Kult Masek - 2018

After a long day, you need something very minimal for your brain (and ears!). You also need something that is very interesting and unique, otherwise, you will just fall asleep. I kept looking for this and that and then I came up with this.  A project hailing from Prague who has already (since 2017) made several releases (2 albums, 1 EP and 1 split release). Three of these releases have been made available on cassette, and this one simply called 2018 can be purchased as a cassette via the Bandcamp site. 

So whoever said that there wasn´t such a thing like dungeon-drone. Whoever said that Mortiis and his fans weren´t able to enjoy themselves on soft mattresses and in a sleeping bag being inside a moist and cold limestone cavern with this stuff coming out from hidden speakers?... A 2 track mini-album, almost 20 minutes in total. First track called A-side and the second track called B-side, simple! 

First track A-side starts with an organ that gets mixed up with a hypnotic and shimmering angelic string-like drone. Just imagine that you are floating through a beautiful limestone cavern, flesh and crispy cold air with sounds of tiny drops of water falling from stalagmites hitting a pool of water. The kind of peace one can find in caves like that is completely absolute. Later on, a liquid-like synth-drone just makes it clear that yes... you are in fact floating on air in complete darkness. Not the kind of darkness that seems frightening!. Occasional crystal-like and frosty drops of sound stimulate your brain as well. A track with a lot of warmth and coldness at the same time, perfectly balanced between these two elements. Are we in an underwater cavern?!  

  

Next track B-side enters a more... murky kind of cave. The kind of cave which should be respected (because no one else has discovered it yet!). Deep and slightly distorted bass-drone bids you welcome into unknown territories. A mesmerizing church-like mood enters the heaviness of the bass while a static alarm-like looped-sound keeps you awake. These sorts of caves might be those you could find in arctic landscapes. Being breathtaking beautiful inside, but also very dangerous as well. The track offers a more melancholic side to the album, which (again) makes the album perfectly balanced between a pleasant side and a not-so-pleasant side. 

Fans of Brian Eno will love it, fans of Ulver´s drone EPs will also love it. I am not sure how hardcore dungeon synth would feel about this cave, because the goblins and the kobolds are completely absent! But again, it´s drone music when its good and what it is well made. Worth your time after a long and stressful day! 

Bandcamp (Band):

https://kultmasek.bandcamp.com/album/2018

Vlakolak  Mekrevtrozmbreh

Not something new but something old that has (nonetheless) turned into quite a cult classic among our fellow dungeoneers. A cult classic which has been released physical a couple of times and is (sadly) out of stock, hard to locate on Discogs as well (Released on Eldest Gate Records from Hungary). So what about it?... is it good enough to own the digital copy? Let´s give this sucker a listen or two.

The first thing you´ll notice would be the cover-artwork itself, which should reveal to you that we are within the harsh and minimalistic primitive nature of dungeon synth. A slightly archaic and esoteric vampiric/necromantic design if I might add. 

First track Around the Castle lets the listener around a dreaded castle in the middle of a rainy and windy cold night. A thief in the night speculating how to enter the cursed castle without being noticed?. The atmospheric and harsh synths reveal danger and evil intent being inside. A lovely intro track, a lovely fusion between harsh dark ambiance and vampiric dungeon synth. Second track Awakened Craving works it further on the vampiric theme. A claustrophobic deep and warm foreboding one-finger synth-tune slowly builds up the tension, additional horn-like trumpets drops in to give the piece a slightly erotic ritualistic edge to it. Love the way the track ends in a really weird way. Third track with its creepy and heavy violins gives you that feeling of being bound to something, and just knowing that something in that pitch blackness of the night (hungry as it is) is heading straight towards you. A very seductive and hypnotic melody, with some interest noises and hisses here and there. The track ends here rather suddenly, sounds as this was not the intention. The bad track ending of the third track gets rescued by the fourth track by something which could have been in Herzog´s Nosferatu. Dreamy cosmic Berlin-School´ish synth with tons of atmosphere just puts it right on top of creaking doors and movie samples from... probably some German horror flick (I suck at German ok?!). 

