Praying For Oblivion + Nerthus - 

A Desolate Place

I have known about the act Praying For Oblivion since... a compilation called Apocalyptic Streams (2008). A compilation that opened a lot of doors for me (Go and seek it out!). Praying For Oblivion is a solo act that has been running since 1997, within the realms of power-electronics, industrial, and noise. This one is one of the latest with Praying For Oblivion, and it is also the first time I have heard the act venturing into atmospheric ambient music. And Praying For Oblivion isn´t alone this time! In good company with an act called Nerthus. A German-based dark-ambient act that has been active since 2003, and has been releasing albums on such cool labels as Art Konkret, Audiophob, and even neo-folk label Eis Und Licht. 

This album is a collab-album, not a split!. Andrew-Johnathan Seal (Praying For Oblivion) has been doing field recordings, which are reprocessed with additional sound and music by Nerthus. As you can figure out, this is a concept album that works around the atmosphere, aesthetic, and mood surrounding abandoned places. If you take a look at the cover artwork, you´ll notice that we´re dealing with places that have contained a lot of human activity. Places where people have worked and lived. Now the place only shows an empty shell, reminding visitors of days long gone by. A 7-track album, containing 43 minutes of highly concentrated decayed atmospheres. Note for the reader, every track is just called I, II, III etc, etc... A limited 50 copies CD-R, so please be quick!

On the first track, I instantly tell/inform where he/she is. Ever tried entering one such place? You get that eerie feeling that you probably shouldn't be here, and you also get that feeling that the ghosts (spiritual leftovers) are still remaining (for some unknown reason). The entire place screams for the final deliverance, for a big bull-dozer to tear the place apart. That feeling is perfectly described in the first track. Hizzing drones, metallic rumblings, echo sounds through steel tubes... You got it all. Perfect intro. 

The second track II has more of a basement sort of feeling. How the sound is transformed when you are in the basement of some abandoned factory. Your hearing gets way more acute for the small sounds, and every sound happening above gets amplified when you are below. Incredible haunting stuff so far! 

The third track III, goes from the basement to the empty storage halls. High to the ceiling and lots of.. well space! You almost need those few sounds of... well various birds, building nests. Flickering of their wings, and their chirping bird sounds. A good place to imagine that sort of human activity, especially in a huge sort of warehouse-place. Love how the sounds are here as well, giving the listener the idea that walls can talk (or whisper!). If you have a decent stereo with this, the experience is quite otherworldly.

The fourth track IV goes to the rooms of the various office rooms. Where one could imagine people, talking a lot offcourse. Lots of human voices on this track, whispering and talking through the thin air. Love the way the two artists make a perfect (and unique) fusion of ambient and industrial music, to simply call it dark-ambient would be a dull thing to do. So far, this is more than just dark-ambient. 

The fifth track V is where we (might) enter the attic of the building. You can hear how sounds from below, gently move upwards. There is also the sound of wind, how the wind enters the building, and how it locates an exit through the building. Maybee, there are also, air-shafts... moving air and sound through them. To me, it´s almost like every track describes a location in the location. Sandbox ambient anyone, feels like a place for the listener to explore. Getting a nostalgic feeling with this track, thinking of Aphex Twin´s Selected Ambient Works Vol.2 and This Crying Age by Morthond. (which is a good thing, people!).

To further describe this beautiful album would be to spoil the adventure that the album will deliver to the listener. It broadens with every track, a tiny world continuously growing with every second going. It´s like I said, It´s a perfect sandbox album. You can explore every bit here, and the album keeps on motivating you to do that. The sound is... absolutely superb. Recommended listening through headphones, or your stereo-speakers with your vintage CD player. My small speakers work like an absolute charm in my basement. It´s bloody high-quality ambient stuff here, way more than the rest! Be sure to check out the supportive links below!

Discogs (label):

https://www.discogs.com/release/25440844-Praying-For-Oblivion-Nerthus-A-Desolate-Place-

Facebook (label):

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

Bandcamp (Praying For Oblivion):

https://prayingforoblivion.bandcamp.com/

Bandcamp (Nerthus):

https://nerthus.bandcamp.com/

            

  

   

 Mai 12 & Dosis Letalis - Untergrundarbeiten

It has been some time since I have heard something new from one of my favorite HNW acts, namely Dosis Letalis. Actually, Dosis Letalis was reviewed on this blog way back in 2016! Dosis Letalis (and Anonymous Masturbaudioum) were the first two acts that introduced me to the textured sound world of HNW (Harsh noise wall). This one is a split with a Greek-based HNW act called Mai 12, which is also highly productive (Check Discogs link below). The guys behind Mai 12 are Karl Grümpe and Rene P.Q, two lads heavily involved in the Greek music underground. Being noise artists, and running some labels, be sure to check the Discogs link below people!

