Kalteldur top 10 of 2024
Who could have thought 2024 was a busier review year than 2023? Well, it was! I have also been busier with my daytime job as well. Lot more full-length CD releases this year from prominent labels, from Greece (E.C.T), USA (Bent Window Recordings), Germany (Grubenwehr Freiburg), France (Cioran Records and Nuit et Brouillard), Denmark (Thank You Tapes), Italy (Death In Venice and Industrial Olöcaust Recordings) and many many more!... We´ve also changed the office in the same building, and the investment in a vinyl player (so we can record vinyls as well). Thanks again to the extra review agents (Mads Heilskov and Ralle Ravn), without you, it would have been a complete meltdown in the machinery. So let us go on with it then! The List!
Number 10
M.B. - Bascillusmetrial Entopathogen
Grubenwehr Freiburg
Epic, primitive, cosmic, engulfing, angelic, grim, esoteric. I could go on. Since the late 80s, M.B. has always been an audible force with which to be reckoned. The album perfectly shows the two enigmatic sides of M.B. The first side is the ambient-driven glitchy-drone electronica stuff, while the other side goes back to the more old-school atmospheric industrial/avant-garde sound. Repeated listening is recommended, it gets better after each listening. In other words, it is a perfect place to start for upcoming M.B. listeners!
En Nihil - A Circle of Vultures
Deathbed Tapes
Incredible immersive soundscapes again from En Nihil. The perfect soundtrack for the perfect horror movie. Morbid moods of death and decay with a true ritual-driven attitude, a perfect fusion between soundtrack-music and death-industrial/ambient. And just the sound of it, every sound and mood can littery be touched by your senses! And again, En Nihil is an act that just keeps on impressing me.
Number 8
Devil's Breath - Embrace of the Serpent
Zazen Sounds
Best tribal-infused album I have heard in years. It has a kind of nostalgic and synthy cyberpunk/blade-runner sound to it. Beautifully layered, and cinematic with a dramatic and storytelling punchline. Pushing the listener into the journey of sound. I have kept returning to this album for a listen, and I am sure that I will continue to do so for a long time. And I also hope that we will see (and hear) a new album from Devil´s Breath in 2025!
Number 7
Schloss Tegal - Black Static Transmission
Tegal Records
Recorded and released in 1999, re-issued in 2024. And the re-issue is well worth it. The artwork is better, and the sound is WAY better as well! Truly capturing a world that lies between the world of the living and the dead. That which is between the two that is. And the sound of documenting the existence of that realm is Black Static Transmission by Schloss Tegal. Again with a lovely obscure sound, lots of mystique within, and a highly effective subtle creepiness altogether! Tons of reasons to like this album.
Number 6
Tone Generator & The Body Without Organs - Control Live
Ultra-Mail Prod
And yes, there is life in the realm of early SPK! Tone Generator & Body Without Organs proves it on this remarkable live album. Never thought highly of live albums, but this one really jolts and jams the listener so incredibly much! And that truly unique, dystopian, nightmarish, terrifying, and authentic sound of SPK is still there, and being further explored on a live set. The whole thing just bloody works! And no, it´s not the greatest live set of SPK hits, all new compositions made by Tone Generator and friends. Highly recommended for any fans of Industrial Records (TG, Cabs, SPK, etc).
Number 5
Splintered - Between Scylla and Charybdis
Fourth Dimension Records
It can be pretty intense if you are sailing the seas between two rampaging demi-god monsters from Greek Mythology. It could be a good idea to be prepared for such a voyage, and one way could be to listen to the latest monolithic album from Splintered. It's not the most known act, but it's an act which (in my world) should be more known. Making a psychedelic bridge between noise-rock/sludge, primal industrial, and harsh ambient music. A true masterpiece in my book!
Number 4
Dug Up By Dogs
E.C.T. Recordings
Quite rare that I will describe certain kinds of music as...evil. Kind of a naive way of word I guess. But this obscure British solo act perfectly conjures up the word. Not being aggressive, or harsh or anything. But just with a focused eye on religious disturbing soundscapes, which both sound... weird and just... menacing and uncomfortable. Delightful, disturbing, and complex machine rhythms are so well made, and the sound of utter doom is absolutely spot on. Pure industrial cult music! Fans of early MZ.412, heads up!
Number 3
Gnostic Grain - Chalice
Decay Media
Gobsmacked that anything could sound as great as Coil, or related projects. Gnostic Grain is a British electronica-ambient duo making an interesting fusion between ritualistic atmospheres and melodic synth tunes. They are out with several mini-albums and full-lengths on their Bandcamp site. Chalice is one hell of an album! The sound of big city cultural decay with a certain cinematic noir and occult touch. Very haunting, subtle epicness. Highly recommended for dark late nights, all by yourself in some attic or basement. I know, that you all will absolutely love this album.
Number 2
Arlo Bigazzi & Elena M. Rosa Lavita -
D'altronde Sono Sempre Gli Altri
Incredibly hard to describe in words, but it sounds surprisingly familiar when you lay your ears to it. Caught between old black-and-white gothic horror/graveyard moods and the sound of pure avant-garde experimentalism. The sound quality, the different unique sounds, the intriguing contrasts...everything slowly evolves to a peak. Really love Elena´s sense and love for spine-tingling gothic-horror atmospheres, the sense of vampiric dread... something crawls... something... lingers inside the walls...watching. All that stuff is there, and it´s so effective! In some weird way, listening to this right after Gnostic Grain... makes perfect sense! Would be great if they could do an album together!
Number 1
Häxa Komät - One Void Ceremonial Program
Bent Window Records
The first album I heard from Bent Window Records, and I was completely blown away by this one. There is no doubt about it, music for esoteric cults that hide in unknown basements... waiting for the apocalypse... or just waiting to go further...into the beyond. It´s a fascinating, tantalizing experience... but also really scary in a... kind of a... seductive way?. The way someone hypnotizes or drugs you... and u end up being bound to some sacrificial altar?! The album magickally binds the listener to submission. I am quite sure about the existence of supernatural forces after listening to this, and how effective it can be! There is also a kind of nostalgic edge to it. How it binds elements of dungeon synth together with low-bit sounds and early industrial ritual music, hard to combine these things together... but here it has been done to perfection. If you ask me, we´re dealing with a new subgenre here!
Happy New Year!