Following track further builds up that synth-driven with kraut-rock proto-ambient textures, this track could work as a background soundtrack for Carl Theodor Dryer´s Vampyr flick from 1932. A very beautiful, eerie and drone´ish synth-ambient track. The sixth track has that choking darkness edge to it, darkness and fright closing in and almost drowning your very senses. The seventh track Into the Crypt isolates perfectly that certain feeling of fright when you dare not to breathe, a very moody icy piece. Further vampiric tendencies of pure fright and terror await any listener who dares venture further through the bloody excellent album!

A very cool album and a very unique release within the world of dungeon synth. Pure vampire-themed horror-synth music with a clear focus on minimalistic eerieness as it´s the prime motivator. And yes, I have added the physical release to my wish-list on Discogs. I want this lovely thing! 

Bandcamp (label):

https://eldestgaterecords.bandcamp.com/album/mekrevtrozmbreh?fbclid=IwAR24omYX_d0iYjZGfXUIuwM4-aDuRc1HxszrSUdRvrIwTuuw38Jog-PzE2U 

 

Tauregorath - Nocturnal Council

Been ages since last time Kalteldur have done a review in the name of Dungeon Synth! So let us all have a go at it, something BRAND new and FRESH from Freiburg, Germany (Just released today the 22´th of January). A 10 track only-digital-Bandcamp debut-album release. 

I do not know ANYTHING about this act, but I have tried examining the info which comes along with the album. The band name doesn't reveal much, other than a name for a spinoff Harry Potter author and the second one about a Japanese sci-fi movie. Other than that the band name sounds great when you say it, sounds like that kind of demon which you probably should not summon... maybe the cover-art is clearly showing that demon? The body of a bat with the head from some member of the Residents? With the album title called Nocturnal Council, we are clearly dealing with a secret council engaging themselves in forbidden nocturnal pleasures of some kind?. The bürhermeister and all his servants perhaps?!

The first track In der Wolkenhalle of Azurebel, tells the listener of something sinister but hidden. A sacrificial ritual being committed, to please the bloody-thirsty demon! Maybe the demon gives that person a certain degree of power? He/she gives the demon sacrificial virgin, and that person will remain in the seat of power. A very powerful and atmospheric sinister treat with evil ritualistic intent. Second track drops down the epic feeling of the first track and lets the listener walk down the corridors/cellars of torture and despair. All the ghosts from days of old still remain there. Spine-tingling dungeon-horror synth (soundtrack to 7th Guest anyone?) with something which sounds like distorted guitars?. Interesting. The third piece gets back to that good old and rusty 8-bit dungeon sound meets Conan the Barbarian. Sounds like a sinister (but relaxing) celebration going on, something IS about to happen at any time (No doubt about it). As the track-title suggest Goblins Wizards Dungeon, a slightly martial merry but sinister tone being present. Fourth track Forbidden Hateful Spell starts as action-packed Dungeon Synth, but slowly slows down to calculated sound-intrigues. 

I will not explain the rest of the tracks for you readers since the album in itself being well worth the exploring!. Obviously, it has been made by someone being... quite mad. The melodies and the moods are very naive BUT also eccentric in nature, which overall makes everything on the album very interesting. Very unique kind of dungeon synth, the sort of dungeon synth you could imagine to a horror-themed Dungeon and Dragons game (Ravenloft?). I loved it, will you?!.

Bandcamp (band):

https://tauregorath.bandcamp.com/album/nocturnal-council     

      

Catsick Blues

Not really sure what to think about this movie...


So... We have this guy named Ted who lost his cat and for some reason, believes that he needs to murder 9 people to get his cat back from the dead. So he goes around with a cat mask killing people. And also with a big cat dildo strap on...

On the other hand, we have Claire, who lost her celebrity cat in a terrifying way.

Both meet on a pet grief meeting and Claire ends up having a one-night thing with Ted.
It is the only time their storylines intertwine, as far as I could tell, until the very last bit when Ted thinks it´s a good idea to... kill Claire? Torture her till his cat Patrick comes to life?
It´s a bit confusing...

I do like the movie, the photography and editing are good and the soundtrack is really cool. I actually downloaded the band´s album where the theme song comes from.

The movie has plenty of gore and it´s quite disturbing, especially when Claire loses her cat. It also does a bit of social commentary, basically saying that social media is turning us into real jerks. There´s a scene where the video of Claire rape´s leaked (yeah, she got raped by the guy who killed her cat. There you go...) and she finds out people made react videos to it. That scene is pretty revolting because through the whole time you feel Claire´s anguish and you sympathize with her.

