Maison closE - S/T

We get to review another enigmatic album release from Nuit et Brouillard´s side-label Force Majeure. A self-titled album by a project called Maison closE, which means brother in English. This (solo) project is being narrated by M. Kopfring. The material inside was recorded in 1998-1999, and the album was released on CD in 2003, not exactly new and fresh... but what the heck!

Cover-artwork shows some nasty nurses, and the backside shows a patient being ready for an operation of some sort... he might be dead? Inside we see soldiers marching, with a kid beside waving the American flag. Injured soldiers in war, with evil nurses in the hospital... waiting for them. Why the project has been called a brothel, with nurses?... I leave it at that! Anyways 12 tracks, over 60 minutes long, let´s go.

The first track is called Vent d´est - Vent d´ouest (East Wind - West Wind). A slow (and classic) and heavy death-industrial humming-bass starts, with... (I think)... the sound of waves on a beach? Took me some time to figure that out, the sound of the waves is offcourse filtered and altered in an interesting cool atmospheric way. Some eerie sounds pop in and out of the murky ambient soundscape as well. Nice start, very simple but effective nonetheless.

The second track The Game Is On, starts with a movie sample... which I don´t regonize? Irritates me as u all can hear, I'm really good at movie samples. The sample ends, and a grinding and monotonous industrial soundscape kicks in. Not that far away from the early Anenzephalia. More sort of clinical sound, which suits the artwork really nicely. Sort of a thing between ambient and power electronics, but without the vocals. 

The third track Most Of Them Never Come Back, takes one more sample from the same movie (I think). Sound of a clock ticking, and a male voice speaking... with a female. Talking about some war I think. 

The fourth track Jour De Gloire (Glory Day). Is it NOT a glory day, or is it? Layered soundscape containing sounds/recordings, probably from the Second World War. Sound of falling bomb-shelves, machine-guns, religious chants. Love the rawness of the recordings, might be a microphone recording some old VCR thing from an older telly.

The fifth track I Can Feel The Blood... Continues the recording/samples from the same movie. He talks about if it all is a dream, a recording of some doctor talking, etc. Nice menacing drone in the background.

The sixth track Temps De Guerre (Wartime) starts with a slowed-down looped alarm-sort-of-sound. Additional layers of filtered ambient noise are added later on. Like a brutal and acid-drenched nightmare.

The seventh track Ton -Nihil -Rec offers a true perspective on what death industrial is all about. You have the monotonous hum, a rising sort of tension building up, layers of subtle noise building up. And for the first time ever, we hear a vocal recording. Someone making a yell, altered by lots of reverb and echo.

There are a lot of heavy industrial soundscapes on this album, all in between the realms of power electronics, industrial, and ambient music. A bit boring in the beginning, BUT... it gets WAY more interesting (and good) as the album progresses. Some of the best tracks on the album are after when you are halfway through. Would recommend it to fans of German stuff like Anenzephelia, Dagda Mor, and Operation Claeanstrike.

Bandcamp (label):

https://forcemajeure.bandcamp.com/album/maison-close

Discogs (band):

https://www.discogs.com/artist/116406-Maison-Close

Top 10 of 2023 by Mads Heilskov

1: Abscheu - Creed (Tesco)

On Creed, Abscheu once again delivers a slab of modern and crushing power electronics. Raw and to the bone, Creed is exactly the follow-up that I had hoped for after last year’s excellent EP on Unrest. Creed marks a new level of perfection from Abscheu and is my favorite album this year.

2: Am Not - Cold + Disloyal (Unrest)

Am Not is back with his signature brand of hi-fi and modern, yet uncompromising industrial/power electronics. Just as one has come to expect from Am Not, Cold + Disloyal is a thoroughly crafted and innovative album full of memorable moments and was a close runner-up to the No. 1 spot on this list.

3: Prurient & Genocide Organ - Carte Blanche (Hospital)

The two industrial pioneers have teamed up to create an album full of nuanced, dark, and brooding heavy electronics of high caliber. Carte Blanche was an anxiously anticipated release for me and I can honestly say that I did not expect it to be this good. This fills me with hope for the upcoming GO album.

