Nam-Khar / Vortex - The Sarajevo Spiral

The Sarajevo Spiral is an album by the projects Vortex and Nam-Khar. Both acts are veterans in occult-inspired dark ambient. Vortex started in 2007, and Nam-Khar started in 2009. This one is the second album they have done together; they did another one back in 2022 called Nag-Hammadi. This album is a release between two labels: Cyclic Law (now based in France) and Zazen Sounds (Based in Greece). The 300 copies of this limited physical album are sold out on Cyclic Law, but u can get your hands on it via Discogs (check link below). Anyways!

The beautiful slipcase digipack has a painted picture of a skull, and then offcourse our favorite shrink Sigmund Freud. The album has its conceptual focus on 2 things. One is Freud, and the other is about the assassination, which more or less kick-started the First World War. And we all know, without the first one, we wouldn't have the second one. Regarding the assassination, I'm talking about the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, no! Not the danceable indie-rock band from Scotland! Franz was an archduke of Austria, assassinated in Sarajevo by a Bosnian Serb student. Reason? The nationalist student wanted to liberate the South Slavs of Austria rule and the creation of Yugoslavia. 

And the thing about Freud, there is a written text inside the digipack, where Freud has done a text called Thoughts For The Times On War And Death (Written in 1915). The essay describes how mankind/society becomes vulnerable to the shock and the horror of war, mainly by refusing the reality of death and ignoring the aggressive, warlike instincts/side of the human race. 

A historic moment, an important psychological essay, and two veterans of industrial dark-ambient... Sounds like a treat! We get 11 tracks, over 60 minutes in total. 

The first track is an Intro. Evocative sound of a violin in the distance, or is it getting closer the further we get into the track? A slowly string/drone sound fades in and out, and a subtle, atmospheric touch of martial-industrial aesthetics enters the void.  

The second track is called Para Bellum (Prepare For War). Lovely kind of drones/looped ambient pieces of violin-based classical music in the background, while spoken words (In German with Austrian accent) speak something about (I think) the concept of the album. I don´t understand a word of what he is saying, but it sounds pretty good (If you like German offcourse!). The whole thing has that European WW1 kind of vibe to it. The background stuff is very well made, if you don't understand what he is saying... then the background stuff will! 

The third track, The Sarajevo Spiral (like the album title). Someone is making a ghostly moan, and strange, slow trumpets melt into the sound. A hard-hitting drum (of some kind) gives the listener a nice wake-up call. Painfully stretched out sound of violins, if violins could cut through flesh. Basically has that Cthulhu awakens from his slumber kind-of-feel. Not loud or hard or anything, just a slow and crawling kind of silent horror. The sound (and the way it has been made) is just absolutely spotless, top-notch stuff! Has that late CMI-sound, a touch of Raison d´ëtre, Desiderii Marginis, and Sophia sort of feel. 

The fourth track, Mobilization. A beautifully done martial ambient soundtrack piece, giving the listener an epic sense of focus and a sense of well.. mobilization. Secretly building an army, without anyone knowing about it. The sound, and the melody tell all about it... without the words. The Battle of Helm's Deep (sort of). Test Dept fans will nod their heads in approval here.  

The fifth track, Theories of Expansion. Layered, cold, and howling winds. And a deep bass-drone. Why am I thinking of Carpenter´s The Thing here?! Soothing evocative synths further build on that idea. Looped martial rhythms and strings come later on, really getting a specific kind of feel which is well attached to the title of the track itself. U know what I mean when you hear it! 

The sixth track, Materia Prima (Formless material regarded as the original material of the universe). A series of distant and thundering explosions, minimalistic martial rhythms, barbaric trumpets (like the dudes who ride the Oliophants). There is also some interesting kind of background stuff happening aswell, chaotic layered ambient-stuff... horrific if you focus on it! 

