Kalteldur top 10 of 2023

2023 was huge! Not only was there an abundance of releases but also an abundance of artists and well-established labels who reached out with stuff that needed to be reviewed. It was tough to boil it all down to 10 albums since there have been so many incredible releases in 2023. The Kalteldur office also (sadly) had a minor setback with the old computer that burned down, but luckily we could get back online to deliver the last reviews and of offcourse to deliver this best of 2023. So let us get down to business, and namedrop the coolest releases of 2023 (The was reviewed on Kalteldur!)

Number 10

Deprivation - Keep My Grave Open

New Approach Records

Deprivation - Keep My Grave Open was a lovely trip down memory lane, and what a great one that was. Think classic Italian death-industrial like Atrax Morgue and the U.S.A. power-electronics acts like Intrinsic Action... that kind of sound. Powerful and subtle with lots of edge and personality attached to it. An act which we all should keep a good look out for in the comin' future!

Number 9

Mai 12 & Dosis Letalis - Untergrundarbeiten

Grubenwehr Freiburg

HNW/ANW is still alive and kicking; the latest with these two acts proves it. Released on the avant-garde-driven label Grubenwehr Freiburg, this release made a stone-hard connection between atmospheric walls of noise and the idea of working hard in a coal mine. Incredible claustrophobic sound, yet strangely soothing! Pure moody noise for concentrated emotionalism!

Number 8

M. Bryo & D.M.T. - Things I Was Due To Forget

Nuit er Brouillard

And I thought that I had a complete collection of The Klinik / Absolute Body Controntrol etc. I didn´t! French label Nuit et Brouillard did a nice compilation of the stuff that Mark Burghgraeve did, he was one of the early figureheads in early Klinik! Minimal and clinical synth-pop with a touch of madness here and there! To make it short, absolutely essential album for any collector of early and obscure synth-pop.

Number 7

ZeroNull - Red Mars

Marbre Negre

Always dreamt of moving to Mars (for some insane reason). Being (almost) untouched by human hands, and being completely engulfed and controlled by the environment. Silent and mysterious, with maybe secrets hidden beneath. One will get that feeling when listening to ZeroNull´s Red Mars album. One of the best ambient albums of 2023! Compelling album concerning an incredibly big concept, Mars. This album should not be missed! 

Number 6

K2 - Lost Land of Chipa

Abhorrent Creation Tapes

K2 - Lost Land Of Chiba (Abhorrent Creation Tapes, 2022)

For me, the highlight among the releases I reviewed in 2023 was K2s 2022 effort Lost Land Of Chiba on Abhorrent Creation Tapes. Here at the end of the year, I can conclude that Lost Land Of Chiba still delivers. As I stated back when I reviewed it, we are dealing with a well-crafted, mature, almost surgical piece of noise art, and I can add to that assessment that it keeps on giving regarding new sounds and details to be discovered. However, while the skill on display is sure to be lauded, it is the clinical and bleak atmosphere that is present throughout that gives Lost Land Of Chiba its special appeal. 

Number 5

Blodskam - Staalbrunst

Death In Venice Productions

A journey through seductive sexual depravity, vintage death industrial/ambient, Swedish humor, Twin Peaks, and sticky pornographic magazines from the 70s! Staalbruns could be the only dose any sleazebag could need (daily). It´s a great album! Discovering the worlds between morbid noise-industrial and ritual-driven ambient music. Excellent alternative background soundtrack for any exploitation flick! 

Number 4:

Madrelarva - Sol Interior

Marbre Negre

I really didn´t know what I should write... concerning this release. The Spanish label Marbre Negre has a funny tendency to surprise the listener. I don't know this act that well, but listening to this album gives the listener the feeling... that we might be talking about a so-called underrated act? It´s absolutely mind-boggling-brilliant! Technoid surrealist stuff with some automatic tribal elements as well. Fans of Deutsche Nepal, Coil... Take Notice!  

Number 3

Asylum Symphonies - Mental Disturbances

E.C.T Recordings

There are 3 tracks on this album, and checking up on the notes inside the cover... we get the info-text saying ´Only Raw Hate.´ The stuff inside is raw, and it´s also VERY spacy and abstract I might as well say that the analog sound has a kind of... 