Anyways, this cassette (Limited to 50 copies) has been released by Grubenwehr Freiburg. You get a nice-looking woodsy-black cassette with some cool print on both sides, and some artwork showcasing hardworking miners from the days of old. Turns out that these poor devils are Greek immigrants working in Belgium mines, and the release itself is inspired by a short movie called Letter From Charleroi (Same name for the track by Mai 12). The letter is sent by a worker to his mother back in Greece, probably a letter about him missing his homeland and describing the harsh conditions (as a coal miner) in a strange and completely foreign land. The other tracks (On the B-side) by Dosis Letalis, have their focus and inspiration from the pictures themselves. Here Dosis Letalis uses intentional malfunctions and abrupt interruptions of the constant sound. In other words, we are getting more deep than underground here! 

The first track by Mai 12 - Letter From Charleroi, actually sounds like a huge drill...moving earth. I do know that (back then) everything was moved by hand and pickaxes. The combination of the drilling sound, and claustrophobic bass walls clearly describes (mentally) the oppressive and torturous feeling of spending (and working) your entire day as a coal miner. The air and scent are different, and offcourse the longing for the sun-light! It´s a harsh atmospheric treat, which pumps and crawls slowly through the listener's ears. Not constant HNW from the start and to the end, but take notice of the atmospheric ambient sounds in the background as well. There are also some high squealing sounds that make me think of bats offcourse.  Also, traces of heavily distorted vocals are being used here as well. The whole thing starts sort of gentle and gets more and more oppressive and claustrophobic in the process. Typically describes the day as a coal miner. Kind of interesting how Mai 12 manages to create a claustrophobic feeling with an atmospheric sound.

We flip the cassette and continue on the B-side with Dosis Letalis. While Mai 12 focused on a heavy and spacious sound, Dosis Letalis has more of a microscopic, minimal, and isolated sound approach. The first track is called Perfect Conditions. Contains incredible crunchy chopped-up distorted bass sounds, kind of get back to that drill. When it can drill, It will drill. Occasionally when it hits hard-rock, it will slow down a bit. Getting totally entranced here, these sounds go straight into the head. Not a negative comment really, because I do like what I hear! 

The second track is called Bunches, which immediately takes me back to Boyd Rice & Frank Gadgets Easy Listening For The Heard of Hearing. How a chopped-up machine noise can actually become a rhythm! I can almost hear the rubble of the mine crumple here, a very tight drill is at work here. Dentist drill being recorded maybe? 

The third (and last) track by Dosis Letalis is called Rupturing Erythrocytes (Red blood cells), does actually sound like something... blowing up. Small and constant explosions of small fire-crackers, or the sound of fabric getting ripped to shreds... inch by inch.  Glittering sounds of distorted bacon on a frying pan, with a murky-sounding bass sound delivering some extra element to the track. 

While this is an excellent HNW album, the end of it also gives me the impression of getting out of the coal mine after a long day's work. My ears are actually banging, and my mind and eyes feel... quite heavy and overloaded. Quite the edgy thing here, the sound and feel really get to you.. which (I believe) is the intention. After the album had ended, you can still hear and feel the aftermath of it. Hell, I even think that it could (and will) haunt me in my sleep. Well, here you are ladies and gentlemen... the latest thing in HNW. Subterranean noise wall, bound to bring you down... totally down! The ultimate HNW experience of 2022!              

Bandcamp (label):

https://grubenwehrfreiburg.bandcamp.com/album/untergrundarbeiten

 Gamnad737 - Hymn To Ahrãmuhntra

From Bangkok, Thailand we have Gamnad737. A highly productive harsh-noise solo act, been active since 2012. The only member Arkat Vinyapiroath, also being a highly productive composer who works within the boundaries of black metal, ambient, noise, and even jazz. This album is his 13th one and it is the second latest release after the new one, which is called Drilling Technique (Tribute To Jeffrey Dahmer). Greek label E.C.T Recordings have released this album on both CDr and on cassette, both editions being limited to 50 copies each. Quite simple, 2 tracks... both being about 30 minutes each. 

Before we jump head-on into the review of the recorded stuff inside, let me just make a copy-paste of his manifest regarding this act:

The sounds of liberation may lead to freeing others from their inner confinement, Siamese Noise outfit represents the stories through recordings from time to time in both acoustic and electric sound synthesis.

When then leads me straight into the first track, simply called Hymn To AhrãmuhntraPart I. It Starts with a dynamic and layered noise wall. Sound of windy storms, pitched squeals, concrete waves of distortion... and all of this sounds like it has been recorded inside a huge cathedral. Some really ceremoniously chanting vocals enters the void. A very spiritual experience so far, very high to the ceiling here. Slowly moving brutality rather than speed-orientated violence. Interesting mixture of religious chanting and ritualistic noise. I keep asking myself here, who the bloody hell is this...Ahrãmuntra?. But, doesn't really bugger me that I don´t know who it is. The painful (but mysterious) noisy soundscape does raise the question but keeps the curiosity fresh through the track. Very vibrant but lots of dynamics going on!

