Climax Denial – The Absolute Bottom (Cassette, C30, Husk Records 2008)

There are not much releases coming out anymore (since 2012 only one release a year, so it seems) from Climax Denial, and This one dates from 2008. The site from Alex Kmet is also not updated since 2012. Maybe this project is on its last breath and that would be a pity..

Anyhow, “The Absolute Bottom” is the album of choice today and starts with “What I’ve Seen”. The track exists out of distant screaming and hiss-looped electronics and is very short; only one minute. The second track, “Just A Body”, is much longer, around twelve minutes. It begins with Harsh, drone electronics with a flanger effect and high ranged drizzling. The flanger effect intensifies as the track progresses and is joined by sharp feedback, almost metallic sounding. Heavily effected screaming joins in as well. After a while the feedback gets more shape and turns into screaming and eerie tones. A twelve minute delight of dense power electronics and harsh noise, for sure.

The other half starts with “A Fear Of Life II”. A track with sinister soundscapes, delayed yelling and decaying sounds. Very dark. “Tapeworm Agility”, the second one, also lies in the delay spectrum, with looped chunks of low, rhythmic noises and high ranged oscillating synths and feedback. With its many different sounds going on, this track has a very nice depth and sucks you in it as well. It’s playful, but also very dark. The third track, “Hotmouth And Pussyfoot”, has echoing, low electronics and deranging race car-like sounds going on. And the last track, “Y Kan't U B Klean?” has bird-like electronics, snarling delayed vocals and glistering noise.

A very good release that should be listened into a darkened room.

No longer available on label

B.G. - Cascade (Cassette, C15, Under 2013)

New noise projects are arising every day, and this fairly new one is from Belgium. The project is called B.G. which should be the initials of the artists name: Bils Giel. The album is called Cascade and released on Under, established somewhere in 2013.

Cascade opens up with harsh processed sounds, perhaps made from field recordings or a microphone, its hard to tell. Throughout the whole track there are also vague vocal-like noises, which are followed by high pitched shrieks. The second track (a short one) begins with low rumbles, accompanied by brutal noise intervals and static. Track three (also a very short track) has also that low harsh rumbling and aggressive static sound. The last track is the most consistent of the four, sounding very harsh and monotonous; serving as an extend of the previous mentioned tracks.

This release, with four untitled tracks and a total time of 15 minutes,
is a very brutal and straightforward sounding release, which I like very much.
You really get sucked into its sound and it also kicks you in the head.
Some of these tracks get close to HNW, but the sound is changing to
much for just being a wall of noise. This is a promising project that
needs to be checked out for sure.

Buy:
Under

I Watched You Die – Backyard Decay (Cassette, Distorted Visions 2013)

“I Watched You Die” is the HNW project from Alex Nowacki, located in Iowa.

On this release he brings 2 tracks, around 22 minutes each. Both are static crushing HNW in its purest form. When I listened to this record I imagined shards of memories in b&w, flashing by and projecting like a film reel, with distorted and missing frames from the past. The second track is slightly sharper in sound but there is not much difference between both tracks. The overall sound is very indifferent, so it gives room to start fantasizing about subjects from your life, or the artwork chosen for this album.

Decaying memory or objects are the subjects of choice for me in this ever lasting wall of horrid bliss.
The artwork is also definitely an eye catcher.
Check this out if you like HNW in its most basic form.

Listen/buy:
Bandcamp

En Nihil / Filth – Black Earth Split (Cassette, C40, Out-Of-Body Records 2014)

En Nihil is the multi genre project of Adam Fritz, and goes along for a long time in the noise scene. Although his music covers different genres and sounds, its always dark, damp and heavy. On this split release he joins up with Filth, a noise project which goes under the name of Rob Buttrum.

The record starts with the tracks of En Nihil, and “Tribes Of The Black Ash” is the first one to kick off. The track begins with a calm, wobbly soundscape and heavily, reverbed percussion, joined by immersive, tribal drumming and some nice effects as well. Different noises and sounds come along and lift this song to an industrial, Amazon nightmare. The second track “An Infinite Void”, has slow hitting percussion, gristle noise and scraping, high ranged feedback. While “One Hundred Thousand Years” immediately sets the tone with some heavy, industrial patterns, harsh noise and ear scorching feedback tunes. The fourth and last track from En Nihil, “Why Did You Not Save us’, ends where it began. This time with field recordings of birds and river streams or waterfalls. No percussion though. Just a silent meditation to close off the first half.

The other four tracks are from Filth. “R Horizon”, the first track, starts with spring reverbed drums, delayed vocals and various looped effects/sounds. As the song progresses it gets more chaotic and messy. The second track, “Beneath The Vertisol”, has sharp and edgy percussion loops with an industrial feel to it, very menacing. Dark soundscapes (made from vocals?) join in, and oscillating synths as well. All kinds of sounds are going on in this track, which gives it a nice depth and atmosphere. “The Hollow Earth”, the third song, spills out some raw and aggressive rhythm's/beats with psychedelic noises and electronics. And the last track “A Silent Scream”, is a mixture of cut up noise and destructed beats. Siren-like sounds drenched in reverb and tape manipulation come in to participate the seductive madness.