Is there an auto sound to it? Early Cluster meets a noisy Tangerine Dream through Throbbing Gristle? Looks and sounds like power electronic, but it isn´t. Abstract analog ambient stuff with lots of disturbing space inside! A great work-out between Marbre Negre artists, released on the Greek E.C.T label!

Number 2:

Praying For Oblivion + Nerthus - A Desolate Place

E.C.T Recordings

Absolutely filled with ghosts of the past. A Desolate Place by Praying For Oblivion & Nerthus is a soul-changing journey through places of great industry, and now... just another desolate place. Listening to this album, makes me think of the emotions and memories which are left behind. Industry, wealth, factories, etc symbols of work and security for the future (and your family). And all of sudden, it's bloody gone! Whatever is left, can be heard on this one CD. I will recommend it this year, and I will also recommend it in 2024. 

Number 1:

Minamata - Niigata

Zone De Confusion

It is without a doubt, the worst piece of artwork I have seen in a long time! I thought to myself, why don´t I give it a bloody chance? As we all say, we shouldn´t judge the book by just looking at it. And my oh my, I was in for a bloody surprise! Old stuff recorded back in 1985, is a conceptual idea based on a tragic environmental disaster. Old-school industrial meets the early ideas of power electronics, being re-issued on CD. In lots of ways, they are more brutal than the Grey Wolves and more even aggressive than Con-Dom. I am not sure, but this release gets pretty close to SPK's Leichenshrei album... for real! Don't mind the bollocks (artwork) mind the bloody recordings inside!

Happy New Year!

  

 

   

 Djinn & Ideal Father - 

White eye Nightmare Seeing

Ideal Father and the label Death In Venice are at it again, this time in good company with a true Italian death industrial-veteran, the solo project called Djinn. The album is called White Eye Nightmare Seeing, and the thing is out as a limited 30 copies cassette. 

Just a quick word/intro to the projects. Djinn started around 1999 and has had several releases on Atrax Morque´s legendary cult label Slaughter Productions as well as Old Europa Cafe. Huge selection of releases to check up on (see Discogs and the Bandcamp link below!).

Ideal Father is the work of a crazy Swedish guy, the same who delivered the shocking acts of Blodskam and Kontakt Service. He is also a member of the so-called industrial (and pornographic) super-group called Mourn! He has been active since 2020. 

Upon closer examination, it will be revealed for the curious few that the release/recorded material within has been inspired by a prose poem called "Les Chants de Maldoror". And then you can ask yourself where you (might) have heard the name of Maldorer before? Namely through acts like Current- 93 and Nurse With Wound, but it has also been a huge inspiration for French Symbolism, Dada, and Surrealism. Huge inspiration due to its early transgressive, violent, and absurd themes. 

We start with the first track on the A-side, which is Ingresso Nell´abisso (Entrance Into the Abyss) by Djinn. There is a hum and some haunting (and distant) female vocals. A slowly-built and quite doom´ish atmospheric intro here. Kind of a Throbbing Gristle vibe here, especially with their more ambient-based material. Very desolate and very cold stuff, not your typical death-industrial or dark-ambient. I am not quite sure, but is there a highly distorted string instrument in there? Bass, guitar... something? Love the altering and surreal effects going on here, very cosmic-horror sort of feel. The great old-school industrial feel here!

The second Djinn track is called Permanenza Nell´abisso (Permanence In the Abyss). Being more of a... lighter track? Not in a sense that it´s happier than the former track! Lighter sounds, with more space within (and upwards). Still being true to the sound/aesthetic. As it turns out (so far), it´s excellent blackened ambient music with a nod or two to early industrial music. I want to have more with this act!.

We turn to the B-side with Swedish-based Ideal Father. The first track is called Över Kärr Och Avgrunder Av Oändligt Missmod (Over Swamps And Abyss of Endless Despondency). There is a highly reverbed hiss and a dense sort of layered soundscape, which makes you think back to that scene with the girl finding the room with the various sculptures made out of bones (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974). The whole affair sounds like a nightmare, one of those where your body is sleeping... but your brain isn't! 

The next track is called Sanningen Om De Fjorton Dolkarnas Trohet (Truth about the Fourteen Daggers Loyalty). Has some very decent retro synth going on, with a really menacing and harsh industrial soundscape on top of it. Bone-crushing death industrial with some decent 80s synth in the background, why not?! Bloody works like a charm!     