The seventh track is called, Trench Warfare. Same martial rhythms and... the kind of sound used in... well, dub-techno? Sounds weird, but it actually kind of works with this WW1-theme. Danish ethnic industrial act Haraam has also used that sound aswell. Think we´re dealing with the atmosphere of just... waiting for something to happen, while your feet are just rotting away in your cold and wet soldier boots. Sound of chains (later on) is there aswell.

And that is where I will stop! If I reveal the rest of the album, it would be a spoiler! The Sarajevo Spiral is a pretty good album with that later CMI kind of sound. Halfway through i enjoyed the album on a top-notch scale, but when I was done (halfway) through, my mind started telling me that I shouldn´t expect to be surprised. I absolutely loved the first 6 tracks, but after that, it kind of... it became harder to hold on. At that point, it sounded like a Cyclic Law album... Let me explain, I have a thing or two about the label Cyclic Law (reviewed their stuff back in the day), everything from that label...tastes like... well, chicken! Reason? Because most of the releases from Cyclic Law have been mastered by the very same guy (same high-quality sound and same high-quality treament. Cyclic Law wants that sort of CMI sound, just without the dangerous madness offcourse! I wonder how this album actually sounded before it was mastered by Cyclic Law? If you try to look away from that, then yeah... It´s a very solid album with a high-quality stamp attached to it.

Bandcamp (label):

https://cycliclaw.bandcamp.com/album/the-sarajevo-spiral

Bandcamp (Vortex):

https://vortexdrone.bandcamp.com/

Discogs (Nam-Khar):

https://www.discogs.com/artist/1615036-Nam-Khar

 Lyke Wake - Under The Mother´s Hands, With The Pain At My Side / Symphonic Noise

The constant creative force of Lyke Wake, delivering us another new part of the Symphonic Noise concept... this one is number 4. Called Under The Mother´s Hands, With The Pain At My Side. Released as a CD on Lyke Wake´s own label, Aseptic Noise. A 6-track album, a bit over an hour of pure and moody progressive ambient. 

First track/part 1 is called Here Is The Pain (00:00 to 11:53), starts with the epic and symphonic synth-driven sound that has become the iconic sound of Lyke Wake, slightly religious, slightly biblical esthetic, and slightly angelic with that touch of Italian horror movies from the 70s (Dario Argento, etc.). You do get the sense that there is a bit of repetitiveness of sound in the symphonic noise releases, but it´s not in a bad way in the sense that the releases stick together as one long story. 

Second track/part 2, And Pain Walks Beside Me (11:54 to 20:46). Sound of analog cold winds on a synth, and those mysterious... screaming short-wave radio kind of sounds. Beautiful played melancholic synth here, gets mixed up with psychedelic and flanged noise. Noise that sounds a bit like fireworks. At the end, it kind of lands on gentle, melodic ambient territory. 

Third track/part 3: She Dies (20:47-40:43), the synth gets more into a church-organ sort of sound (the Funeral?). Epic layered psychedelic ambient, shimmering drones, reversed church bells, and whispering alien voices. Very cosmic, very eldritch at this point. Psychopomps delivering the dead to the afterlife, maybe? A very long track, working (almost) as an album in itself.

Fourth track/part 4: Leave The Dominion And The Memory To Pain (40:44-50:16), delivers a slowly built funeral-ambient-mood to the heavens...and beyond. Cristiano Bocci adds a melancholic bassline, and Jean Claude Oberto adds spoken words. Somehow a bit in the style of A Black Tape For a Blue Girl. 

Fifth track/part 5: Tears Will Never Be Enough (50:16-57:45), and the sixth track gets into an atmospheric, cosmic, almost proto dungeon-synth vibe/tune. Lovely shimmering ambient-soundtrack track here. Love how Lyke Wake creates a unique storytelling mood, just by using synths and sounds. 