4: Arktau Eos - Dormiveglia (Aural Hypnox)

The Finnish ritual ambient masters return with a new excellent piece of dark art with plenty of weird and eerie atmospheres delivered with authority and originality.

5: Halo Manash - Par-Antra II: TAA (Aural Hypnox)

The other Finnish ritual ambient masters deliver too! This is nature mysticism when it is most evocative. Like Arktau Eos, Halo Manash is highly original but delivers a more organic and acoustic kind of sound. They are certainly also equally good.

6: Grunt - Vieraat aivot (Freak Animal)

Grunt has always been busy in terms of releases. On this one, we get the capturing of two different live performances which are quite different from one another. As always with Grunt, however, you get a carefully crafted, yet raw, devastating, yet beautiful piece of industrial/noise art.

7: Apex Parasite - Erosion Of The Will (Dunkelheit)

Erosion Of The Will delivers raw as fuck skinhead stuff that will bash your skull in. It took me by surprise, but Erosion Of The Will has been in heavy rotation; it really is a beast of an album.

8: Prelest - Teodal (Freak Animal)

There is not much to say about this one – this is just pure industrial corrosion and rot. Needless to say, I love it.

9: Amek-Maj - s/t (Freak Animal)

Amek-Maj is one of the most promising new names on the industrial/noise scene in my book. I look forward to following this project in the years to come and, in the meantime, dive back into this great piece of noisy industrial muzak again and again.

10: HÖH - Epäjohdonmukainen (Freak Animal)

HÖH is lo-fi as you can get. The album delivers the crackling and corroding sound of rust and rubble in a ruined landscape. Full of slowly grinding dread, Epäjohdonmukainen is the sound of abandoned factories and polluted air. It is the perfect soundtrack to enter yet another year of waste, pollution, and suffering.

Inner Paradise - Yur​ō​pa Zindahb​ā​d

written by Mads Heilskov

Inner Paradise (भीतरी पैराडाइज) is (was) a Nepalese psychedelic tribal industrial outfit focusing on industrial interpretations of Jain mantras (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jainism). 

Yurōpa Zindahbād is their seventh and final release and features seven tracks recorded in various European countries over several years. The sound is quite diverse, to say the least, but can be summed up as consisting of cut-up loops of mantras and samples with tribal rhythmic elements and reverberated noises of different kinds, sometimes in the foreground and sometimes in the background.

These vary between what feels like field recordings from rituals and busy streets and more synthetic noise sounds. The beats and mantras at times remind me of 80s aerobic videos only to venture into what can probably best be described as primitive metallic synth punk (thinking of track 3 here), while most of them fall between “ethnic” field recordings and harsh noise territory. 

Throughout the tape, the pace and tone shift effortlessly between the somber and spiritual to the upbeat and almost comical, and most of the time I feel like I’m listening to some weird old field recording of an ancient mushroom-fuelled ceremony that is constantly being interrupted by commercials, billboards, plastic prophets, and street salesmen. As the reader might gather, the style and vision are unique but also confusing and truly psychedelic. It's not hippie-psychedelic, mind you, but more like a trip inside a mind that is utterly disturbed and caught between worlds. 

As such, this tape is caught between two worlds; an ancient one which is calm and with a spiritual focus, and a modern one that keeps zooming in and out on…nothing…and without aim while constantly letting itself be interrupted by buzzing noise. This, I think is the essence of Yurōpa Zindahbād: the confrontation between old and new, the spiritual and the commercial, the inwards-looking and the outwards-looking, the solemn monastery, and the noisy city. It thereby holds up a perfect mirror for us of a world that will destroy your soul and tell you not to worry because, you know, yoga, meditation, incense, a healthy diet, and green tea, all very refined and expensive, will save you and give you peace – at a very fair price. 

Of course, Inner Paradise says it best in the liner notes: “Everything is tracked, wear Nike, drink Coca-Cola, watch porn, exploit and be exploited, buy online and wait for the war. Always accept therapeutic capitalism, enjoy greenwashing, enjoy pinkwashing, get a tattoo, go to Israel for a Goa party, and love the war. The screen is mass destruction”. In sum: instead of buying your stupid meditation kit and green tea picked by children, buy this tape, and then go on and do something worthwhile with that life you don’t deserve.

