baptism - Seasleeper

Yes! And we are totally ready for 2025! New artists and new labels are to be reviewed on Kalteldur. One of the first I will begin with is Fog Baptism´s Seasleeper album, released on a label called Inner Demon Records. A D.I.Y label that hails from Tampa, Florida. With tons of cool interesting releases, all within the world of noise, industrial, drone, ambient, etc. Really dig the design of the physical releases on the label. All hand-stamped CDs. Art printed on heavy card stock and enclosed in a vinyl pouch with a flap. Hand-numbered. And then you have that lovely black-and-white aesthetic!

Some info about the project from Bandcamp here : 

"Fog Baptism is a one-woman project conducted by Sylvia Joyce out of Sacramento, California. She approaches the project as a diary, splashing each release with different moods and soundscapes; a reflection of her headspace as the days slouch onwards. Her works span different genres such as black metal, electronic, industrial, noise, ambient, and doom metal. When she isn't writing, Sylvia enjoys spending her time reading and staying at home with her wife and two cats."

So there u go. With a project called Fog Baptism, I had a certain assumption that there was a certain black/doom-metal meets ambient/noise vibe going on. Anyways, the album is called Seasleeper. Like Cthulhu maybe? Or maybe just another drunken sailor living in some boring fishing village? 5 tracks, for almost 40 minutes in total length. 

The first track is called Sunlight. The first sound we hear is a filtered low-fi recording of watery waves hitting the shore. A heavenly melancholic ambient drone with a slow tune gets mixed into this, in a really good and dreamy way. Again with an excellent low-fi sound and a primitive approach/aesthetic. A deeper organ-sounding synth tune resides in the background to add something extra to the earlier drone tune. A perfect mixture of these two moods of sound. A kind of Aphex Twin´s Selected Ambient Works Vol.2 vibe here, with a minor touch/element of dungeon synth. I like it very much. Incredible dreamy, melancholic, and mystical.

The second track called Twilight follows up where Sunlight ends. Two slightly melodic synth-drones working perfectly together, like Yin and Yang... perfectly balanced. Thinking about places in my own country, places where nature roams wild and where one cannot hear a car or anything manmade. Where u can climb a hill, and just observe an endless horizon of hills, fields, trees...and old abandoned farms. The album is still a bloody charm so far!

The third track is Midnight. A subtle machine-like rumbling, the distant sound of deep trumpets with a heavy kind of... blanket of sound over it all? Like... if you wake up with heavy hangovers in the winter time, and u just need a little bit of that blue sky or sunshine... and all u get is a dark, grey, cold, and cloudy day. Just like if someone has pulled a blanket over the sky. Fans of Inanna/Archon Satani would love this track.

The fourth track is called Abyss. Might just be recorded in the same session as Midnight. Kind of like Midnight, just way more... blurry and weightless. A long track that goes on for 12+ minutes. Very curious about how this kind of music has been made? Both focused and un-focused at the same time. Incredible spiritual stuff here, with an unthinkable depth of sound to it. Pretty dark stuff, but not forced... more natural sounding if you ask me.   

The fifth track called Trench, is the last track on the album. Very murky and with a very dense sound. The whole track works as a trench, something that is hard to get out of. Sounds like being buried in layers of dirt, with just the top of my head popping up. But again, very pleasant and intriguing to listen to.

Seasleeper is a sleeper, with a very focused dream in its mind. Like walking through fog, but u know the way in your mind. I am in no doubt, that the artist was in a certain kind of meditative state of mind... and the artist wanted to transfer that state through sound, and then further into the listener. And hell yeah, a sure success I might say. It´s an album that you will keep on returning to, an album that can (and will) reveal hidden parts of your mind (and past!).

Bandcamp (label):

https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/seasleeper-ind180f

Bandcamp (band):

https://fogbaptism.bandcamp.com/

          

 Kalteldur top 10 of 2024

Who could have thought 2024 was a busier review year than 2023? Well, it was! I have also been busier with my daytime job as well. Lot more full-length CD releases this year from prominent labels, from Greece (E.C.T), USA (Bent Window Recordings), Germany (Grubenwehr Freiburg), France (Cioran Records and Nuit et Brouillard), Denmark (Thank You Tapes), Italy (Death In Venice and Industrial Olöcaust Recordings) and many many more!... We´ve also changed the office in the same building, and the investment in a vinyl player (so we can record vinyls as well). Thanks again to the extra review agents (Mads Heilskov and Ralle Ravn), without you, it would have been a complete meltdown in the machinery. So let us go on with it then! The List!