The latest with Lyke Wake is a good album. And it helps with adding bass and vocals to the sound aswell. Lots of the sounds and synths are kind of reused from previous albums, but I think it´s ok since that Lyke Wale´s progressive-ambient sound is a genre by itself. And Lyke Wake, as far as I know the only act doing this style. Far away from the industrial/noise roots of the act. 

Discogs (label):

https://www.discogs.com/label/208436-Aseptic-Noise

  

     

 

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for gathering here today. We stand at a crucial juncture in our nation’s history, one that calls for introspection, courage, and, above all, unity. It is time to address the impact of Donald Trump’s presidency and the values we must uphold as we move forward.

1

• Throughout his presidency, Trump has consistently used language that divides rather than unites. His rhetoric has fostered an environment of hostility, pitting Americans against one another based on race, religion, and political beliefs.
• Throughout his presidency, Trump has consistently used language that divides rather than unites. His rhetoric has fostered an environment of hostility, pitting Americans against one another based on race, religion, and political beliefs.

2

• Trump’s actions have raised serious concerns about the integrity of our democratic institutions. From questioning the legitimacy of elections to undermining the press, he has eroded the very foundations of our democracy.
• We must stand firm in protecting our democratic values and ensure that every voice is heard and counted.

3

1. Disregard for Science:

   • In the face of a global pandemic, Trump downplayed the severity of COVID-19, leading to unnecessary loss of life. His administration’s failure to prioritize science and public health has had devastating consequences.
   • We need leaders who listen to experts and prioritize the health and safety of all Americans.

4

1. Environmental Neglect:

   • Trump’s policies have rolled back crucial environmental protections, putting our planet and future generations at risk. Climate change is not a hoax; it is a reality that demands urgent action.
   • We must advocate for policies that protect our environment and promote sustainability for the sake of our children and grandchildren.

5

• Under Trump, issues of racial injustice have been exacerbated. The Black Lives Matter movement and calls for police reform highlight the urgent need for systemic change.
• We must stand in solidarity with those fighting for equality and justice, ensuring that every American has the right to live free from discrimination and fear.

In conclusion, we must learn from the past and strive for a future that embraces inclusivity, respect, and progress. Let us reject the divisive politics of the Trump era and work together to build a brighter, more equitable future for all. Together, we can rise above the challenges we face and create a nation that truly reflects the values we hold dear.

Thank you.

f

Lehel P - Ales Iacta Est

Alea Iacta Est means "The Die Is Cast," which essentially means that we have reached a point of no return. This mysterious album has been made by a Lehal P (Emanuele Pescia), and as far as I can see (On Discogs), this might just be his debut. This debut has been released by Italian Industrial Ölocaust Records, both on CD and on cassette. 

The kind of futuristic dark-regy cover-artwork shows a...... a shape in darkness, with something circular behind it. Inside the booklet, we get to see his equipment, and an info list regarding the equipment used. The recording itself is a live-recording, which was recorded at the Hamlet Synthesized Festival in Castiglione Olona (Italy) on July 1st 2024. The album contains 10 tracks, 37+ minutes total. 

The first track is an intro. Starts with a smooth synth-drone, with a arabic´esque flute playing over it. Giving it an ancient desert/nomadic touch. Classic synth-keys comes in aswell, revealing a slowly built cinematic mood.  

The second track, Privo Moviment,o slowly fades in with the Intro, adding a nice atmospheric looped bass playing (real bass, I think). Nice ambient-electronica technoid/glitch rhythms and sounds are added, giving the track that nice futuristic feel. Looped guitar in there aswell, almost having a sort of jazzy kraut-rock feel here. Similar to Brian Eno in his 90s techno/electronica-ambient era. Beautiful sound, beautiful atmosphere. All is very good sofar. 

The third track, Interludio #1, goes straight into another place. More in the field of space-ambient here, in space, and in between the planets. A cool-sounding trumpet of some kind, heavenly and shimmering synth-work... sounds like something good is on the way. 