The third (and last track) Medan En Iskall Vind Visslade Genom Granarna Öppnade Skaparen Sin Port (As an icy wind whistled through the fir trees, the Creator opened His gate). Religious and spiritual layered noise blasts through the speakers, lots of sounds and recorded stuff located in the slightly rhythmic noisy soundscape. A really great and powerful piece of horrific ambient noise!

All in all, a fantastic split between two completely unique artists/acts within the death-industrial/ambient scene. Love the concept, love the sound and I love how these two acts sort of... make it work! And how does it work? For some strange reason, it makes sense that Ideal Father and Djinn have decided to make a split. And it will make sense if you give it a listen through the entire album. I only have one question... Why only 30 physical copies? I think it needs a re-issue on a CD, digipack with a booklet if you ask me!

Bandcamp (label):

https://deathinveniceproductions.bandcamp.com/album/djinn-ideal-father-white-eye-nightmare-seeing

Bandcamp (Djinn):

https://djinnsuicide1999.bandcamp.com/

Discogs (Djinn):

https://www.discogs.com/artist/438831-Djinn

Discogs (Ideal Father):

https://www.discogs.com/artist/7582027-Ideal-Father

      

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.

Discogs (release):

https://www.discogs.com/master/3121749-Cronaca-Nera-Collection-In-Perversion

Facebook (label):

https://www.facebook.com/ectrecs/

Blog (Band):

https://cronacaneratrueperverse.blogspot.com/

 M. Bryo & D.M.T. - Things I Was Due To Forget

Another interesting release from the French label Nuit et Brouillard. Things I Was Due To Forget with M. Bryo & D.M.T. So who is this, and what kind of album is this. It´s a sort of compilation album, collecting tracks mostly done by Mark Burghgraeve between 1979 and 2005, with additional musicians including Mark Verhaeghen(Klinik). It should also be noted that Mark Burghgraeve is also an old member of Klinik. Rumors have it that it was he who came up with the idea, about the Klinik-look. Long and black jackets with faces wrapped in bandages. Style? ... Experimental vintage synth-pop.

The album has come out both as a 2xLP vinyl and on CD as well. The CD which I have received to review, comes in a nifty-looking retro digipack design and it includes an informative 12-page booklet. 18 tracks, about 65 minutes in total. 

The first track is called Shift. A harsh and mechanical analog drum pattern and various samples/recordings from a phone helpline. You can already hear the link to early Klinik and Absolute Body Control. The way the tension of clinical electronic sounds slowly builds up. 

The second track DMT Street is on. Love the analog cyborg-sounding drum pattern with some very cool-sounding icy synths in the background as well. Excellent vocals here as well. Kind of reminds me of John Foxx, Fad Gadget, and early Depeche Mode. DMT Street sure sounds like an empty street, with lots of mood in it. 

The third track Embryo, it gets a bit more weird. Kind of like Legendary Pink Dots when they do synth-pop. Weird and merry sort of circus feel here. Charming melody, weird electronic sounds, effective vocals... sounds really good.

The fourth track Things I was Due To Forget is where things get.. a bit more interesting. Incredible efficient minimalism, not that far away from the likes of Pyrolator, DAF, or Asmus Tietchens.Love the way the electronic sounds move in and out of focus, and it follows the thumping and dry drum pattern at the same time. Very hypnotic track!

We jump further into the excellent sixth track Let´s Go To War! Which in my opinion clearly sounds like the march/invasation of the Cybermen (From Dr. Who). A cold, calculated, and brutal piece. Analog synth sounds which sounds like a laser cannon, the high-hat sounds like steel being battered and the bass... well sounds like an electric current.

The seventh track The Lab, well sounds like a lab. One of those really weird ones that is. Filled with glasses containing various undefinable liquid materials, and unrecognizable pieces of machinery as well. A charming and weird piece of synth music here, with lots of charms!.

Essential and important to take notice of track number 9 called Relax. A touch of Richard H. Kirk and the solo works of Chris Carter. Highly mind-boggling rhythms and moods combined with human voices, breathing in and out and saying... relax! Again weird, funny, and incredibly intriguing!

The instrumental version of Things I Was Due To Forget is also worth mentioning, being track number 13. Proto-thumping techno stuff, fans of Cybertron do take notice here! 

I do have a feeling that you have a feeling (or two) about this compilation album. It´s the essential, underground, limited, and underrated cult album for any synth-pop fan in my book. If you have all your early stuff from Mute Records, Ultravox, Numan, etc, etc, and you need something extra... look no further. M. Bryo & D.M.T will fix you right up!  