The second track Hymn To Ahrãmuhntra Part II continues in the same tradition as the former. Although being more focused on a heavier sound. It also feels more aggressive, and less atmospheric as well. Still containing those mysterious chanting voices In the background. When you get to the second track, you will notice a sort of... ambient-mood, if you manage to filter out the brutal noise! 

Kind of like... a coin with two sides. You will listen to the same side twice here, and you are wondering what might be on the other side? Is it the spiritual and ambient-based background? Or is it some info about who Ahrãmuhntra is? A ferocious journey into the unknown, a brutal ritual of horrific noise. You almost feel like being a part of the recording itself, participating in some kind of spiritual cleansing... a harsh spiritual cleansing that is. A wonderful album, truly is. Simple but abstract, minimal but incredibly dense, primitive but highly spiritual. Two contrast are evident here, they work together and it works. Sort of like yin and yang, recommended!

Facebook (label):

https://www.facebook.com/ectrecs

Bandcamp (band):

https://gamnad737.bandcamp.com/album/hymn-to-ahr-muhntra

     

  

 ASTRO - FAR IN THE DISTANCE

Written by Mads Heilskov

Japanese noise project Astro consists of Hiroko and Hiroshi Hasegawa who have been part of countless noise bands throughout the decades, perhaps most famously C.C.C.C. and Nord. Despite this and the fact that Astro has been around since 1993 with a ton of releases behind them, this is the first time I have actually listened to them. This review is therefore only concerned with Far in the Distance and not how it fares in comparison with the rest of their discography. 

To begin with, my first impression was admittedly not very optimistic. The cover art looks like one of those 90s dance CDs one would find in the bargain bins at the supermarket. In my opinion, this cheapens the overall impression of the CD causing one’s expectations to drop. Cover art is one thing, sound is another, and it turns out this release is a grower. In the first few listening sessions, I was not convinced. The sounds were erratic and without any feeling of purpose, giving me associations with this whole “noise for fun” thing which is certainly not an approach I appreciate. Upon repeated listens, however, details began to emerge and I started to get a sense of meaning in the seemingly directionless mess of rapid sonic blitzes. An atmospheric background started to become audible and the little bits and pieces of sound began to make sense, creating a sense of cohesion amidst the overall chaotic sensory overload.  

Track 1, Cluster Amaryllis, goes from an ambient atmosphere with a weird noisy background to a cacophony of sounds surrounding the listener. Around the midway point, it tips over in a bass-heavy crescendo with some nice ambient textures and spacy sounds accompanying it only to descend into noisy territory again. Throughout there’s a myriad of small sounds coming from everywhere creating a chaotic feel. It is like accelerating through space colliding with everything, creating little explosions resulting in tiny pieces of rubble cascading in all directions. It varies between squeaky sounds and sporadic rhythmic outbursts before venturing into noisier territory with high-pitched sounds of distorted bells and underlying distorted horns (or something like that) and back again. By moving back and forth between calmer and more structured industrial/ambient oriented sounds and rapid noise outbursts, Cluster Amaryllis manages to keep the tension and constantly evolve throughout its little over 21 minutes of runtime while keeping the spacy feeling throughout.

Track 2, Rebel Moon and Emotional Resolution, showcases a looser approach to sound creation. It starts off with a found sound/cut-up sound collage consisting of synth sweeps mixed with sound bits of what could be cars, barking dogs, small radio snippets, and construction work sent through various filters and effects. In its first part, Rebel Moon…has a more rhythmic yet somewhat disorientating feel to it. To these ears, it feels like a hectic journey through a noisy city while intoxicated. Although the sounds are loud, everything blends together creating something that feels more distant. It is, to stick with the intoxicated journey metaphor, as if the listener experiences all the buzzing around them through a filter, adding to the feeling of disorientation and confusion. Around the 9 min. mark the spacy feeling from Cluster Amaryllis starts to re-appear, albeit only for a short while before the psychedelic urban confusion takes over again with what sounds like cut-up voices and traffic. Towards the end, the track goes into a more rhythmic and industrial-sounding direction leading to a violent climax. Overall, during the almost 25-minute timespan, small and insignificant sounds are blown out of proportion while more prominent sounds seem to be dampened and placed in the background. The way sounds are enhanced, dampened, clashed with each other, and turned on and off gives a dizzying effect reminding of a bad acid trip. This leads me to think that this track is perhaps more about tumultuous inner than outer space. 

Off to a rocky start, I must say that my relationship with this CD has become much better than first anticipated. Even the cover art (which I still find off-putting) makes sense as it gives a cosmic vibe that fits well within the psychedelic exploration of outer and inner space in all its chaotic and erratic glory. This CD features a cacophony of small collisions of sound and may send the listener on a hectic and uncomfortable, but nonetheless rewarding, journey through a space full of objects that are hard and sharp, but, along the way, also beautiful. I can therefore only recommend that you put on your space suit, swallow the red and blue pills and let Astro take you on a trip into a stratosphere that is wild and chaotic rather than calm and soothing.