We jump straight into track 4, called Secondo Movimento. Which continues the sounds described above, slowly evolving into... ceremoniously melodic and dancy techno. With lots of lovely mechanical glitchy sounds, a perfect fusion between man and machine. The melody and the rhythms are absolutely breathtaking! This track could have been a huge dance hit back in the day of Faithless. Actually better than Faithless, sort of closer to the techno stuff by Norwegian Ulver.

Tracks 5 and 6, offcourse called Interludio #2 and Terzo Movimento. Slowly getting into deep ambient areas and back into glitchy electronica with trip-hop rhythms. Something is clattering, deep piano keys with drops of cold water in the night dropping down on your forehead. Noir mood in some metropolitan city in the future. There is also the sound of a reversed water-pibe aswell.  

There are a lot of reasons for me to continue to review the rest of the album, but I can assure you that the rest of it is a treat! A storytelling vibe with this, like I said earlier... a detective-movie set in the far future, maybe on some city located on the surface of the Moon... or Mars even. I´ve heard it... I don´t know... lost count... maybe 20 times by now, and I am still returning to it. Why? Cause it´s a great story told in sound, melodies, and rhythms. A classic melodic ambient-techno treat, everything is so damn well done and crispy!  

Band (Discogs):

https://www.discogs.com/artist/15112799-Lehel-P

Label (Official website):

https://cardinium.com/product/ior-tk-xxxv/

  

 Grodock - Gesammelte Hintergründe

The first album/release we are going to review in the year 2026. It's called Gesammelte Hintergründe (Collected Backgrounds). It is a compilation that gathers various recordings made between 2013 and 2023. Released on cassette (via Frenetic Magic Sounds) and on CD (via Krater Recordings). The CD comes in a beautiful digipack, with a textured feel. Painting showing various fruits in different stages of decomposition. The album contains 13 tracks, about 50 minutes in total.

The first track is called Goldene Garben (Intro). You don't really know what´s going on after you have pressed the play button. Ancient technology hums and creeks in a haunted factory, spirits float in and out of the rusty machines. A high-pitched tone, ghostly drones, gentle thumping in the distance... maybe the sound of someone drilling for oil out in the desert? Lovely mysterious intro indeed. 

The second track, Hab Acht (Be Careful), gets further into mysterious soundscapes. Listening to heavenly organ church-ambiance through a steel pipe. A deep tone, and the sound of cockroaches and someone... saying in German ´Hilf Mir´ (Help Me)... intense, heavenly, and surreal material here. Satisfying in a adventorous way. 

The third track, Das Halbe Abwesen (The Half Abscece), has more of an esoteric mood to it. Does remind me a bit of Maeror Tri (one of my favorite acts), ambient with a experamental, cinematic, and sort of post-rock edge to it. Melancholic stuff, very spiritual aswell. Hypnotic, melancholic, dreamy. 

The fourth track Abfertigung (Clearance). Gentle, harsh, dreamy drones, with the sound of rubber shoes in a gymnastics hall (I think). The drones can be described as if something is grinding itself on a huge church bell. Or is it the machine room connected with the gymnastics hall? 

The fifth track, Blicklos (Sightless). Kind of a black experience, imagine how sound can feel like when you're blind... or how sounds can change the way u think. Very subtle and very bass-heavy ambient minimalism at work here. And yeah, there are intriguing sounds behind that thick wall of bass! 

We jump a bit further to the seventh track called Farbe: Blau. One of my favorite tracks on the album. Feeling strangely nostalgic here (for some reason), temple sort of ritual music is going on. Sound of fingers on glass and crystal-clear steel bars. Like being inside a huge crystal cave. Strangely pleasant, incredibly soothing. 

There are 8 more tracks to further explore on this marvelous album. It´s ambient music for ambient freaks who need something new and interesting. And yes, it does sound new, and it does sound VERY interesting. I find it incredibly inspiring and intriguing. There are a lot of sound-wise themes that are getting thoroughly explored here; every track works as a unique piece on the album. Very hard to describe it with words, since it´s very spiritual and surreal. I can only say that it´s incredibly good, and that is all u need to know! 