Bandcamp (label):

https://nuitetbrouillard.bandcamp.com/album/things-i-was-due-to-forget

                 

    

Pvrgatorivm - La Voie Des Onze Mille Coups

It's a highly obscure new act on a highly unknown (and new) label. A so-called debut with an act called Pvrgatorivm, and their mini-album/EP is called La Voie Des Onze Mille Coups (translated as The Way of Eleven Thousand Blows). The label is called Ars Bellica Recordings, and the release is being distributed via the Greek label E.C.T Recordings. Highly limited to 20 copies, the whole thing (mini 3" CD-R) comes in a nifty-looking handmade sleeve made of paper and maquette paper with some additional inserts related to Ars Bellica and E.C.T Recodings.

Additional info about this mysterious act and album. The recorded material has been recorded in various locations and moments between 2021-2023, mixed in 2023 by someone called Incisio in some studio called Geräuschkammer IV (Not in Germany, but in Greece!). You can also get a digital version of the album via a Russian label called Boiled Angel Recordings. (Link below)

I keep pondering about the picture being used on the artwork itself. Do I see a pair of human legs & torso, with a smothered sun-bleached background maybe? And how the photo is related to the esoteric-sounding album title, I don´t know... Maybe, we will find that answer within the recording, which is simple... there is only 1 track on the album. 

It starts like a classic old-school industrial album from the southern parts of Europe. Slow, gritty, and mechanical-sounding loops of a bass sound, a flanged whining sound cuts through the air like a warm surgery knife through butter, and a strange and esoteric sounding... thing in the background? Is there a melody in it? I'm not sure. Some extra thrash-metal sound effects are added as well. 

At this moment, it does sound like someone who has just turned on a huge industrial machine to work in the early sunrise. Although it does sound like a really old and rusty piece of machinery. For some reason, I'm thinking about those old drilling machines being used in mines. At the end, I can hear a distant synth? Combined with the monotonous and gritty machine sounds, the presence of the synth is an angelic presence! 

I find the whole thing to be rather pleasant to listen to, pleasant in a good way that is. The atmosphere is a very sincere thing here, and the listener will find themselves... somewhere else! I also really dig that old-school industrial aesthetic! Kind of like early NON in a way, really gritty and minimalistic. The whole recording also being a very... kind of organic. Feels like, that all the recorded sounds are working together toward a specific mood or goal that is. Everything is almost melted into a single sound (with sounds within) if that makes sense! This stuff is pure magick and addictive, already heard this for the 6th time today! Do yourself a favor and get the physical release!

Discogs (label):

https://www.discogs.com/release/26971421-Incisio-Pvrgatorivm-La-Voie-Des-Onze-Mille-Coups

Bandcamp (label):

https://boilyourangel.bandcamp.com/album/pvrgatorivm-la-voie-des-onze-mille-coups

 

 Nerthus - Gong

Nerthus is out with a new album! We got to know Nerthus through the collaboration album made together with Praying For Oblivion. An incredible industrial-ambient/drone album focusing on... well abandoned factory buildings. This album is available on the Nerthus Bandcamp site, and if you are quick (and lucky), you can get your hands on the lovely (and limited) physical CD-R version. A cool-looking DVD-sized red cardboard paper cover inside a plastic sleeve, housing a nice-looking CD-R with some decent print on it. 12 tracks, almost about 55 minutes in total. All the tracks on the album have simply been named 1,2,3,4,5 etc etc.

The first track starts with some haunting notes on an old piano, with some... blebbing short-wave radio clattering in the background. Additional layers of atmospheric effects are there as well, a short track... ear-opening intro if you please.

The second track is where the album really kicks off. Ritualistic, mysterious, and deep metallic sounds with some eerie ghost voices.. from the same short-wave radio. You're inside the basement of a factory, with only a short-wave radio. You can clearly hear, that some kind of catastrophe is happening...outside. And the only bits of info you can receive are from that short-wave radio. This sound going on does sound recognizable (for some reason). So far I am loving it!

The third track slowly churns into a sort of... death-industrial vibe. Monotone machine sounds, the clattering of metallic bells, and reverbed chattering voices. Clearly a return to that excellent CMI sound! A bit of Megaptera, Morthhound, and Archon Satani/Inanna.