Bandcamp (label):

https://abhorrentcreationtapes.bandcamp.com/album/astro-far-in-the-distance

Bandcamp (band):

https://astro-hasegawa.bandcamp.com/

 Liposucción - Tácticas De Combate Entomológicas

 

Another interesting CD-R release from Greek E.C.T Recordings. Liposucción hails (all the way) from Armenia Colombia and this album is the second from this act. Limited and numbered 50 copies edition, Tácticas De Combate Entomológicas comes in that iconic E.C.T-CD-R-design look. A folded (and informative) CD cover with a printed CD-R housed in transparent rice paper. All of this is housed inside a nifty plastic bag. And what about the artwork on the cover? I didn´t understand the album title, but a closer look at the photo revealed some kind of winged insect of some sort. Some strange and kind of high-tech-looking graphics are sort of mixed into the photo as well. A note to mention, Filipo Laresca is the guy behind this project. The founder of Haunted Exp Laps Records, and responsible for tons of cool releases on his Bandcamp, I suggest u go check out (link below)

Anyways!...Hightech insects?... Maybe. The album title is translated as Entomological Combat Tactics, which basically means... how to use science to battle the insects by certain combat tactics. The album is based on an article called El Uso De Insectos Para Crear Plasgas, which means (roughly translated) Using Insects To Crete Pests. Interesting, I might wanna read that article. Who the hell wants to use insects in that matter? To drive people out from some area, or to use insects in the matter of warfare? If it was me, locusts might be a good idea. I wonder, is it a locust on the album cover? The locust thing is a classic thing of biblical proportions. Anyways, we´re dealing with a 12-track album, about 47 minutes in total. 

The first track is simply called Entomologia, and begins the album with a kind of low-tech (and analog) psychedelic glitch sound. Someone (obviously) is pushing the very limit of what sort of electronic sounds old-school analog equipment can produce. I mean I love it. The sounds are sharp and to the point, the sound quality is absolutely exquisite. Kind of a fusion between high-tech and low-tech here. The insectoid sound feeling is quite evident so far. 

The second track Cantos de Guerra de los Insectos (Insect War Songs) continues with a highly atmospheric and buzzing sound, with noisy elements and mercury-like electronics. The sound of insects... planning and scheming for world domination. It´s all pretty spacy and weird, but it makes absolutely sense when u get into the concept of the album! 

The third track Insesticidio moves further into the area of harsh noise and gets me back to that Japanese album with Third Organ I reviewed. Lots of panic and chaos-driven moments here, I guess that is what you´ll expect (as a bug) when humans use insecticide on your entire world! 

The fourth track Tácticas de Combate Entomológicas gets right back to that eerie low-tech old-school industrial atmosphere, very similar to early Maurizio Bianchi and Zona Industriale! Metallic psychedelics with lots of otherworldly reverb effects, incredible beautiful primal industrial stuff here!

The fifth track Artrópodos Infectados (Infected Arthropods) is a totally hypnotizing sound piece. A really ear-candy sort of a track, with lots of stuff moving left and right through your speakers. Clicking sounds there hissing sounds there. I also saw (in the informative booklet) that field recordings of bugs have been used!

The eight-track ÁCaros Fitófagos (Phytophagous Mites) sort of... gets close to me. I have hens in my garden, and just recently we´ve had a case of bloody blood mites in there. Every time I went into their little house to fetch eggs, I came with that creepy crawling feeling of mites all over. And yes, this track is a quite convincing creepy-crawling track. Doom-laden industrial electronics with some menacing mechanic bubbling effects. Believe me or not, we had to use some other super-mites to exterminate the blood mites.

The rest of the album is a bloody blast. Analog-industrial atmosphere exploring the world of insects... through science. I could imagine that if H.P. Lovecraft had an idea about how the insectoid (and crap-like) Migo communicated, then it could sound like this. Pretty otherworldly and has a pretty microscopic mood throughout the entire album, with lots of conceptual focus on this album. I suggest that u go and get it before the bugs do! 

Discogs (label):

https://www.discogs.com/release/26086348-Liposucci%C3%B3n-T%C3%A1cticas-de-Combate-Entomol%C3%B3gicas

Bandcamp (band):

https://filipolaresca.bandcamp.com/

      

  

 Dead Eye Terrorist - The Extinction of Ego

Dead Eye Terrorist is (another project) by the same person who brought you the horrific and action-driven album Destructive Maelstrom by Circuit Corrupter. The Extinction of Ego by Dead Eye Terrorist is a limited cassette released by Spanish Marbre Negre. The cover artwork is absolutely exquisite! I love the morbid and extreme picturesque collage work within, and to top it there is also an intriguing and cool-looking sticker inside! 26 minutes journey into destructive and dextrous harsh noise, with eerie surreal moments here and there. All the tracks on the A-side of the cassette are called Ego Death 1 to 10, and a long single track on the B-side is called Degeneration. Another thing worth mentioning, this cassette has also been released on the label Phage Tapes (at the same time) in the U.S! The album has been mastered by the great Grant Richarson ( Gnawed ) 