As for Ted... We never know how his cat died. We just know his death triggered something that made him go into a murderous rampage in the beliefs that would bring him back. Also, the final scene is the police playing a tape of when Ted was a boy and adopted baby Patrick. The video also shows him playing with the kitten and getting his black cat mask and everything is so happy and innocent.

And since I have a black kitty I sympathize with Ted. I´ll probably snap and kill people just to bring Minipu back when he dies...

Cat Sick Blues got bad reviews though I don´t think it´s a bad movie, nor an extremely disturbing one. It is not for everyone but it´s a pretty cool movie and it´s worth a watch.

IMDB:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4185862/ 

 

Dendera Bloodbath - Ascariasis

Last year the Italian label Ho.Gravi.Malattie came out with this release from a project which hasn´t reached my ears. Being described as experimental darkwave (but darker) to West Coast dark noise. Inspirations hail from the likes of Marilyn Manson, Pink Floyd, Autechre to Kate Bush and also a certain political upheavel in Egypt. According to Discogs, we´re dealing with the fifth physical release from this act (On cassette). But it shall also be noted that several only-digital releases can also be located on Dendera Bloodbath´s official Bandcamp site. This one is the latest release from this act, 9 tracks and about 28 minutes long. 

Electronica ritualistic glitch wrapped in a distorted sound-mesh, being the first thought that entered my mind with the very first track Abdominal Swelling and Shortness of Breath. Strange and eerie electronic-infused flute-like melodies and ritualistic beatings submerged in primitive glitchness (sounds like a live-recording). This tradition follows up nicely on the second track Contaminated Soil, thumbing death-industrial´ish rumblings combined with relentless electronic harshness. Third track fusions the idea between a noise-wall and static distorted glitchness. Fourth offering Pancreatic Injury puts the listener into a screaming metallic piece of rust-infected machinery, like an old washing-machine having its last wash maybe?. Rest of the album should be explored further by the reader/listener, the same kind of sounds and moods follows the mini-album/EP up.

My ears hurt actually and I do think it´s mostly positive cause the release sparks with new and experimental sound ideas. A couple of things that I do miss is that the sounds don't actually get out and crap your attention (sounds like a bad live recording), and heavy bass-like sound-foundations being completely absent, in the end, the recording will hurt your ears due to the high frequencies involved within. Being a very unique recording with some interesting ideas involved, a better recording of what is going on could be the way forward for a release like this. But if you are a cassette fetish for weird cover-art, then I suggest that you should read this:

HgM wants to inform about the artwork made by Omega Kunst: they are guts and worms sealed in resin. So, since it's an organic material, is possible, in future, that can release an unpleasant stench.

Ascariasis contains:

- front cover and insert on x-ray film

- purple transparent tape (30 minutes)

- special artwork (guts and worms sealed in resin) made by Omega Kunst

All included in a specimen plastic bag

Release (label):

https://hgmmusic.bandcamp.com/album/ascariasis

Bandcamp (band):

https://denderabloodbath.bandcamp.com/music

Facebook (band):

https://www.facebook.com/denderabloodbath/

The House That Jack Built  

Written by Elisabet Teixeira

I thought this was going to be more interesting...I thought this was going to be more interesting...

I was really looking forward to this one, even knowing that I´m not a Von Trier fan. I fell asleep in all of his movies. I did like this one though but I failed to understand what the fuss was about. Except for the duck scene. Poor duckie...
I´m pretty sure this is a black comedy. Otherwise, I´m a very bad person. I laughed in all the wrong scenes. Especially at the one where he drags the corpse of Incident 2, wrapped in plastic, with a rope attached at the end of his truck for lord knows how many miles.

The movie is beautifully shot and Matt Dillon´s performance is awesome. It´s a basic premise, we follow the work of a serial killer for 12 years and experience, with more or less detail, the gruesome killings that, for him, are a work of art.
Through all of the movie, we listen to the dialogue between Jack and Vergel, where Jack talks about what motivated him in each murder and the comparisons he does with art, architecture, and gets refuted by Vergel who insists that love must be the main element in art, not murder. I´m not going deep in that but yes, very interesting metaphors and ideas here. Though there´s nothing new.