The fourth track is a total death-industrial treat. Say Pain In Progress or Necrose Evangelicum with BDN! Bone-crushing ambient bass sounds, clinical high-pitched radio tones, and those... eerie ghost voices from the radio. Very good so far!

The fifth track jumps straight into more... acid-drenched territory. Slowed metallic noises, insect sounds, and reversed human radio voices. The sort of track that u don´t want to wake up to in the middle of the night! Otherworldly beings crawling out of my speakers as we speak!

The sixth track moves away from the nightmare and further into... the state where the sleeper isn't actually sure... that you are either awake or dreaming. Clearly, you are awake since u can look around your room, but something is not right. It´s a quiet, pleasant ambient track with a sinister tone hidden... inside the recording.

The seventh track has that... Anenzephalia kind of bass sound. That kind of religious and hypnotic sound. Sounding like that there is truly no hope here, some additional angelic ambient sounds here uplift the heavy mood. Love the adventurous diversity so far! 

And that is all that you are going to get from this review, all the other tracks are still waiting for you to listen to. The whole thing is a bloody larger-than-life experience. Like a small thing with a huge world hidden inside. A masterpiece?. Might so... Underrated, might so. Highly recommend listening to this otherworldly thing while there is a storm brewing outside while being in the basement (that is). Ambient music for basements anyone?! Bound to give you pleasant dreams!.

Bandcamp: (band)

https://nerthus.bandcamp.com/album/gong

     

  

Sortlegeme Live at HeadQuarters, Aarhus – 22/09-2023 Written by Ralle Ravn

Sortlegeme is not a name I had heard before until this concert was announced and checking it out surprised me. Sortlegeme is a Copenhagen-based dark ambient tribal techno act by Jeppe Dalsgaard Andersen. The first release by Sortlegeme, the EP The Returning, was first released in 2016 and has since released a handful of cassettes and a couple of 12” EPs, the latest being the cassette Zero Intensity from 2021. 

His music ranges from techno and tribal beats to electronic synths to floating ambient to dark ambient drones often blending in between each other on each track. 

Why did this surprise me? It was the opening act for the Aarhus atmospheric black metal act Sunken. A pairing of genres you don’t see very often. The two acts were, as told by the members of Sunken, united under the same understanding of atmosphere which did show during the evening’s concert. Sortlegeme’s show starts with an atmospheric floating drone that gradually morphs into a tape loop-like sound while retaining its ambient drone feel underneath it. This glides into static noise samples that still retain the atmospheric feel. A techno beat enters the concert’s sound image breaking with the ambient drones and bringing some rhythm into the show. When my ears got used to the beat, I noticed a floating drone behind the techno beat, creating an interesting dynamic in the sound image. 

This then switches to static samples that lie on top of a bassy ambient drone, and then the techno beat comes back in. The sound then switches back to floating ambient. This becomes the concert theme, the switching between atmospheric drones, techno beats, and noisy static samples, which so far worked very well. The floating ambient sound fades into a distorted drone that lies on top of a deep melancholic melody. The static samples come back in and break the melancholic soundscape. 

This then transitions into a dark ambient part that is followed by a tribal techno beat, glides into a dark ambient drone blended with static samples, and again, the static samples are switched out to a new techno beat. The beat stops and a new melancholic part emerges. This fades into white noise that cuts off and a new ambient part emerges afterwards. This new ambient part slowly and gradually turns into a deafening synth voice, becoming an intense wall of sound. This wall of sound finally reaches a climax where it cuts off and the reverb rings out at the end of the concert. 

I was overall impressed with the show. The elements in Sortlegeme’s music have an interesting dynamic between pulsating tribal-like techno beats and atmospheric ambient parts with static noise thrown into the mix. Although these elements were very segmented throughout the concert, it did work very well given that the concert was performed as a single song. As atmosphere was a theme throughout the concert, Sortlegeme fit very well into the show given that the show was “supposed to be” a black metal concert which, again, surprised me.

