Jugendwerkhof / Genus Inkasso 

Another tape which I also received from the Low Life High Volume label, the same label which gave us Jugendwerkhof. This one is also with Jugendwerkhof in good company with another act called Genus Inkasso, in other words... a split. Each act delivers its take on abstract-sound-brutalism on each side of the tape. Jugendwerkhof on side A, and Genus Inkasso on the B-side. Each track is almost 15 minutes in length, which gives you 30 minutes of utter destructive delight, tape release is limited to 30 copies. Love the graphical cover-artwork as well, showing some human figures having some mind-controlling lines attached...apparently losing control of some kind?... Anyways!

The first track with Jugendwerkhof is called Gnadenverheerer (Mercy Ravager) starts in a subtle way... the sort of quietness one would expect before a storm. Then it starts slowly... industrial bleeping sounds, metallic trash yard noises, an Arabic-sounding sort of trumpet, traces of human voices, and all this is built on top of a solid build (and abstract) harsh-noise foundation. Subtle and brutal at the same time, solid but abstract, static but chaotic... I could continue. This recording pulls the listener into all of these contradictions. It totally works, and the raw sound is brilliant! The whole damn thing sounds like a demon trying to claw itself out from some kind of old-tech machinery... literally!.

Next up is Genus Inkasso which their track is called The Dirt, the Quiet, the Peace. Also has a nice industrial-noise sort of subtle beginning, which then descents directly into pure mayhem. More in the dynamic noise-wall section with a mesmerizing rhythmic noise monotony. It pulses and it breeds, feels, and sounds really organic. Not as in-your-face like Jugendwerkhof, but being way more of a chilling mind-fuck track. At times it does have a certain death-industrial sort of appeal to it, the heavy distortions and the rhythmic machine sounds. Love the ambient drone ending here, after the harsh treatment of sound the drone will lift the listener a few inches from the ground (or chair!). A great and adventurous noise track with lots of variations in sound, more of that, please!.

A great release, a great tape. Low Life High Volume is a great label I will keep my eye on, and so should you. As I said before, not being the greatest harsh-noise fan BUT... These guys are inventive (really!), I love the way they put atmosphere before action into the direct sound of harsh noise! So what are you waiting for?!. Get that tape before your neighbor does!

Bandcamp (label):

https://lowlifehighvolume.bandcamp.com/album/split-3

Official website (label):

http://lowlifehighvolume.biz/home.html