Number 10

M.B. - Bascillusmetrial Entopathogen

Grubenwehr Freiburg

Epic, primitive, cosmic, engulfing, angelic, grim, esoteric. I could go on. Since the late 80s, M.B. has always been an audible force with which to be reckoned. The album perfectly shows the two enigmatic sides of M.B. The first side is the ambient-driven glitchy-drone electronica stuff, while the other side goes back to the more old-school atmospheric industrial/avant-garde sound. Repeated listening is recommended, it gets better after each listening. In other words, it is a perfect place to start for upcoming M.B. listeners! 

Number 9

En Nihil - A Circle of Vultures

Deathbed Tapes

Incredible immersive soundscapes again from En Nihil. The perfect soundtrack for the perfect horror movie. Morbid moods of death and decay with a true ritual-driven attitude, a perfect fusion between soundtrack-music and death-industrial/ambient. And just the sound of it, every sound and mood can littery be touched by your senses! And again, En Nihil is an act that just keeps on impressing me.   

Number 8

Devil's Breath - Embrace of the Serpent

Zazen Sounds

Best tribal-infused album I have heard in years. It has a kind of nostalgic and synthy cyberpunk/blade-runner sound to it. Beautifully layered, and cinematic with a dramatic and storytelling punchline. Pushing the listener into the journey of sound. I have kept returning to this album for a listen, and I am sure that I will continue to do so for a long time. And I also hope that we will see (and hear) a new album from Devil´s Breath in 2025!  

Number 7

Schloss Tegal - Black Static Transmission

Tegal Records

Recorded and released in 1999, re-issued in 2024. And the re-issue is well worth it. The artwork is better, and the sound is WAY better as well! Truly capturing a world that lies between the world of the living and the dead. That which is between the two that is. And the sound of documenting the existence of that realm is Black Static Transmission by Schloss Tegal. Again with a lovely obscure sound, lots of mystique within, and a highly effective subtle creepiness altogether! Tons of reasons to like this album.

Number 6

Tone Generator & The Body Without Organs - Control Live

Ultra-Mail Prod

And yes, there is life in the realm of early SPK! Tone Generator & Body Without Organs proves it on this remarkable live album. Never thought highly of live albums, but this one really jolts and jams the listener so incredibly much! And that truly unique, dystopian, nightmarish, terrifying, and authentic sound of SPK is still there, and being further explored on a live set. The whole thing just bloody works! And no, it´s not the greatest live set of SPK hits, all new compositions made by Tone Generator and friends. Highly recommended for any fans of Industrial Records (TG, Cabs, SPK, etc).

Number 5

Splintered - Between Scylla and Charybdis

Fourth Dimension Records

It can be pretty intense if you are sailing the seas between two rampaging demi-god monsters from Greek Mythology. It could be a good idea to be prepared for such a voyage, and one way could be to listen to the latest monolithic album from Splintered. It's not the most known act, but it's an act which (in my world) should be more known. Making a psychedelic bridge between noise-rock/sludge, primal industrial, and harsh ambient music. A true masterpiece in my book!

Number 4

Dug Up By Dogs

E.C.T. Recordings

Quite rare that I will describe certain kinds of music as...evil. Kind of a naive way of word I guess. But this obscure British solo act perfectly conjures up the word. Not being aggressive, or harsh or anything. But just with a focused eye on religious disturbing soundscapes, which both sound... weird and just... menacing and uncomfortable. Delightful, disturbing, and complex machine rhythms are so well made, and the sound of utter doom is absolutely spot on. Pure industrial cult music! Fans of early MZ.412, heads up!  

Number 3

Gnostic Grain - Chalice 

Decay Media

Gobsmacked that anything could sound as great as Coil, or related projects. Gnostic Grain is a British electronica-ambient duo making an interesting fusion between ritualistic atmospheres and melodic synth tunes. They are out with several mini-albums and full-lengths on their Bandcamp site. Chalice is one hell of an album! The sound of big city cultural decay with a certain cinematic noir and occult touch.  Very haunting, subtle epicness. Highly recommended for dark late nights, all by yourself in some attic or basement. I know, that you all will absolutely love this album. 