Bandcamp (label):

https://audiophob.bandcamp.com/album/gesammelte-hintergr-nde

 

 Kalteldur top 10 of 2025

Let me be honest, the review office of Kalteldur gets busier by the year. Stuff that I needed to review this year will first get a review in 2026. Not only do I receive extremely limited physical-releases from DIY-labels, but now I also receive releases from more established labels aswell. The reason? Kalteldur has reached... a certain maturity over the years, and has a good and loyal bunch of readers. And, websites/blogs that provide the review-service to recording artists are a dying breed. So Kalteldur and a few others are the only ones available. Which offcourse is a great motivation-factor, and it gives me a sense of good sense of duty of providing updated information about the current state of the experimental industrial/noise scene. So yes, Kalteldur will continue for many years... the way I see it right now. Which offcourse leads us to another issue: what were the 10 most memorable moments of 2025?! 

Number 10:

Yellow Springs - S/T

Bent Window Records

Black industrial, true satanic industrial music, etc., etc. A term associated with the catalog of Cold Meat Industrial and related labels, when black-metal related acts start to flirt with industrial music. Beherit, Dödheimsgaard, and to a certain degree (although they came from the Swedish EBM scene) MZ.412. Yellow Spring comes from the United States (I think), and their debut was released on Canadian Bent Window Records. Black metal growls, mechanical tribal rhythms with otherworldly sounds swirl, and will intrigue the listener to step closer inside. A fascinating and inspiring album, and a fresh take on a style/aesthetic forgotten by time.    

Number 9:

Petrichor - Ascend To the White Lodge

Self-released

This year, we lost one of the greatest filmmakers of our time. Yup, David Lynch. UK-based experimental power-electronics act Petrichor sat down and did a tribute album to him... and to his world of Twin Peaks. Ascend to the White Lodge sinks its teeth deeply into the painful intensity of the series, especially those scenes that conjure up a surreal world surrounded by the forces of the paranormal. Not a pleasant journey... it might just be one of the darkest (I can assure you of that!), but it's a very memorable one. In other words, it stands out 100%. Don´t miss it!

Number 8:

Kleistwahr - Where the Word Is Never

Fourth Dimension Records

One of the latest by this veteran act, released on Fifth Dimension. Gary Mundy of Ramleh, and Kleistwahr being his solo project.  Filmic post/kraut rock with spacy noise/industrial-ambient textures. Lots of emotional feedback, frightening quiet moments, and melancholic splendor. A positive reminder of how joyful loneliness can be, if it is possible offcourse. Highly recommended album to listen to in these crazy times, and yes... this album makes perfect sense! 

Number 7:

Bocci & Lyke Wake & J.C. Oberto - Cosmonauti

Small Circle Records

We head out into space with a colab between Lyke Wake and friends. A deep exploration into the great cosmos. Deep and epic space ambient with a touch of the abstract, and like I mentioned earlier... perfectly balanced between order and chaos! The album perfectly captures that nostalgic feeling and aesthetic when discussing the early days of space exploration and the ideas that accompanied them (if that makes sense). There have been a lot of great space-themed releases this year, and this one should be the one to start with. 

Number 6:

Thru The Leaves  - Nocturne

Industrial Ölocaust Recordings

Moving away from the cosmos and back to Earth, to observe the stars and the moon at night. Sure, it can be dark and scary at night, but it can also seem to be the most relaxing time of the day. Things are at rest, and suddenly the mind can concentrate on what matters. Nocturne by Thru The Leaves proves that. Played by two people, one on an electric harp and one on live electronics. Improvisational glitch ambient with an electric harp, sounds weird, but it works extremely well together. Recommended listening at night!