Bandcamp (Label):

https://moraldefeat.bandcamp.com/album/daf

Discogs (band):

https://www.discogs.com/artist/4857707-Sortlegeme

Black Purification - Post-mortem Reflex

The project Black Purification is by the same bloke who brought us the same ambient/noise act called Kostnitsa and Katakombnaya Tserkov as well. Highly productive fellow indeed! This release has also been released on E.C.T Recordings and with this act he is, learning towards primal death industrial... old school style if you ask me. Released back in January of 2023. Recorded in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2022. Limited edition of 25 numbered copies [hand-numbered in Latin digits I-XXV with red ink]. Comes in high-quality black and white, with full color-printed inner side covers. The CD is stored in a cool black paper envelope. It all looks very nice... if you look away from the gory photos smeared inside and outside of the cover artwork! But anyway. the 3 tracks, are about 35 minutes in total. 

The first track, Slow Death, starts with a thick, grim, low-fi, and wobbling distorted bass sound. Already entering familiar grounds here. This cold and mechanical bass sound gets joined up with other.. altered buzz-zaw sounds. Sounds with more or less chops and cuts up the listener. Very similar to that classic Atrax Morque sound, with a touch of early MB and Mauthausen Orchestra. Morbid hypnotic stuff!

The second track Post-Mortem Reflex really explores those excellent and atmospheric analog sounds. The sound of massive low-tech sounds will leave an almost physical presence in the surroundings of the listener. Although we are dealing with some pretty dark and morbid stuff, the recorded material here (so far) is highly meditative. Ritualistic undercurrents and ambient moods are also present here as well. Lots of moods, and lots of thought here. 

The third and final track Open Throat Wound follows the same wobbling analog punishment. It has more of a minimal approach than the former track. Really love those thick analog bass sounds, really murky stuff! There's not much being multi-layered here, just a really pure and focused death-industrial/ambient sound.   

And that is where the album ends! It´s pure, focused, simple, and to the point. It doesn't need anything more to be better, it´s absolutely spot-on in my world. Only one sound through the entire album that you should have your focus on, which is sort of ... refreshing really. It gives it that lovely old-school feel, less is more...right? Wanne get your hands on the physical release, and track it down on Discogs... it´s sold out on the label.

Discogs: 

https://www.discogs.com/release/24747617-Black-Purification-Post-Mortem-Reflex

Facebook (label):

https://www.facebook.com/ectrecs

Bandcamp (Band):

https://blackpurification.bandcamp.com/music

   

 Minamata - Niigata 1964-1965

Kalteldur will review releases from the French industrial cult label Nuit Et Brouillard! If you don´t know the label, then I HIGHLY suggest that you should go and check it out! Alongside similar labels like Old Europa Cafe, CMI, Tesco, Dark Vinyl, etc. And has been in existence since the early 90s. The first album is a release from a side-label called Zone De Confusion, and with a band called Minamata. A really old French industrial/power-electronics act that started back in 1984. This one is from 1986, and it is a re-issue on CD. Let me just be honest here! The graphics/cover artwork is... well... let us just say that you shouldn't let it get you. Just put it away, and put the CD in your CD player. The stuff inside (Which I can already reveal) is pretty massive, really good stuff. Anyway, before we go on with the tracks inside, here is a bit of information.

"Interesting" tragic name for the band indeed. The concept of the album works around... something that just might be one of the biggest industrial catastrophes... if you ask me (besides the likes of Bhopal in India). Minamata is a town (In Japan) with a chemical factory being built, providing work and prosperity for the town. Little did they know that the wastewater was being poured straight into the town´s river. It became much worse when mercury sulfate was going into the river as well. And the sad thing, the town ate the fish from the river offcourse. The result? Something we call the Minamata disease includes severe convulsion, coma, and death. Go and do Wikipedia research and read all about it.

The first track is called Niigata 1965. A chopped-up and pulsating buzzing mechanic sound starts the album. Rhythmic scrap metal and devastating distorted vocals. Kind of like a power-electronics version of the early Test Dept with a touch of Hunting Lodge. The thing is a pure early industrial fix for the fans of the extreme stuff. A really nasty, harsh, brutal, and desperate sound here, but disturbingly controlled and focused as well! I am already sold here!

The second track Niigata Part I continues the industrial onslaught. The sound of grinding factory machines, torturous screaming voices,  punctuating tribal beatings, and throbbing mechanical pumps pulsates into emptiness. I still follow that classic industrial sound, which I REALLY dig. Why have this act evaded my eyes and ears?  

The third track Niigata Part II might just sound a bit like early Esplendor Geometrico. The feeling and the fear of gruesome industrial factories are really being felt here. Electronic drums sound like... underground explosions! Love the way they have added vocals here. Sort of really atmospheric vocals with a religious touch attached. The devasting stuff here is truly devastating!

