torsdag den 14. december 2023



Cronaca Nera: Collection In Perversion, written by Mads Heilskov



Collection In Perversion is a compilation of tracks by Italian death industrial mainstays Cronaca Nera (active since 2001 and with members who have been releasing this kind of stuff for even longer) on Greek underground label E.C.T. 

It consists of a total of 19 tracks from various EPs and splits put out on different labels throughout the years spread across 2 CDRs of close to an hour’s duration each. Since it is a compilation some variation in sound is to be expected, yet Cronaca Nera follows a pretty strict line aesthetically speaking both in sonic and visual terms, so it does not feel like a bunch of random tracks thrown together but more like an actual album. There are, however, tracks that stand out positively due to their structure and sounds but also their production, showing that the compilation could perhaps have turned out better if everything had been remastered as one release.
Presentation-wise Collection In Perversion features a nice fetish-themed packaging with foil paper and cards with different graphics.

Sonically, Collection In Perversion pretty much follows the well-known death industrial/noise recipe that was made (in)famous by fellow Italian Atrax Morgue, that is: heavy synth pulsations and washes of feedback with maniacal, mainly high-pitched, vocals on top as well as some “irritating” synth noises along with some simplistic yet effective rhythmic elements. As far as I can hear, many of the tracks have been made using loops, sequencing, and cut-up techniques recorded straight to tape, which gives the release a nice analog and “hand-made” feel to it. The downside of this approach is that some more elegant moves to create variation, texture, and exciting structures have not been chosen, making each track fairly static and uniform within its own frame. That said, some of the strongest tracks such as I Shit You and its follow-up, Needles, have a very present and powerful sound as well as some nice atmospheres and build-ups. A few tracks, such as Untitled 2 (CD 1, track 6) and Untitled 1 (CD1, track 8) feature a grinding rhythmic quality somewhere between Brighter Death Now and Deutsch Nepal territory that I would personally love to get more of, while other tracks such as Untitled 1 (CD 1, track 5) and Anal Inspection (CD 2, track 4) are more in line with Atrax Morgue’s brooding and simplistic approach.



All in all Collection In Perversion contains some good stuff that definitely scratches one’s itch for morbid Italian noise-adjacent death industrial. There are some nice grinding industrial rhythms and sick atmospheres to be found here for sure. However, while the material, as stated, has a very analog feel (which is a good thing), some of the hiss and buzz seem to add unwanted sounds and lack definition rather than grittiness. 

This build-up of (tape, I assume) distortion has the unfortunate effect that some of the heaviness is lost due to the lack of clarity at the bottom end of the sound spectrum. I am not wishing for a cleaner sound per se but would have liked a sound that was heavier and more defined at the bottom end with less white noise crackle and tape hiss at the top end. Thus, while liking what I hear a lot, I cannot help but imagine how much more devastating Collection In Perversion could have been if a little more attention had been given to creating variation in the structure of the tracks and more clarity at the bottom end had been prioritized over lo-fi aesthetics.

kl.