Vomir and White Window - Advanced Symptoms of Claustrophilia
Actually, the first time ever that we get to review Vomir on Kalteldur. Been reviewing HNW for some time, and now it´s the first time that we get to review one of the true vets of HNW. Not completely alone this time, Vomir has made this album together with a project called White Window.
Interesting act really, White Window hails from the Philippines! With a lot of releases on their belt, and more to check up on their Bandcamp site as well (link below).
Not a split here, but actually a collab. This release has been released by a label called Grubenhehr Freiburg, and this physical release is a cool-looking cassette (and cover) with some eerie (but nifty) looking collage artwork. I should also mention here that we are actually talking about a re-issue, it was first released by Transitional Void Records back in 2021. Anyways... The album title...Advanced Symptoms of Claustrophilia, make you smile... also makes me wonder nonetheless.
The first track is called Asbestos Devotion. A very direct and brutal noise wall starts the track, the textured and microscopic sound of fabric being completely torn apart. High-pitched harsh noise sounds are present in the background, which gives the recording a nice dynamic to the wall of sound. Those high-pitched sounds almost sound like... one of those humming alien war machines in the classic War of the Worlds flick from 1962. Maybe it´s just me, getting a minor head-arch from too much asbestos. Action-driven noise wall for sure!
The second track Abnormal Pleasures of Confinement starts where the first track ended. A pulsating psychedelia sound is in the background, while strange samples/recordings (of something) can be heard with the trained ear. It's still within the area of the dynamic noise wall. So far it's hard to distinguish this track from the first track, the main difference is its length of it. Still pretty action-driven, love the energy of the sound. Vocals recorded in the end actually.
The last track Advanced Symptoms of Claustrophilia is a killer, 30 minutes and 8 seconds long! In the same vibe and feel as the former tracks. I keep returning to the idea of creating something in a state of complete isolation. Corona-themed perhaps?. If you actually take a pause from listening and returning to listen... the sound sounds more brutal than before. The whole monster sounds like a mic being dragged by a fast-driving lorry truck.
The album does sound like it was done in one take. Like a kind of live recording, and then chopped up the recorded material into three tracks. Would have been better if it just was one long track. And I was (in the end) feeling a slight case of Claustrophilia. The album felt too long, maybe that was the idea/concept of the release? Pure HNW addicts should seek it out, not for the faint for sure.