And then the police finds "the house that Jack built", in a hurry I must say (and his finest architecture endeavor) and after that, I lost interest. Lars Von Trier turned into David Lynch and the movie made a very meh turn.

For me, the movie should have ended there. But instead, it has a very expendable 40-minute scene of Jack´s descent into hell, lead by Vergel, that ends in one of the most anticlimax movie endings ever. Such a shame...

Overall, a nice movie but not really worth all the hype. I kept thinking about "Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer". I know, different but I couldn´t stop thinking about it. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give this is a 3.5. Good movie but I kinda expected more.

Wiki:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_House_That_Jack_Built_(2018_film)

IMDB:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4003440/ 

Kadaver - Tavola Anatomica IX

The latest release from (might be) one of the loudest noise acts from Israel. Having it´s aesthetic-foundation firmly rooted in classic death-industrial, power electronics, and harsh ambiance. This new one is the 24th album from this Kadaver, which Michael Zolotov started back in 2005.

This time we are dealing with (a sort of) tribute to the morbid but beautiful engravings of Giulio Caseri and Andrea Versalio. Several tributes to these guys have been made by the label Tavloe Anatomiche, and this one is number IX in the series (Check the link below!). A 4 track album and almost 40 minutes in total. 

First and longest track on the album All Our Ghosts gives the listener a proper introduction, into the noisy murkiness of Kavaver. Not a bass-driven death-industrial sort of sound, but more of screaming and vortex-like noise-wall piece with blackened ambient and noise/post-rock elements. Almost has that, early TG distorted-guitar-sound edge to it. Strange distorted noises pop in and out, almost like if someone is jerking with a wire somewhere. In the beginning, it doesn't sound intentional, but in the progress, you´ll learn to love it actually.

Second track called The Y Cut gets closer to the seductive death-industrial roots/sound, grinding and flesh-scraping distorted throbbing-moods on the verge of being almost hypnotic. Reverbed and distortion go hand in hand here in beautiful matrimony! Fans of Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), take notice!

Third offering It´s Painful, I Know explores the reverbed morbid-moods closer to a cathedral than inside a morgue. I can almost sense a kind of melancholic/suicidal melody in here, being played at a very slow speed. A very spiritual, saddened but beautiful piece! Love the way the track ebbs out.

The last cut on the disc Unbody being a very mysterious and minimal piece compared to the other tracks. Hypnotic metallic-reverbed drones throbs up and down in a subtle way, further on a high pitched tone fades in and suddenly drops out. Reminds me of early Megaptera / Deafmachine sound (which I worship!). A great way to end this excellent album.

And there you have, moody death-industrial (with a lot of character) dish served as it should. But be quick about it, the physical CD format being limited to only 36 copies! Still not convinced? Check out the cover artwork description from the label here :

The covers are printed on paper of 200 grams, closed with dimensions of 13,50x21,70 cm. about 40.50x21.70 cm. about. In the center of each table there is a small appendix with the incision of a different anatomical detail that is different for each volume of the series.
The front of the cover in cutted on the center, and has a different cut for each volume, which allows you to see a part of the inner anatomy.
The cover is sealed with a fabric tape that holds a plexiglas blade and plastic needle with black thread.
Inside the cover are some small inserts related to historical images of the anatomies, and two cards with the copy number (each copy has a double insert with number of copy), all is collected with a piece of gauze closed with a patch. One of the coy number is a toe tag with a black ribbon.
Each Tavola Anatomica is strictly limited to 36 nunbered copies, and has different color of plexiglas blade, ribbon and plastic needle, and a different form of cut on front cover.

 

 

 So what are you waiting for!!. Go and get it! Worth it.

Bandcamp (band):

https://kadaver.bandcamp.com/

 

Facebook (band):

https://www.facebook.com/Kadaver-112935684213/ 

Discogs (label):

https://www.discogs.com/label/1358556-Tavole-Anatomiche

 

 Kalteldur top 10 of 2018

2018 have seen the most productive year on Kalteldur, it has also seen the most un-productive months on Kalteldur aswell; New daily jobs, new-born babys, computers that run down etc etc. Nevertheless, it has been decided (for me only) to produce a kind of... top-of-the-pops top-10 for greatest smash hits on Kalteldur, a kind of heads-up for those who missed out some of the really greats which I gave my ears to. So here it goes!