This split release is modern, industrial noise on its best, and heavy as hell. Chaotic and destructive insanity, which shows great spirit and grinta!

Buy:
Bandcamp

Arv & Miljö – Resurser (Cassette, C22, Total Black 2013)

Raw and undeniable heavy; that are the electronics and field recordings of Matthias Andersson and his project Arv & Miljö. Also known from Heinz Hopf, a harsh noise, electronics project, together with Dan Johansson. On the speakers today is Resurser, released in 2013 on Total Black, but recorded in 2011.

The opening track, named after the album, starts with muffled banging and eerie surroundings, followed by crude textures in sound. Shrieking and harsh electronics take over and give it a violent ending. I can relate this track to the desolate artwork from this record, desolate but very powerful. The second track, called “Under Vatten”, starts were the previous one ended; crunched and churn noise textures with high ranged sounds, difficult to place but most likely metal and junk. The high ranged noises, sounds a bit like feedback, but than controlled and scarcer looped. "Perspektiv På Exploatering", the third track, has very dark and roaring soundscapes, maybe made from wind or other nature sounds. Very epic. As the track progresses, scraping noise comes in. Here, also you can easily place the photographs together with the sound. The last track, "Brigad", has also the erupting noise like all the previous ones, made from clattering junk(?) and other unknown objects to the listener ears.

This record has much unity within the four tracks, and gives it a solid whole with much rigor. The atmosphere is dark and bleak (very bleak), violent and indifferent. One of my favorite projects so far.

No longer available on label

Leo Brochu - Heuristic Analog Rental Meat (Download, Self-released 2014)

Leo Brochu is a new noise project/artist from Cleveland. He seems to be releasing all of his records by himself through Bandcamp. I will be doing a short review on his second release called “Heuristic Analog Rental Meat”.

“Heuristic Analog Rental Meat” is a mixture of sharp, cut up noise, field recordings, and all sorts of samples. The pace is fast and relentless. As mentioned on the artists Bandcamp, the sounds are recorded on tape, which gives it an old school feeling, even a bit similar to the early works of pioneers like Maurizio Bianchi and Mauthausen orchestra. Asian voice samples, radio shows/tunes are thrown in the mix as well. All tracks range in the same matter and mood; ravishing and fast harsh noise, existing out of recorded and found sounds, which are than destroyed with the necessary effects.

I really liked the noise parts, but I didn’t like the found sounds/samples (radio shows/tunes). They seem to be unnecessary and obviate. Still this is a promising project worth mentioning and that needs to be checked out.

Download/listen:

Bandcamp

LR – The Fragility Of Happiness (Cassette, C40, Posh Isolation 2013)

LR is another project from Loke Rahbek, also one of the main members from the well-known label Posh Isolation. I will be reviewing his record called “The Fragility Of Happiness”.

The first track starts with very spacious, wood sounding percussion (with much reverb from the space it was recorded in) and upcoming and fading static noise. Later on, a high ranged tone comes in, to be also joined by junk noise. It’s not really messy, but all well controlled actually. The second track, “America Disfigured”, has some soothing soundscapes, but quickly gets darker with very eerie power electronics, mesmerizing drones and cool sounding vocals, followed by screeching, rasp feedback intervals and harsh noise. “The Wife Is The Head Of The Husband As Christ Is The Head Of The Church”, the third track, (has a very long title but is a very short track) has some messing around with objects and a tone dial-like loop. The fourth one, “Olympia Dies Soon”, begins with a monotonous tone, maybe from a guitar. Whispering vocals, object noises and waved, high ranged tones join in later. On the background are some nice low ranged, dark loops going on. It is followed by “The Happening Casued Public Hysteria 1970”, which has a dark and deep wind, distant bass sequencers and frantic percussion. Later on they are followed by factory noises and all kinds of synth noises. A very nice track, with a old school feeling to it. The last track “Sabella”, has a very filthy and lofi sound, maybe a field recording. Mournful guitar tunes set in a very melancholic mood, joined by vocals. The field recording noise and vocals suddenly disappear, and the moodfull tunes are the only ones left to close of this mind shaking record.

I really enjoyed this album. It has everything you want it to have: dark, unsettling moods, rawness and freshness in sound. Listened outdoors, it gives a truly morbid and fascinating look on our society of today.

Sold out on label

Developer – Developer (Cassette, C23, Brise-Cul Records 2014)

Raw, cut-up, junk and harsh noise. That is what comes to mind when I think of Developer, one of the many projects from Matthew Reis, who also runs the interesting Factotum label. Today I will be reviewing his selftitled EP that came out on Brise-Cul Records.