Bandcamp (band):

https://innerparadise.bandcamp.com/album/yur-pa-zindahb-d

Discogs (label):

https://www.discogs.com/release/24263846-Inner-Paradise-Yur%C5%8Dpa-Zindahb%C4%81d

 Arum Lilies - Subsurface Aquifers

Behind this enigmatic project/act hides Mark Groves. Who is someone who is in a lot of different bands, with band names like Collapsed Toilet Vietnam to George W. Bush! On top of that, he has several solo projects and he releases under his own name as well. Arum Lilies is one of his solo projects; this is the second album out. Both albums have been released by the same label called Death Continues. A prolific cult label with acts like Sutcliffe Jugend and Autopsia (just to name a few). This one is the latest from both the act and the label. 

The album has been released as a limited (120 copies) Compact Disc inside a nifty-looking digipack. Love the kind of sun-bleached colors on the photo/artwork, strange kind of nostalgic feel to it. The track listing is on the front, and the back (and inside) has some interesting poetry u can examine while listening. Inside there is also a photo showing the shoulders and half of the face of some man in a suit, probably a sleazy politician! 8 tracks, about 32 minutes in total.

The first track A Belated Arrival to Its Own Party... is a quiet party. Reverbed ceramic sounds, otherworldly radio noise, creepy TG´ish bass guitar sounds. I like it. An effective ear-opener if you ask me. A bit short though, really liked what I heard.

The second track is called 27° 03' 36" S 150° 26' 18" E. And I have heard some rumors regarding the name of this track! It's a geographic coordinate when using google it will present an event! Try it out yourself! There is a strange and highly filtered voice speaking, about something being dissolved in water. Presence of the desert heat and the bussing of insects. A chaotic (yet controlled) wall of noise hits the listener like the rain on a hot day... and then the track ends.

The third track Parallel Passages offers looped (and slowed down) piano and strings. Kind of makes me think of some of the looped ambient tracks by Boyd Rice. This ends, and it goes back to that TG bass sound with some excellent and atmospheric windy sounds in the background. The looped strings and pianos slowly creep back into the recordings. Kind of like Boards of Canada without the rhythms.

The fourth track Intrinsically Perverse Crystallum Orbis has the sound of dust on an old record player, looped drone´ish strings, and some cool reverbed sounds of someone touching a sensitive string. Elements of harsh noise are suddenly added and end when some looped violins and spoken vocals creep in. It all sounds and feels like being in a place where time has stopped. I get the feeling of old gramophones and dust.    

The fifth track The Tissue-Culture King goes further into the strange mixture of noise and organic ambient/drone. I really like the whole thing so far, mixing noise with pleasant ambient can be a tricky thing... but so far Arum Lilies has proved that it can be done. Strangely disturbing and strangely pleasant. 

The sixth track Strawman Oracle, has elements that we have already heard in the first track. But, it makes sense for some reason. The album runs totally like a movie, it´s basic story-telling using sound only. Lovely minimalistic approach here, and a creepy and intense Twin Peaks mood going on here. 

The seventh track The Late Great Planet Earth, is where it all gets... really weird. Starts with a rumbling explosion, and then it goes straight into some sort of religious cowboy muzack. Remember the Hank & Slim album (work between Nocturnal Emissions and Zoviet France) doing country drone-ambient?. Excellent contrast which (luckily) works with what we have heard so far! 

The eighth (and last) track is simply called Mirrors. We kind of return to the bussing desert, with a hypnotic and filtered looped tune/melody... which for some strange reason makes me think of Blue Monday with New Order. Layers of orchestral recordings in there as well. Lovely outro if you ask me. 

I would so that it is a very good album. Although short, but surprisingly effective! It creates questions and heightens the curiosity of the listener, the enigmatic soundscapes are so thick but, nonetheless light as a feather in the wind. The album works, in a way as when u are looking at a huge painting, but you are only allowed to watch in through various tiny holes on a wall. You get the big picture when you combine all these small impressions together. A worthy album to seek out for sure!.