Number 5:

Law - The Black Lodge

Nuit et Brouillard

It's amusing how the same themes keep resurfacing. The Lodge Law also has a thing or two with the David Lynch series of Twin Peaks. Although this release dates back to 2001! A strange and experimental blend of moody ritualistic ambient music with subdued power electronics elements. Frightening, ethereal, with an effective subtle intensity. Not for the faint of heart, but easy listening for any ritual-industrial worshipper. 

Number 4:

Nerthus - Sudor Anglicus

E.C.T. 

An archaic trip back to England (1485-1551), about a mysterious, deadly sweating disease that people died from. Early death-industrial/ambient sound combined with icy atmospheric drones. The feeling of frosty ice on the surface, dense fog in the air, combined with the feeling of utter loneliness in an empty village. Sound of moaning spirits, distant church bells, underground rumbling sounds, and more. Perfect soundtrack, when it´s cold outside!

Number 3

ΣΑΛΠΙΓΞ - ΛΙΘΩΔΙΑ

Black Death Industry

This one with the mysterious letters might just be one of the most mystical and esoteric releases I´ve heard since... Ain Soph or early Current 93! If we could record sound from ancient times with some kind of sophisticated technology, it could actually sound like this. The whole sound has that dry and old aesthetic to it. The style? Somewhere between ritual music and dungeon-synth, I also get back to Slaughter Productions cult-compilation Death Odors 1 (for some reason). It has that quality of a classic, a classic which you´ll keep returning to. By the way, Black Death Industry (the label) is another cool label from Greece (like E.C.T). Something about Greece for sure!

Number 2:

Analfabetism - Svälten I Kagelösa år 1431

Fluttering Dragon  

 

It´s about food and hunger in one of the latest works with this classic Swedish industrial act. Is it pleasant? No. Is it terrifying? Yes. Does it make you happy? No. Is it inspiring and intriguing? Absolutely! 100% ear opener. Minimal-noise driven ambient music with real sounds attached to it. All drenched in murkiness, the sort of quiet murkiness that just waits... for an innocent someone to walk by. Kind of like, one of those... trapdoor spiders. Rather unpleasant, but strangely beautiful... in its own way offcourse! The whole album is a conceptual work that works around how famine had it´s told on Scandinavia, and in those specific cases... Sweden. Who accoding to my research, was the baddest case. Here you can hear it, instead of reading it. Something u really want to sink your teeth into!

Number 1:

Fog Baptism - Sea Sleeper

Inner Demons Records

I press the play button, hearing the sound of waves on the beach... and then it comes... an archaic, melancholic melody sweeps in and gets your mind completely into a focused state. And then you are there, u don´t know how you got there..., but you have been (somehow) transported into another familiar place within yourself. The kind of state where you feel, the mind and the soul at the same time... time stops! And you enter into a sort of awake dream world. Mental images of corn fields swaying in the wind like water, morning fog moving through the trees and nearby hills in the distance, the last sight of the sun before it disappears into darkness...and I could go on! Sea Sleeper completely works as a gate! Incredible moving stuff, mindblowing in slow-motion if you please. 

Happy New Year!

    

 Omniwhore - Sanity Frontier (Le Grande Phantasia Asociale

Omniwhore is a new project made by the same guy who gave us the cyberpunk-inspired project called Anaru, and the power-electronics act Mannjäger (who we also have reviewed on Kalteldur). This album is the first with this project. This release has been released on a new German label called Mind_On_Fire Produktionen. And this 50-copy limited one is the second release from this label.

The album has been given a mysterious title, Sanity Frontier (Le Grande Phantasia Asociale). Maybe something about losing one's sanity at some kind of threshold/front? And something about the big antisocial fantasy? Put that together, and you have...  the fulfillment of an antisocial fantasy at the cost of one's sanity. The band name Omniwhore describes a person (male or female) who engages in any kind of sexual activity at any time, regardless of their sex, etc, etc. Although the artwork showcases a female to be the Omniwhore?