Number 2

Arlo Bigazzi & Elena M. Rosa Lavita - 

D'altronde Sono Sempre Gli Altri

Incredibly hard to describe in words, but it sounds surprisingly familiar when you lay your ears to it. Caught between old black-and-white gothic horror/graveyard moods and the sound of pure avant-garde experimentalism. The sound quality, the different unique sounds, the intriguing contrasts...everything slowly evolves to a peak. Really love Elena´s sense and love for spine-tingling gothic-horror atmospheres, the sense of vampiric dread... something crawls... something... lingers inside the walls...watching. All that stuff is there, and it´s so effective! In some weird way, listening to this right after Gnostic Grain... makes perfect sense! Would be great if they could do an album together!  

Number 1

Häxa Komät - One Void Ceremonial Program

Bent Window Records

The first album I heard from Bent Window Records, and I was completely blown away by this one. There is no doubt about it, music for esoteric cults that hide in unknown basements... waiting for the apocalypse... or just waiting to go further...into the beyond. It´s a fascinating, tantalizing experience... but also really scary in a... kind of a... seductive way?. The way someone hypnotizes or drugs you... and u end up being bound to some sacrificial altar?! The album magickally binds the listener to submission. I am quite sure about the existence of supernatural forces after listening to this, and how effective it can be! There is also a kind of nostalgic edge to it. How it binds elements of dungeon synth together with low-bit sounds and early industrial ritual music, hard to combine these things together... but here it has been done to perfection. If you ask me, we´re dealing with a new subgenre here! 

Happy New Year!

  

    

     

 

    

 RRR - Collected Works 2009 / 2023

RRR is a French power-electronics/death-industrial act that has existed since 2012. Sebastian Bach is behind all the electronics. He is also the same guy who runs the label Required Rate of Return, active since 2015. Now we have a new release from the label with RRR, called Collected Works 2009 - 2023. Mind you, at this moment, it´s sold out! But that won´t stop me from reviewing it. It's a black 9-track tape that is almost 50 minutes in total.

The first track is called Final (hi-fi). It features a thick, fat, and wavy bass drone, dynamic and blistering radio static, pulsating clicking sounds, and then more waves of atmospheric and radio static. Not much more to it than that, but it´s quite effective! Love the sound of low-fi radio noise, all mixed into a noisy ambient soundscape.

The second track Ambigious Current offers smoked bacon on a frying pan, or is it something being shrink-wrapped? A steam-driven metallic train-like sound offers a touch of rhythm, while a murky undercurrent of fright builds up. The sound of a low-fi buzz coming closer and closer. A fantastic death-industrial track!

The third track called Long Time Ego kind of takes me back in time. Low-budget documentaries about serial killers from the 90s. Murky ambient-industrial background, creepy 80s horror-piano part, and the interview with... I think it's Ed Kemper. Lovely piece of late-night TV nostalgia here. 

The fourth track Cut´NRoll is a lot like the former track, just with a lot more focus on the soundscape part. Slow heavy drones with waves of... is it the distorted recording of a voice? Exellent metallic stuff is going in the cellar below! This time it´s an interview with Dahmer. 

The fifth track XPERT. A whining high-pitched tone sound, echoed microphone catching small sounds, a thick looped bass, and some effect-laden samples from something... movie/documentary. I really like the small echoing sounds here and there. Manipulated opera´ish female vocal sample adds an extra touch of ambient creepiness.

The sixth Ed Killer is a classic from one of the first albums by RRR, also the first one that I bought back then. I was so into that album, and that track as well! Perfect, sick, and morbid death-industrial soundscape stuff for fans of Marco Corbelli/Atrax Morgue. That´s all I can say! Highly underrated. 

The rest of the album follows the great aesthetic, highly recommended for anyone thirsty for atmospheric death-industrial soundscapes. It can also be seen as an introduction compilation for curious listeners who don´t know this solo project. 

Bandcamp (label):

https://requiredrateofreturn.bandcamp.com/album/collected-works-2009-2023

 

  

Bandcamp (label):

https://requiredrateofreturn.bandcamp.com/album/collected-works-2009-2023

 Encroaching - Ash In The Room Below (demo)

There is more from Bent Window Records that needs a review! The moment I saw the cassette cover artwork and the enigmatic name of the act (and the album title), I just knew that it had to be good. Of course, we know that what we are looking at looks like a thing between a newborn baby and an extraterrestrial. I'm not sure where the photo comes from, but I am sure I have seen it in one of my books about aliens, Roswell, and UFOs... or in Spielberg´s Close Encounter of the Third Kind? 