Number 10:

Kraaiengebroed - S/t

 

Ominoud Recordings 

The murky world of Kraaiengebroed, how could I forget it? Black Witch Twin Peaks Project drowned and submerged in blackened thick tar of despair. Black apopcalyptic and angelic ambient-moods meets death-industrial sound-drones, about 85 minutes long!. This release came to my ears around Halloween, and yes ... It made it all worthwhile and a hell-of-a-lot scarier! A must for any tape-collector with a taste of raw-ambient music!

Number 9:

Zoloft Evra - Wounds of No Return

Liquid Death Records 

Another release which deserves anyone attention was the latest dose of suicidal bitterness from Zoloft Evra. Not only did they manage to create their most beautiful release in their discography, but they also made the perfect fusion between post-rock, drone and industrial-ritual music. Even sound-aesthetic ear-candy-drops of suicidal black metal hides in the murky... but seductive shadows! I loved it from the start to the end, and so should you!

 Number 8:

Mind of God / Di-Noise - Mindnoise

 

Renacer Records 

 

 

One act from the United States and one act from Peru meets up and creates the ultimate split release of 2018. One act having its feet firmly on exquisite rhythmic-downtempo industrial doom´ish soundscapes of despair. The other act being on a high-tech technoid ambient-glitch spaceship, exploring vast quantities of intelligent dance music and cyberpunk inspired retro-wave and 8-bit tunes. What do you get?. Something quite unique and extremley refreshing, listening from the start to the very end is recommended!. 

Number 7:

Ivonne Can Cleef - 1-5 EPs

 

Luxury Bucket

 

One of the best psychedelic (and guitar-based) albums I have heard in a very very long time. Rural psychedelia through soundtracks like Paris Texas via Twin Peaks?. The sound is amazing, and the aesthetic depths of it being almost breathtaking. The first 5 EPs have been released by Luxuty Bucket as a double cassette box, worth every second (and penny).

Number 6:

Rymdborg / s/t  

 

Not everyday we stumple upon something as unique and new as the self-titled debut cassette (and RARE!) as the self-titled Rymdborg vol.1. Taking elements from dark and raw drone-ambiance and primal cosmic incredients located on early kraut-rock (Clutster, Tangerine Dream etc). Fans of dungon synth will ALSO find their love in this, that also goes for fans for that old (and classic!) Cold-Meat-Industry sound. If you have that need to seek out INCREDIBLE rarities, then jump onto the space-rocket and seek this indie release!.

Number 5:

Lyke Wake - Crawling Through the Abyss of Pain / Symphonic Noise

 

Aseptic Noise

 

One of those classic acts within esoteric industrialism that just wont quit! And the latest from Lyke Wake is NO exception!. 2 tracks over 75 minutes long, simplified as being one of thee BEST synth-driven albums of 2018. Fans of anything synth-wise, seek this one out!. The soundtrack of early Italian horror-flicks merges with cosmic Berlin school. Incredible epic, religious, spiritual and just ...  beyond... 

Number 4:

Suture - Target

 

Black Ring Rituals

 

Is industrial music a dead horse?... Actually it is BUT, some artists/acts are still getting inspired by that pure and old sound. And some artists/acts takes that and puts it into a modern sound. Suture actually sounds like... if industrial music started in 2018?. For fans of Anenzephalia, Maurizio Bianchi, Esplendor Geomtrico and early Coil. My absolute favorite industrial release of 2018!  

Number 3:

Damien De Coene - Springtime Depravity

 

Marbre Negre

 

 

Soothing brutality in a time where everything grows and gets green. The air gets warmer and the very fragent in the air can trigger ... those certain needs inside. Springtime Depravity is all about that. A multilayered HNW/ANW-treat with natural/real-recordings. The sound is amazing, almost physical. I can almost hear angelic voices in-a-loop in the background! A natural sounding noise-wall with tons of atmospheric dynamics, a lovely treat!.