The first track on the A-side starts with one of my all-time favorite actors. If I am correct, I have heard and seen the source of the recording from some film award in Germany. Where the (always) mad Klaus Kinski gets up front to make some sort of speech, which slowly turns into an intense performance. He is then dragged away from the scene by security guards, offcourse. I don´t understand what he is talking about, but it is something about Jesus Christ. The recording then stops and turns into a bone-narrowing beast of punishing sound. It all happens VERY quickly, a quick journey into the sound of cosmic harsh noise! Something is screaming, twitching, scraping its infectious claws at you. 

The second track continues the onslaught without a single chance to take a quick breather. Almost feels like getting sucked into a black hole, the ears of the listener already feel like they are getting spaghettified here!.

The third track gets back to the action, with some hyper-ultra cyberpunk violence. The sound of someone´s brain getting fried in cyberspace, that is what this sounds like. Lots of sounds so far! 

The fourth track rumbles and flattens the listener to a bloody splattered pancake, with lots of nasty things happening!

All the ten tracks could have been squashed into a single track, but cutting it all up into 10 tracks is far more fun. Gives the whole thing a kind of grindcore touch? There are some interesting sounds in there which make it more unique, retro and spacy sci-fi sounds and hidden vocals in there (I think!).

We turn the tape and continue with Degeneration on the B-side. Different style than the former short-tracks. A slow and constant wall of white and pink noise slowly built up, which then slowly degenerates into a multi-layered nightmare of sound. There is soo much going on that it´s hard to comprehend, as I said earlier... there is NO time for a breather. This machine runs and runs, and does not stop. Relentless brutalism beyond human understanding!

Think I have said this before, that Spain is slowly becoming the new place for extreme noise, not Japan! And Dead Eye Terrorist is clearly one of them, besides such cult acts like Soma, [Gyakusatsu], and Tube Tentacles! This is one tape that will be remembered!

Bandcamp (label Marbre Negre):

https://marbrenegre.bandcamp.com/album/the-extinction-of-ego

Bandcamp (label Phage Tapes):

https://phagetapes.bandcamp.com/album/the-extinction-of-ego

      

  

   

    

 Krappok - Kritschat

Beginning to truly dig the releases from Grubenwehr Freiburg, a label actually based in Leipzig Germany... offcourse! This is the second time I get to review stuff from this exciting label. A record label which sort of... builds bridges between the world of noise-music and the avant-garde. 

This one is an act called Krappok. Not 100% sure what language Krappok is, but upon closer examination of the information within the booklet itself, this release is almost entirely based on the worlds of... well crabs. And well... crabs almost sounds like Krappok? Well, the true source behind the act's name actually comes from a German Horrorschocker comic book! The title of the album is in German and from Anthony Burgess´s fantasy-language of his ´A Clockwork Orange´, and it means to screech. 

Another piece of information is that the release has ALSO been released as a highly limited thing! Which includes recordings with the Haters and Jugendwerkhof! Check the beauty out in the Bandcamp link below, it looks absolutely amazing! 

An extra piece of info here as well! All the recordings are processed crab noises, field recordings, and a cello! A tiny 20 minutes CD thing with 9 tracks on it... what can go wrong?!   

The first track on the album is called Mandible (Jaw of the crab) and the second track is called Anamerie. Starts with underwater insectoid noises with a slow, dry, and crawling sound of a cello in the background. Strangely pleasant for some reason. Crabs like to chat apparently. I also notice that there is the sound of watery waves? The whole bloody thing actually makes you feel like crab! Lots of watery waves (the tide), the sandy beach, the wind, and all that. It´s a well-made surreal soundscape, with a kind of recognizable and naive attitude. Lots of charms and I love the two first tracks!

The third track Unrastniederungen (Restlessness) moves the album towards an ambient-based soundtrack moment. I love field recordings, and I love the sound of the roaring sea at some desolate beach. The quality of the field recordings is really excellent. Love the combination of microscopic underwater sounds being up front and then having the big roaring sea in the background.

The fourth track Scherenschlag (Scissor Stroke) wakes the listener up to a track that offers harsh noise being played on a cello. 

The fifth track Brandungszone (Surf Zone) offers the sound of stormy winds. Still, on the beach, I think, waiting for the right waves. The sound here is very minimal and enigmatic, you cannot help to open your ears!

The sixth track Zerkleinerung (Shredding) has a new sound element. Is it a melodic synth? Might be. Also, there is the sound of something hard on the cello, trying to wreck the strings.  

The rest of the album is in the same manner, and thank the gods for that!. I loved the start of the album, and I love the end of the album as well. Obscure conceptual avantgarde-culture meets noise through the world of crabs, anti-music for David Attenborough perhaps? I don´t know if he would actually like it, but I do! 