The record starts with some extreme, junk metal abuse, scorching modular synths and silent intermezzo’s of field recordings (birds, ..) and ends in a dark atmosphere of drones and slow hitting on metal objects. Further on, the sound gets more loop orientated with percussive, harsh angled and other weird noises. Some tracks seemed to be originally existing out of recorded drum samples, but are now totally annihilated and almost unrecognizable. Again field recordings come in, this time crickets and a pet shop? These field recordings also seem to be the red wire, running through this record. More aggressive sound manipulation follows, with back and forward tape rewinding, stretched and ripped with effects. It’s a fine but chaotic mixture of raw, oscillating synth sounds and physical objects, colliding with each other and injected with speed.

The overall sound and mood leaves me somewhat indifferent, but it has this fast running and uncompromising sound as well. It somehow took me back to my childhood, watching cartoons on TV, which had the same effect on me like this record; very amusing but passing by like train without even knowing it. So this can perhaps be listened in a undesired state of mind with no particular destination or goal, like a short memory of the past.

Buy:

Bandcamp

Trepaneringsritualen ‎– Martyrium (Cassette, C39, Small Doses 2011)

I’m not that familiar with the works of Thomas Martin Ekelund death industrial project “Trepaneringsritualen”, but I have been listening to some of his releases the last couple of weeks now. And I was amazed of the strong visual content that this projects creates, in sound and artwork as well. It really sucks you into another world. The release I will be reviewing is called “Martyrium”, one of his earlier records.

The first track on Martyrium called “Death Reveler”, starts with a heavy industrial rhythm, frantic vocals of insanity and bell-like percussion. It’s a five minute long death march of insanity and suffering. The second track, “The Blood Of The New Covenant”, and a much longer one in length than the previous, has dark and deranging ambient that is joined by muffled, fast, background beats. Also on the background you can hear a dark and low drone, which seems to be setting the foundations for this track. Bird-like sounds and talking vocals come in, rough noises as well. After a while the deranging ambient seems to be transforming in wind, joined by sharp, high ranged tones. One can imagine that these are the sounds he or she will be hearing in purgatory. An awaiting evil, soaking itself in doubt and regret.

On the other side of the cassette we have “Plague Of Persecution”, which begins with trembling and shifting noises and vocals, effected by fast following delay times. In the distance one can hear whaling sounds of wind, giving this track a very desolate feeling. Reverbed percussion (gongs or cymbals) comes in, intensifying the track and giving it a atmosphere of unease. Less abstract vocals with longer delay times join also. It feels a bit like a preach, before a punishment commences. The last track, “Eucharist Of Piss & Shit”, is similar to the first one, similar in intensity and aggressiveness. A hardcore beat line is joined by the ravishing and right out scary vocals of Ekelund, with on the background strange and exotic noises. The release closes off right as where it all began.

Martyrium is a true descent into the underbelly of a netherworld, where the listener gets sucked in deeper and deeper. A journey for the brave and insane.

Sold out on label

Prurient ‎– Despiritualized (2x cassette C10, HP 2011)

Prurient probably doesn’t need an introduction, but this is the project of Domenic Fernow, which is also the mastermind behind Hospital Productions, a noise label that launched many of the great names/artists in the noise scene of today. Despiritualized, a rather short release from Prurient, will make its appearance on Conflict today.

The release kicks off with ‘The Other World’. In this track, rhythmic, noisy drones and feedback seem to be interacting with each other, while short, repeated intervals of primitive, vocal noise are bursting in. The second track, ‘A.K.A.’, has some nice layers of darkened drones and smoldering power electronics, accompanied by delayed vocals and nasty feedback.

On the other cassette we have ‘When Different Worlds Collide’, a five minute monster of deranging and disorientating power noise with chaotic feedback and clattering noise. Here, the sounds are very intense, while in the previous ones they were more remote. The last track, called ‘Closing Arguments’, closes off the record with a hypnotic noise, metronome-like rhythm and short outlets of distorted vocals, drenched in shrieking feedback. This is Perhaps the calmest track of all four.

With a dirty and raw sound, this is truly a vintage Prurient record.

The release on cassette is sold out, but is still available as download.

Buy:

Boomkat

Sogra – Landscape With Dirty Ice (File Download, Selfreleased 2014)

Sogra, a HNW Russian project, brings us one track of 30 minutes, on his release called “Landscape With Dirty Ice”. The HNW on “Landscape With Dirty Ice” is smoldering, crunched and brooding. The sound source seems to be a field recording, since there is an atmospheric feel to it. On the background you can hear a faint wind, like coming (hearing it) from inside a house. It’s like you’re taking shelter from a snow storm inside a cabin, in a desolate landscape. Decaying ice, breaking under your feet comes also to mind.

This is very organic and meditative HNW. Not brutal, but lingering and waiting to erupt. It represents the forces of nature in a less violent but very convincing way. The artwork is also very nice, so this deserves a physical release, on cassette perhaps?

Buy/listen:

Bandcamp