 The front cover shows a psychedelic and dreamy kind of flower-look image with a nurse in the middle. Anaru also uses nurses in its imagery. You open the slim DVD case and out pops a DVD insert, a postcard, and a bloody condom! Don´t know, it´s still wrapped in plastic... haven´t been used! The CD shows a photo with... could be German soldiers in the Second World War, being at a show with dancing girls of some kind. And the album has 6 tracks, with again... some mysterious track titles aswell! 

The first track on the album is called Providence Bjarkov Announced. A high-pitched and distorted psychedelic glassy tone starts the track, screaming reverbed vocals, and some eerie background sound textures running in the background. Functioning as an intro to the album, kind of. 

The second track Introduce Me To Zyklon & Argentina. There is a heavenly and hypnotic synth-drone, vibrating distorted tones that fade in and out of focus. Actually, a very pleasant track if you look away from the title track.

The third track, Longing Cairo. Gets deeper into surreal technoid ambient soundscapes. Reversed watery waves on the beach, a lightly dreamy synth melody in there aswell. Very soothing track! 

The fourth track, The Fourth Reich Ov The Ninth Ward. Whispering distorted vocals here, the lyrics can be read on the DVD insert. Something about a year and something about that I was dreaming. Perfect after-nightfall soundtrack stuff here! 

The fifth track, Elite Class Whores Ov Bratislava. Which is a thing if you look it up on the Internet.  Luxurious and expensive prostitution in Slovakia. A melancholic, looped, and distorted synth melody starts the track. Harsh vocals with reverb are added, giving the track a martial-industrial vibe. Extra effects are added further on, especially to the melody. 

The sixth track, Simulation Omniwhore, starts with a chopped-up rumbling of heavy ambiance. The creaking of winds through tiny cracks, and atmospheric distortion, cracking like fried bacon on a hot pan. More of the whispering, distorted vocal elements here, and again... a melody in there aswell. Love it when a melody is hidden, and you have to find or sense it through a brutal soundscape. 

The seventh and last track is called Visos Durys Atlapos, which means All Doors Flap. Also, the longest, and also the most noisy one aswell.  Distorted winds, looped noises, a relentless noise-wall... It´s got the lot on this track. A very hypnotic, beautiful, and harsh power-electronics track with a soundtrack approach.

The Omniwhore album is good. It´s an industrial kind of chill-out album, which is kind of surprising regard the chosen concept for the album. I was (offcourse) expecting some kind of macho power electronics with a grudge, but I listened to something that was galaxies away from that idea. The concept seems inspired by hatred, but the recordings tell another story (I think). Are we back to the classic idea of camouflage within certain kinds of industrial acts? We might be. What do you think? Give it a listen and share your thoughts! 

Bandcamp (band):

https://panzerkabarett.bandcamp.com/album/sanity-frontier-la-grande-phantasia-asociale

Bandcamp (label):

https://mindonfireproduktionen.bandcamp.com/album/omniwhore-sanity-frontier

Analfabetism - Svälten I Kagelösa År 1431 

The project Analfabetism hails from Sweden, and it is a dark-ambient/industrial project by Fredrik Djurfeldt. He is also a member of an EBM band called Severe Illusion. Since 2014, Fredrik has been highly productive with this project. This one is the ninth album! It has been released on CD by Fluttering Dragon. As a regular digipack and as a beautiful limited box set. 

It´s a concept-driven album, a very hungry kind of concept. We´re dealing with famine in Sweden. Sweden has had troubles with several famine troubles before ( in the old days ), and this CD revolves around a village called Kagelösa that simply disappeared! The kind of stuff that happens with the crop simply fails, or even just bad weather. The artwork of this release also works around this concept. The main artwork shows a dying mother, surrounded by her starving children who cling to her. We also see somewhere who eats something, probably bread made out of bark from trees... which they actually tried eating! Even cakes made out of moss. There is also a drawing of an old lady, carrying several babies on her bag... with a kind of sinister smile on her face. I also found out that when the last famine ended in Sweden, that´s the year/time when the stories of Astrid Lindgren´s Emil Fra Lønneberg actually start. Anyways, let us get on with the album then!.