Bandcamp (label):

https://grubenwehrfreiburg.bandcamp.com/album/kritschat

       

   

 Crimes Against Flesh And Bone - Spasmo

Greek E.C.T. has released this tiny and brutal little piece of art. A tiny 3" CD-R housed inside some rice paper and the CD-R itself is on a handmade black cardboard, all with some cool prints and everything. Even the thick cardboard has a lovely sort of chemical smell to it! The artwork looks cool and decent in a retro/old-school sort of fashion, think back to the artwork of Con Dom or the Grey Wolves.  Anyways, I don´t know this act and this one is one of their newer releases. A Russian act that has been very active since 2022, releasing several albums and mini-albums in a short period of time. On labels such as Boiled Angel Records, My Little Fetish, Magma Pulse Records, etc. Don´t know any of these labels, but who cares?! We love the obscurity offcourse! The album itself is a very short one. 2 tracks, about 13 minutes and 22 seconds in total.

The first track is called Spasmo (like the album title) and it starts the thing with a sickening warbling sound, which slowly grinds into distortion. Additional background layers of moaning distorted old-school industrial sounds add up to the already depressing and sickening atmosphere. It does have a tendency to actually be over-distorted at times, but for some reason (unknown) it works to a certain degree. Brutal, primal, and highly primitive industrial noise. Much in the same style as early MB or Mauthausen Orchestra. There is a sample in the background of a woman screaming, could it be from the Possession art-house/horror flick with Sam Neil?

The second (and last) track Blood Covered Shrine Of Her Uterus adds more brutalism to the smörgasbord than the former track, which almost was based on a thing between ambient and noise. Here we are more in a sort of early power-electronics sound, with elements of atmospheric harsh noise. Incredibly raw and primitive, the artist has apparently a good knowledge to take the various advantages that this low-fi-approach offers. And he delivers it once again with the second track. 

In just...about 13 minutes, the release delivers what it is meant to deliver. Nothing short on anything, and not too much either. And after you have heard it the first time, you actually want to listen to the torment once again! For me, it might just be the fourth time! Highly infectious, highly sickening, and primal industrial moods from Russia, highly recommended!     

Discogs: 

https://www.discogs.com/release/25815664-Crimes-Against-Flesh-And-Bone-Spasmo

Bandcamp (band):

https://secondhandskin.bandcamp.com/album/spasmo

 Sokushinbutsu Project - The Yokai Codex

Finally! A new full-length album from the Italian-2man-act Sokushinbutso Project. This one is called The Yokai Codex, and it´s out on Industrial Ölocaust Recordings, out on pro-CD-R and cassette, limited offcourse. I have received the pro-CD-R version. A first glance reveals a simple jewel case with a white inner sleeve. Still, upon closer examination, you will notice the thick and beautifully textured paper of the inner sleeve and back cover as well. The album titled The Yokai Codex, once again revolves around a specific religious and spiritual concept. Let me copy-paste the information from the booklet itself:

The word yõkai is composed of two characters, of which the first, yõ, refers to something that attracts, enchants, and can bewitch. White the second, kai, has the meaning of apparition, mystery. The original meaning of Yõkai conveys a sense of mystery combined with fear, something that both attracts and terrifies.

In this case, we are talking about the million sorts of gods and spirits in Japan. Living in both nature, objects, and even residing in your own home. Supernatural beings both attract and terrify and the presence of this being (has to this day) been interpreted differently in every period of Japanese history. In our modern times, we only need to look at the world of Pokemon or the world of Hayao Miyazaki (My Friend Totoro, Spirited Away, etc). 6 tracks, and is about 60 minutes in total length. 

Another note worth mentioning is that each track represents locations where these entities live. 

The first track is called Wilds. This is where you´ll find the wild and undomesticated kind of spirits. A flanged and grinding radio static with some subtle ritualistic dark-ambient soundscapes in the background. Occasionally the sound of a thundering death-industrial drum marks its presence here and there, and is there a sort of low-fi synth in there? At times...heavily distorted sounds burst through the "empty" vacuum. A lovely sort of ghostly presence in the recordings sounds like something is pushing itself out of the speakers. Sort of reminds me of some of the early recordings with Cluster.

The second track is called Water, and yes...Japan is surrounded by water and islands. So offcourse a lot of spirits are linked with water. A distant metallic ritualistic drum, the rising sound of gentle white noise, and a cool low sound of a looped bassline. Further on there are some high-pitched psychedelic sounds which enhance the mood further. A kind of gentle track in the beginning, but becomes slightly more intense in the process. Water is basically everything, it can give life and it can take life.  It attracts and terrifies at the same time. 

