tirsdag den 13. august 2019
HGM – Lithium (Mental Illness)



Released the 1st of January (this year). We have reviewed HGM before, which was the excellent Tridium 192 album. This one is slightly different, and a more subtle one that is. This release has been released though French label +Schintillae+Animas+ as a limited 7 copies limited CDR edition, with different handmade artwork curated by Isidore / La Nuit Qui Tombe. Through HgM´s own label, it has also been first released on cassette, check out the amazing artwork! A two-track album is 35 minutes in total.

The first track Arsenic Death (heavy title) opens the album into the harsh and almost religious-sacred territory. Quite a theme to actually work on. Arsenic has been used in chemical warfare, poisoning, taxonomic sample preservation, pyrotechnics, coloring agent in sweets even as an item used to change your skin complexion! Do actually die from it must be horrific! Starts with headaches, confusion, severe diarrhea, and drowsiness. Later on, convulsions will occur. Then you will vomit blood, cramps, loss of hair, stomach pain, etc. It then leads to coma and death. This track points out the early stages (I think)...

ANYWAYS! (on to the recordings) Floatless and liquid-like ambient noise with ritualistic undercurrents. Actually more beautiful sounding than the way to go with arsenic poisoning! To me, it sounds like the gates of heaven being opened. So maybe we are talking about accidental poisoning, because if it was arsenic death through suicide then u probably won’t be allowed through the heaven’s gate (I think).


Next and last track Lithium. Mostly known as a medicine used to treat suicidal patients suffering from manic-depression. Here the albums enter something of a more brutal soundscape. Harsh-noise wall combined with sacred chanting and manic demon-possessed noisy vocals. I can´t help thinking of an exorcism here. This track actually sounds more like a death caused from arsenic poisoning. Something really desperate and painfull going on here. Fans of the black-metal related noise-project Deadwood would dig this track!

A nice noisy atmospheric treat to the senses, not as ambitious as the cover-artwork but a thoroughly good one from the start to the end. There are noise-wall bits, ambient textures, and industrial-noise… all the good things are there. Be quick if you want a physical release!

kl.