The fourth track Es Ist Schwer Zu Leben includes a monotone synthy (kind-of) melody with added female vocals. I actually love those female vocals in the early industrial sound (SPK, Attrition, Hunting Lodge). When that ritualistic part ends, it runs directly into a devastating electronic rhythmic soundscape. Feels like a smack in the face! 

The fifth track Niigata Fetal Case includes some kind of string work, guitar strings maybe? A simple distorted drum rhythm, and some subtle male vocals! The darkness so far, is quite overwhelming... but I guess that is the point of the whole idea. I (still) am quite convinced at this point of this release. Really excellent use of reverbed sound effects here, old school analog at it´s best!

I could continue with reviewing each track, but then the review wound up/could be too long. Let me just say this, every second on this album is a second spent with god. It´s bloody amazing. The darkness equals the darkness on SPK´s Leichenshrei, the brutality even equals Genocide Organ´s Leichenlinie! Why this act ( or this album ) hasn´t been recognized is beyond my understanding! And again we return to the artwork... don´t let it scare you! 

Bandcamp (label):

https://nuitetbrouillard.bandcamp.com/album/niigata

   

  

           

Michael Idehall - Recepitulation
reviewed by Anders Berggren

Michael Idehall is a Scandinavian veteran of ritualistic industrial music. This is the first time I get to listen to one of his numerous works, besides being a recording artist he also manages his own ritual-music label Belzebez. This release called Recapitulation is a limited 50 copies cassette compilation released by Rabbau. The cassette is sadly sold out, so you have to locate it on Discogs. Well, onto the review itself.

It's a bit of a journey into the dark. A damp, oily darkness. In places, it is hot and humid, while at other times it is freezing cold.

It reminds me a lot of the atmosphere of cyberpunk novels and stories (think people like Gibson and Sterling) when you move around bars and seedy tech shops, the places where the illegal implants are implanted.

The music leads the listener on a journey into the dark.

The first track has a very ritualistic feel. The text is almost read as if it were a creed or a political statement - slowly and clearly. At the same time, a very mechanical sound universe runs with various effects, both of a rhythmic and noisy nature. The idea of ​​using a ticking clock to drive things forward works pretty well. It is fine that it is used as an element in the track, while it is also good that it is not used all the time.

In the second track, you are led deeper into the darkness. With a consistently sharp rhythmic beat that repeats very quickly. The lyrics are delivered very mechanically, and throughout the song, the vocals become more and more disturbed as if it were a cassette tape recorder slowly running out of battery. There are some nice little breaks of silence throughout the track, just long enough to make you wonder. Is there something completely new, or is it just a break? There is a combination of rhythmic elements and, in some places, almost ambient passages. It generally works very well.

I'm not sure where the second issue ends and the third begins, but these two are closely related.

The fourth track is very noisy, where many effects and elements are used at the same time. An atmosphere of chaos and unrest is created. The vocals are somewhat harder to follow here.

The last track on page 1 'Shall be once more' has a very industrial feel. The text is first performed almost in a whisper but then becomes rancid, harsh, and almost threatening. Here we are almost down in the deepest darkness on the album.

It starts on side 2 with a very mechanical number. A repeated 'XMI re20' occurs throughout large parts of the song, as if it were a tribute to a piece of mechanics. While this messes, a steady noisy rhythm runs in the background. This track was the first one that made sense to me when I got to know this album. Since then, the middle of side 1 of the tape has received more attention from me.

The next number is very marked by chaos and madness. It is laid out quietly. Both in terms of effects on the vocals and the background sounds, which sound like a mix between cicadas and a cutting torch.

First, the vocals are like a bunch of mad monks saying a little phrase in each other's mouths. Since then it dives into a jumble of effects.

The last number is disturbing and cold. The vocals have lots of reverb-like effects on them. Underneath, a mechanical rhythm emerges by hand, a bit like a ticking clock or a machine that repeats the same action. The rhythm and the effects of this gradually take over more and more.

It's a very ambient track to end the album with, which I like.

For people with a taste for industrial and noisy electronic music (but not exactly noise), the album can be recommended.

Bandcamp (label):

https://raubbau.bandcamp.com/album/recapitulation

Bandcamp (artist):

https://idehall.bandcamp.com/