The third track Countryside goes completely into another style of sound. A sort of slow and looped drone/desert-rock kind of guitar play starts the track. Lots of distorted industrial sounds pop mysteriously in and out of focus, while a frightening soundscape builds up in the background. I kind of think of the gnomes of Northern Europe, supernatural beings in the countryside. If you respect and help them, then they will help you to keep your farm running. And if u fxxx with them, then you are truly fxxxxx! I think it's the same with the Yõkai in the countryside. They can be the good guys or the bad guys. 

The fourth track Village And City starts with some monotone distorted machine sounds. More of a cold-sounding beginning than the former tracks, but I guess that is the intention when we are in the cities made by man. A high-pitched sort of metallic sound is there, which might represent the constant screaming sound/noise of the traffic. Later on, a bussing sound of grasshoppers is there, while a computerized robot-sound bleep eternally into the night. The extra factory sounds add up to the presence of the human city as well. Love the track, perfectly illustrates the conceptual idea.

The fifth track Home, is where things get a bit frightening. Why? Because at the place where we feel safe and at home, there is the sort of intimate Yõkai. In other words, we are never alone and never completely in control. A funny and strange humming sound with an Asian instrument playing traditional Asian folk music. Im not sure what the name of the instrument is, but I do think that that is a sort of violin-based instrument. On top of that, some really cool and highly evocative and psychedelic melodic soundscapes dominate the background. Highly comfortable and eerie at the same time. I get a kind of TG-feel here, reminds me of their track Persuasion (In a good way). Almost works like a homage to the track or just the best cover version/tribute to the track? Nevertheless, one of my favorite tracks on the album!

The last track EPILOGUE - Yõkai Street might just be the strangest and most challenging piece on the album. It´s a street called Kyoto Street, a sort of Twin Peaks kind of place. Not where you are in the spirit world or the other. Manic acid-jazz drumming, intense bussing insect sounds, otherworldly paranormal moods shamanistic aesthetics. The real trippy album, Are there any fans of early Nurse With Wound? Really great trippy track!.  

Another great album from Sokushinbutso Project. Not as dark and challenging as their first album, but certainly a more... trippy sort of album. You really shouldn't compare the two albums, since both albums share the same sort of curious and highly adventurous spirit and deliver conceptual ideas perfectly to the listener. As a reviewer, I love reviewing this act. The first thing is to research their idea, second is to listen. And I usually find out that what they do... actually matches the stuff I have researched about their chosen idea/theme. Stuff that makes u wonder, and opens your mind to other realities. And yes, we do need that in this computerized society in which we live. Do go out and buy this one, it's essential!

Official site (label):

https://cardinium.com/product/ior-tk-xxiv/?fbclid=IwAR0voH1qN4P-jkg8g9P1WFmExGVg28-hwUFpt6qZeZdytBRegbppnWDyCbc

Facebook (band):

https://www.facebook.com/SokushinbutsuProject

Discogs (label):

https://www.discogs.com/master/3098688-Sokushinbutsu-Project-The-Y%C5%8Dkai-Codex

        

           

   

 B.skam - Stallbrunst

Daniel Forsman (Ideal Father, Kontakt Service) is at it again with a new project on the Italian label Death In Venice. The debut Stallbrunst with Blodskam was released as a limited 30-copies cassette release. A cool-looking blood-colored cassette, with some Nordic 70s-vintage pornographic imagery on the inlay. And you guys might have thought that we are dealing with a fetish-driven HNW/ANW release?... Well, we are not! An intriguing Swedish thing between early death industrial and terrific heavy ambiance. 

Minor note, because of the censure on social media I have decided to edit the photo and the name of the act (above). If I don´t do that, then the post will be removed. 

The first track on the A-side is called... Lurking Inappropriately Outside Your Funeral (Secret Service Style) kind of takes me back to the names of tracks by early Nurse With Wound. Starts with a kind of looped sound of theatrical trumpets, murky noise layers of flesh-scraping death-industrial-soundscapes with additional (and creepy) multi-layered recorded samples. Lovely old-school industrial feel so far! True Swedish industrial you might say! 

The second track Skinjob Knife Ritual Science Test (The Owls Have Cameras In Their Eyes) sounds and starts like a sinister thriller flick. Almost a kind of Twin Peaks sort of vibe going on. Love the recorded atmospheric background here, and the thumping death-industrial pulse sound wraps the whole thing up quite nicely. Excellent movie-sounding stuff with that industrial edge.

The third track Fumnling In The Sewers Of Idiot Canyon raises a slightly erotic ritualistic mood, combined with tons of heavy feedback and high-to-the-ceiling noise-ambient. You can actually sleep to this stuff, not that it is boring! Heavy, surreal, and quite hypnotic at the same time.

The fourth track City Buster Crows Rapist (2007 Hamburg Drug Den Prostitute Remix) is a truly depraved track. Funeral ambient noise with a nasty s/m video-nasty running in the background. 

The fifth track Listen To The Sound of Pomegranates ´Til You Beaten To The Ground is the most rhythmic track on the A-side. Rhythmic and automatic machine noise dominates the whole track and reminds me of another Swedish project called Institut (if you remember them). 