 

Number 2:

Melómana Distorsión+Eye Floater - Amusia

 

Oido Iritado Records

 

Had to be one of the best walkies with my Discman. Summertime means vacation, vacation means to travel somewhere where you haven´t been before. In my case I was on the island of Langeland (In Denmark), following the beautiful and natural local beach then trough a mysterious looking forest. Very tall and straight thick trunks going way up, and up there you couldnt see the sky through the leaves. Yup... guilty as charged, I was thinking of wood-elves in the Lord of the Rings. But anyways, this strange ambient album was running on my discman and the whole experience just melted together. Felt like I was meant to be in this forrest, with this album on my discman. Right now I am sitting in my cellar room while listening to it, and it still... feel like that. You are almost meant to hear it, it is soo damn good! Evocative mysterious ambient at its best, fans of Controlled Bleeding - Eno or Nocturnal Emissions HEADS UP!. 

Number 1:

Megaptera - Disease

 

Ur Muzik 

Kind unfair ain´t it?. The stuff hasn´t even been made in 2018.. IT Is A BLOODY RE-ISSUE!. And yes it is, it is a bloody re-issue (and a REALLY decent one if you ask me). One of the ancient and classic acts have had one of their sought out (and too expensive on Discogs) releases re-issued. One of the most importent industrial acts from the 90s? Ground-breaking pioneers of their unique death-industrial style? Ever thought that everything that was good about that early CMI sound, can be found on nearly every album by Megaptera?. Almost like a concentrated formula, everything works! (and it still does). BEAUTIFUL re-issue with the sound just re-mastered juust right!. And the artwork offcourse in a beautiful digipack. Still not convinved, then go around their Bandcamp site and give this classic a listen! It is that fxxxxxx brilliant!.    

Merzbow pt. II. 

Written by Kristian Robert Carter

In my last post, I outlined my three choices of the most important albums in the early Musique Concrete period of Merzbow. In this post, I will deal with arguably his most productive period the 1990's and what is known as the Japanoise years.

This is the Merzbow that most people are familiar with. The harsh sonic overload. All channels maxing out in the red. A brutal slab of feedback and pulverising sound. Propulsive, fluctuating brutality. Unflinching and inhuman in its unforgiving aggression.

Much of this work especially in the early part of the '90s was a homage to grind and death metal. Drawing on the idea of the full-on assault to the senses and taking it way beyond anything seen in those genres.

Merzbow began to get international recognition around this point and there was a clamour of labels in Europe and the USA baying to release his work.

This was when I first discovered Merzbow mainly from a number of reviews and articles I had seen and read in the industrial music journal Music From The Empty Quarter.

Choosing three albums from my favourite era of Merzbow was a real headache as he was on a creative role at this point in time and to be honest, ninety percent of the material produced during this time, is of a very high standard.

1) " Tauromachine "

Possibly my favourite Merzbow release. Issued in 1998 by American label Release Records. A monstrous metallic blow to the skull. Mastered at a level far above most other music releases. This relatively short album is a cacophonous shower of overloading circuits, feedback, strange analogue squelched pulsing and what sounds like shards of steel crashing into glass ad infinitum. An almost dub-like sense of rhythmic momentum drives the tracks forward whilst a kaleidoscopic prism of myriad Soundwaves explode across the airwaves. If you could see sounds like a painting or a photo this would be a Jackson Pollock or a photo from the Hubble space telescope. An explosive 40 minutes of cosmic implosion.

2) " Venerology "7

Another album released by Release Records, this time in 1994. Wherein Tauromachine is a prismatic burst of psychedelic light this album is a leviathan of burnished steel and cobalt black darkness. A tidal wave of grindcore aesthetics magnified and amplified thousands of times till the initial image is lost sight of and all remaining semblance to any kind of musical endeavour is erased. Replaced with what sounds like a chrome whale convulsing in its death throes in an electrical storm. One of the most brutal albums I have ever heard. Literally an endurance test from start to finish. The artwork of corpses and body parts is unusual for Merzbow standards but works as the whole album is a nod of approval from Merz to the Extreme metal genre.

3) " Space Metalizer "

1997 ZSF release is the sound of raw energy honed into perfect blades of savage power. A lot more restrained and focused than the two albums mentioned above. This focus does not diminish the intensity but fixes it on targeted points. Rather than a raging ocean of sound, the tracks on Space Metalizer have controlled bursts of psychedelic scree. Colossal shards of fragmented synth are knitted tightly together by almost Kraftwerkian beats. There is a sense of Krautrock here and Motorik rhythms, however, it is twisted and mauled well beyond recognition.