The first track is called På Galgbacken Intet Nytt (On Galgbacken Nothing New). Galgbacken was a mound that was a hot spot for executions; the last execution was in 1859. So people who did something against the law in these famine periods might have ended their lives on the mound. A cold and heavy chunky bass-drone sets the tone, with the sound of... something metallic being sharpened. It might be an axe, I think it sounds more like a scythe being sharpened, though. Additional distorted scrap metal noises get into the cocktail, with a strange and repeated howling sound... sounds like a howl, or someone yelling... sounds inhumane nonetheless. And that´s the track, which works solely on minimalism and mood... lovely, desolate kind of soundscape. The dread can easily be detected here!

The second track, Farsot, is the same name for an epidemic in older days. The slowed-down and repeated hypnotic sound of a scythe harvesting a dry corn field, 1:20, a huge metallic gong hum, and at 1:53, we get some excellent distorted martial drums and harsh vocals. I kind of get back to early Mental Destruction/MZ.412 here, pure industrial doom muzick! Still having that minimal sound approach. Later on, we get a kind of... sick chopped up sound which slowly goes up and down. With the sound of a heated furnace aswell. I really dig this sort of storytelling through sounds and mood! I kind of get into the sort of... madness that gets into u through hunger and desperation here. 

The third track is called Likets Väg Över Hälleberget (The Corpse´s Path Over Hälleberget). The first time I heard it, I was thinking about the sound of someone cutting dry bark from a tree. But it might also be the sound of a carriage, carrying the dead perhaps. That dry sound when wooden wheels run over a path with small stony pebbles. Lovely dark-ambient/death-industrial-like drones in the background. And then it comes again, another creepy sound that comes from a human throat... combined with the sound of eerie machinery driven by human hands. Shamanistic rhythms are added, which give the track a lovely kind of mysticism. Fans of early Morthhond, take notice! 

The fourth track, Drömmen Om Minnesota. It could be about the immigrants who traveled from Sweden to the United States because of the famine.  Heavy, warped, and looped dark ambient textures. And some strange and minimal rhythm sets in, with some reversed piano and synth notes. Lovely distorted sounds emit in and out, a lovely sound representation of how mental sickness can sound like... without it being evil-sounding... much more serious than that! Love the way he utilizes the distortion effect, suddenly it´s there, and suddenly it´s gone, and it sinks into the dark ambient moods. 

The fifth track, Våldsdåd I Gryningen (Violence At Dawn). A looped metallic gong, a constant heavy tone, and then... a looped distorted melody sneaks in. I mean, it´s fxxxxxx brilliant. And the distortion which enters this is equally brilliant! The kind of distorted sounds he makes has been made in a very unique way! Excellent doomy martial drums, with a very decent dungeon-synth tune to accompany it. 

The sixth and last track is called I Väntan På Olycka (Waiting for the Accident). It might just be about people, just waiting for an "accident" so they can satisfy their need for food. The heaviest ambient track on the album, and a good way to end the album aswell. The album ends with a slow grind, not a bang! As we all know, the Swedes got through the famine. 

Svälten I Kagalösa is a bloody masterpiece the whole way through. Everything has been focused, both the concept and the sound that goes with it. U can just look at the various drawings of the artwork, and the chosen sound just goes with it hand in hand... aswell as the concept, offcourse. It´s a pure delight for any old-school CMI fans, without it getting retro or anything. Taps into the old stuff and gets out sounding new and still getting to sound vital. This is one release that u don´t want to miss!   

Bandcamp (label):

https://flutteringdragon.bandcamp.com/album/analfabetism-sv-lten-i-kagel-sa-r-1431

Bandcamp (band):

https://analfabetism.bandcamp.com/