We flip the cassette and continue our journey into depravity on the B-side. The sixth track is called Gangrene Palm Brugmansia Eye, interesting title right kids?. Classic deep-ambient Brighter Death Now stuff here, right back to his Necrose Evangelicum album. Lots of ritualistic feedback and paranormal reverbed samples. This is really excellent! Truly classy stuff going on.

The seventh track Human Torture Rack Outta Nowhere continues with a relentless slice of skin-peeling noise. Imagine how it would/could sound if the guys from Texas Chainsaw Massacre would be a power-electronics act. That sort of feel!

The eighth track In Shape Plus Insane (Shit Version) is actually more of a harsh noise vein. Works as a sort of intermission from the death-industrial moods. 

The last two tracks I will leave for the reader's imagination! 

Woawww... This is a VERY good album. I didn´t have high hopes for this, mainly because of the pornographic approach of the recordings itself. But the moods, and creativity that have been put inside this album truly outshine my prejudiced nature. A great journey into the adventurous spirit of true depraved industrial music. Great album! 

Bandcamp (label):

https://deathinveniceproductions.bandcamp.com/album/blodskam-stallbrunst

   

 Moral Order - Mallevs Maleficarvm

Another first-timer on Kalteldur, another act that has reached cult status in the industrial underground. Moral Order started in 2018 with the first release called Wrath Of God on Gradual Hate Records. Since then, the act has been highly productive and prolific. Lots of the releases have been released through Tesco! And if you don´t know the German label Tesco, then I highly suggest you go and check it out! Home for legendary death-industrial/power-electronic acts like Anenzephalia, Genocide Organ, and Dagda Mor. Mallevs Maleficarvm. Besides a compilation of Old Caption, then this cassette is one of the newest by this act. And as you can see, it has been released in Spanish Marbre Negre (limited to 50 copies). If you want it on CD, then you can go and get it through Old Europa Cafe (yes, another legendary label!). This mini-album contains two tracks, each abou2 20 minutes long... so about 40 minutes in total. 

The album artwork itself, the front cover (as you can see above) shows a frame around the sort of gothic antique letters, and the track-listing is there as well. Open the cassette and you get a nice-looking cassette with a really cool-looking print on it. You can further examine the inlay on the backside as well, all with the iconic wood-cut pictures from the book itself (I also have it). There is also some extra info about the album as well. I LOVE the concept and idea that this recording has been done inside some sort of creepy and abandoned mansion located in Madrid, and the only source of light was three candles and the bloody moonlight. Love the idea, really do! So let us lay our ears to whatever... sounds we can hear!

The first track is the Invocation. There is a strange sound as if a piece of metal is being sharpened on a rolling piece of rock... or is it just a noisy and sensitive microphone? Evocative flanged sound effects give the soundscape a truly horrific cosmic experience. The clinical feeling of hospital basements paints the background of the track, giving it all a nice death-industrial feel. As a listener, you cannot help wondering about the informative text. Is this the sound of that abandoned house? What sounds have been made by the artist himself, and what other sounds have the environment created? At this point, I am not even half-through the first track ( like the former thing I reviewed!). You do notice some extra details in the paranormal-driven soundscape, a very dynamic one... lots of stuff going on! In a slow-pace offcourse... 

The second track is a lot more of an ambient-soundtrack sort of driven track, whereas Invocation worked more on noise and action. At this point, I could guess that the three candles being used, are at this point... slowly dying out. The presence of a sort of... engulfing claustrophobic darkness, getting thicker and thicker by the minute. We´re talking about that moment when the recording artist feels... that something is staring back at him from the darkness itself. I do feel, somehow that this track does represent the abandoned-house concept stronger than the former track. The first track feels like a track to scare away the paranormal activity, and the second track is the paranormal scaring away the noise ( so to speak ). Halfway through the track changes into something else. Crepy voices and the sound of something, hitting a bassline? Those voices here are really creepy... I mean... really creepy! The whole recording feels and sounds like some sort of living entity living... inside my speakers! As you can read, then yes. The sound is beyond incredible, takes my breath away like that song by Berlin. 

Everything works, and everything sounds good. There is just one thing I don´t get or understand. Where do you fit the work of Mallevs Malefiravm in this recording concept? There is not a hint of burning witches, or insane witch hunters being present. The only thing that is present, is the sound being made and recorded inside a abandoned mansion. If you remove the focus from the title of the album and use your focus on the informative notes (on the cover) then it will make sense. A perfect album with a paranormal touch, just with the album title doesn't go hand in hand with the recordings. If you look away from that, then you are dealing with a VERY good album... seriously! Best dark-ambient/death-industrial I have heard for a long time!  

   

Bandcamp (label):

https://marbrenegre.bandcamp.com/album/mallevs-maleficarvm

Bandcamp (band):

https://moralorder.bandcamp.com/

Facebook (band):

https://moralorder.bandcamp.com/