Ash In The Room Below has come out as a limited 25 copies cassette, and it´s also the first official release by this elusive act. It´s a solo act with a... N.G. doing synths, I wonder who N.G. could be? Probably one of those weird isolated types from British Columbia. Maybe one day I shall find out who it is, whatever is on this tape... is absolutely pure gold!   

The first track is called Illuminated War. A cold, monotonous, and dry tone slowly moves up and down, clearly getting the listener into the mood of some dead base in the Antarctic. A warped recording of something speaking through an ancient radio adds an extra element to the subtle but horrific experience. 

The second track Dilapidation perfectly describes the sound of decay, and how things just... well... fall apart. A reversed sound of effect-layered windy sound, primitive synth-drones... and that awesome sounding sound of metal, maybe from some sort of rusty coil of metal? The whole track really gets under your skin. Looking out of your window, and maybe experiencing utter desolation and decay. There is really nothing out there, just emptiness. But don´t run away, these nihilistic atmospheres get me in a really good mood!

The third track Guiding Ease From The Outside has a more of a sci-fi sort of spacy sound to it. Echoed analog synth keys and a mind-mumbling background. At this point, you are quite aware that this stuff is getting into you. Strangely retrospective familiar and strangely tripping unique.

The fourth track Transfix The Eye wraps it all together in a lovely old-school proto-death-industrial sound, not that far away from Lille Roger! Everything sounds... like a small hole that the listener can see through. The sounds are incredibly intriguing and inviting as well, the recorded material wants to invite the listener inside! It´s hard to see (with your rational mind) what the hell is going on, but your irrational mind is seeing way more!

That´s the... effect of Ash In The Room Below. It doesn't expand your mind as such, but it does open a tiny peek hole into... well, another place. There is a great nostalgic touch here and there, about how analog shit being recorded in Vancouver just works! The album is really tense and dark, but the seducing sound just keeps on inviting the listener further inside... until you are pleasantly lost. Is there ash in the room below? ... There is, we just don´t know where the ash comes from... we really don´t!. 

Bandcamp (label):

https://encroaching.bandcamp.com/album/ash-in-the-room-below-demo

         

 Circuit Corruptor - Synthesizing the Absence of Your Soul

More mayhem and destruction from Circuit Corrupter! The second album is out on Phage Tapes, with the nerve-wracking title Synthesizing the Abscene of Your Soul. Released as a limited, nifty-looking CD Digipack with some terrific (and terrifying) graphics attached. 

First of all, you have the front cover with a strange-looking human body, photo/picture has been cut into various small pieces. Notice the small wires hanging from the body...and the bloody area where the sexual organs are. Open the digipack are more beautiful gruesome graphics are revealed, mostly black and white with the color of blood here and there. There is also the inner sleeve, showing a mutant rat with wires attached to it, and more mind-bending collages. Horror fans will love the artwork! I know I do. Let´s get it on with the recorded material within! 

The first track is called Prelude: Judgement and Verdict of the Fallen. Sample/recording from a courtroom, the judge/attorney asking about why he killed his own mother (among others). He goes on about a satanic view of things, why good is evil and evil is good. He is then asked if he feels responsible for his actions, and then the noise hits you like a brick wall. It screams, burns, drills, and moves the ears around a brutal soundscape like a digital hurricane. And then it ends with an eerie burial/funeral-rites soundscape.

It starts again with the second track The Descent where the listener is being led right back again into the torturous machine of sound! Everything is raw and brutal, with a touch of digital chopped-out mayhem. Heavy thunderous sounds here, wet and slippering sounds there... everything just sounds soo damn sharp! 

The third track Lethargy and Vigil drills and riås everything in an explosion of cosmic terror. Eerie ambient intermission kicks in there as well, and ends when the torture begins again. Lots of high-energetic harsh noise with complex industrial elements here and there.

We jump further into track 7 Your Face Is Fading Away. A piano part starts the track, well well-known classical melancholic piano piece here... bugs me that I can´t remember who did it... Chopin? Lizst? Mozart?... Whatever. Noise-treated vocal parts jump in and out of focus while a buzzsaw churns everything into dust. 

At this point, I am out of words to describe it further. Or should I say, I need to catch my breath. Everything is beyond, pretty extreme, and very much out there. It´s harsh noise, but not the boring kind. Tons of action and dynamics within, worthy to any fans of classic Japanoise. A pretty rare thing when someone makes true energetic harsh noise, and this one is a very.... exciting one. Not a single boring moment!.    

Bandcamp (label):

https://phagetapes.bandcamp.com/album/synthesizing-the-absence-of-your-soul