Discogs (release):

https://www.discogs.com/release/28578607-Arum-Lilies-Subsurface-Aquifers

Facebook (label):

https://www.facebook.com/deathcontinuesrecords

Discogs (label):

https://www.discogs.com/label/461726-Death-Continues-Records

      

    

    

 

Emaztegaiak / PHLGZ - S/T

An older split release from E.C.T Recordings. A split between two noisy power-electronics acts called Emaztegaiak and PHLGZ. Emaztegaiak being translated to brides in English from Basque, and PHLGZ?... I don´t know what that means. Both acts are from the Spanish town named Bilbao. I know the people behind Emaztegaiak, since I have reviewed numerous recordings by them on Kalteldur (Various projects with various sounds/styles etc). Two members are Miguel A. Garcia and Enrique Garoz De Diego if you all should know.  On the other hand, PHLGZ is a solo project by JL Rey. A Spanish drummer in extreme metal bands (and horror/sci-fi illustrator as well!). The album artwork is (just) a cool-looking vintage-sort-of photo of some sort of electronic power-box. The cassette album comes in a shiny black cassette box, and inside you will additional album info and a nice and nifty-looking E.C.T Recordings flyer. The thing is limited to 50 copies. 

We start with the A-side, and the A-side is with Emaztegaiak. The first track with them is called Dorrea, which means tower in English. A heavy ambient factory-feeling atmosphere hums from the cellar, with some really demonic screaming vocals underneath it. Very spacy and almost surreal power electronics with lots of moody reverb. It´s not your typical kind of power electronics, being something quite else. Think you can compare it to the early Whitehouse with a touch of Nurse With Wound on top. 

The second track is called Zure Begien Barruan (Inside Your Eyes). Following the same sounds and mood as the former track, running like a kind of one-take session. The vocals are more alien sounding here, with some heavy added sound effects. Some of the background sounds kind of have that... church organ sort of sound. It´s all pretty brutal and surreal at the same time. The sound of some sort of... Lovecraftian god crawling and screaming out of the portal. 

The third and last track with Emaztegaiak is called Maitasuna (Love). The whole thing sounds like torture or hell. Constant surreal organ sounds with the sound of someone being in some torturous machine of some kind. Strangely disturbing piece for some reason, the most intense track on the A-side without a doubt.

We flip the cassette and continue on the B-side with the project called PHLGZ. The first track is called Quantionism. The sound of cosmic horror streams out of the speakers the very instant u press play. Sound of 1000 humming insects, strange dimensions, eldritch lifeforms, and stretched-out sounds being sucked straight into a black hole. Very surreal material here, and very evocative! 

The second track Autovolscient intensifies the experience further by adding heavier sounds with additional distorted noises. We´re still experiencing the horrible birth of an entire galaxy. Giving me that feeling that my stereo has turned into a far-reaching radio, and getting contact somewhere... out there. 

I think (maybe) that we have gotten into track 3?. Tracks 2 and 3 are sort of... mixed together. It´s called Theorybrok, and so far it's the weirdest and most chaotic track. Far-reaching stuff with far-reaching material. Action-driven ambient noise is at its best here.

The fourth and last track Deanimaliz contains angelic (high to the ceiling) ambient drones, random computer sounds and looped noisy recordings. Feels like being sort of... stuck there. Between two worlds, parallel universes? Everything sounds... out there. Great tracks by PHLGZ! 

And there we have it ladies and gentlemen! Brutal surreal cosmic horror to make Lovecraft choke on his morning coffee! Lots of space, lots of imagination, and lots of room for thought. Plenty of reasons to return to this Spanish split-album. These two great projects deliver something quite new! Great fusion between extreme styles in electronic music. 

Discogs (Emaztegaisk):

https://www.discogs.com/artist/8024587-Emaztegaiak

Bandcamp (PHLGZ):

https://phlgz.bandcamp.com/music

Facebook (label):

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

 

   

  

  

 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