Other recommended releases from this period are - Electric Salad, Hybrid Noisebloom and the utterly insane Rectal Anarchy.

Next. The laptop era.

Merzbow part I. 

Written by Kristian Robert Carter

As a long-term Merzbow fan and avid collector, I'm often asked what are my favourite albums of his, or what I'd recommend as an entry point to his vast catalogue of work. To understand Merzbow and to begin to analyse his output it is best to divide the material up into 4 sections.

Firstly his initial Musique Concrete experiments from the early '80s, then the Japanese noise period of the nineties, the laptop era in the first decade of the new century and his more recent return to analogue since around 2010. With 40 years of music and close to 500 releases it is a gargantuan task to leap into his discography.

I was asked to name my ten favourite albums by Merzbow but I found that too daunting so what I've done is choose my top three from each of the four separate distinct phases in his artistic Career.
Firstly I will deal with his early experimental works, or his Musique Concrete years from the 1980s.

These were Masami's first forays into recording and much of it is very lo-fi and sparse compared to his later slabs of obliterating sound. Owing a debt to Nurse With Wound & The New Blockaders as well as free jazz practitioners much of this early work was on limited cassettes and is extremely hard to track down.

Luckily a lot of it has been released in a restored form on the Merzbox ( heavily edited ) and more recently as full releases by Italian label Menstrual Recordings.

So here I chose my three personal favourites from the early years.

1) " I'm Proud By The Rank Of The Workers- Live In The USSR "

Limited vinyl album released by ZSF in 1988, documenting two live shows in the Soviet Union. Side one is a beautiful chunk of concrete abrasion whilst side two is more ' melodic ' and has Masami on drums. An almost jazz-like freeform jam. Sheffield Jazz core abusers Aufghoben obviously drew heavily on this release for inspiration for their nightmarish jazz pummellings. The tale is that Soviet authorities were not happy with the noisier experimental sounds of the first night and told Merzbow to make it more musical on the following performance the night after. Hence the quite disparate sides of vinyl.

2) " 抜刀隊 With Memorial Gadgets " 

A staple choice with most long-term Merz fans. Originally released in 1986 as a double vinyl album this album has it all. Scrapes, clatter, clutter, junk metal abuse, dada-inspired randomness, tape manipulation, splicing and a general sense of absurdist mayhem. This album manages to be threatening, ridiculous, humorous and queasy all at once. Which makes it at once pretty gruelling and at the same time also rather inviting. Merzbow is often portrayed as Mr Poker Face but this album is maybe his most absurdist humorous adventure. Still sounds fresh and challenging today.

3) " Lowest Music "

One of the earliest Merzbow tapes. Released in 1982. Recently reissued as a vinyl by Italian label Urashima. A stomach-churning grind and scrape of junk electronics, found sounds, tape loops and analogue audio garbage. At times it sounds like a jazz band whose instruments have been replaced with claw hammers and band saws. 

Next post. The Japanese noise period.

Paradroid

Just suffering from a minor writers-block. Maybe I have done too many music reviews lately? Busy at work? New baby-member in my family? Less time listening to music?... Add all those things and you´ll eventually end having writers-block. Since being nostalgic at times, and still spending my free-time playing computer-games (When I have free time that is!) I might as well go around and review one of my all-time retro-classic favorites called Paradroid.

This game was made back in 1985 and was made available on most of the home-computer platforms (C64, ZX, Amiga etc).

So what is Paradroid all about then?. You are a robot with a task. Enemy forces (Aliens or humans?) have somehow high-jacked/hacked the robotic working-forces on several spaceships, turning these metallic mechanoids against the living humans. Your job as the so-called Paradroid is too infiltrate these spaceships and stop the human-killing droids. The way to do this is... rather interesting and rather unique. You start off as a tiny (maybe-flying) droid, equipped with a tiny laser-cannon and a kind of hardware which allows you to hack into the other androids. If you success in hacking into the mainframe of a certain droid, you will then get total control over this droid. You´ll start off with taking control over the smaller droids (since they are easier at hacking), and you´ll end up hacking the huge and very dangerous combat droids!. When you are overtaking these combat droids, you´ll also get access to their awesome firepower! 

For a game soo old it was a pretty heavy-deal with a game-plot like that! More or less a predecessor for such popular titles like System-shock. Still worth the time!

Wiki:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradroid