PLAYLIST with COMMENTS/REVIEWS

[Andrew McIntosh]

Peter Michael Hamel:
Nada
Colours of time
Bardo.

Cosmic music at its finest.

Correct. Great material. Well structured and paced.

[FallOfNature]

recent purchases / listens

Legion VK - Promo
No surprise of the quality here given the artists. Really good, and looking forward to more.

Ferro Mortem/Pain Appendix
Never knew how to grasp FM, definitely in a league of their own and doing something different. Each release I've heard is something different and tracks vary, but pleasing to the these ears. An artist I don't pay enough attention to.

Pain Appendix grows from release to release, and continues to plow on like a battering ram.

Opulent Adversary - Close Your Hearts to Pity
Overlooked the first tape, a regrettable decision, but I did hear some tracks on youtube which were decent. I have to say this CD is a giant step up in terms of sound and ferocity. Vocals are a real stand out, too. Recommended pick up.

[morbid_dyspepsia]

Pain Appendix grows from release to release, and continues to plow on like a battering ram.

Yea, Pete's definitely getting better and better

[Fistfuck Masonanie]

Skin Crime – A Soul Eaten By Darkness c60 (Hospital Productions)

Side A

Very slow-moving development. Sinister presence dwells in the dark. Five minutes of undulating bass frequencies. Very low rumbles. Some movement starts to develop, like a heartbeat... You can feel a presence but can't see it. Haunting frequencies ebb in and out of the ether.

13-15 minutes in and the layers start to build. More frequencies start to percolate. Feedback starts to rear its head. Subtle. Chatter builds. Anxiety rises.

20 minutes, the heartbeat of the beast grows in speed, volume, and strength. Chatter grows stronger. Anxiety continues to build, but to what end? Breathing, and low muffled rumbles of thunder in the distance? Could this be the end of the panic attack? We fade out.

Side B

Pulsing undertones. False sense of calm if you didn't know there was always something malevolent waiting for you. Right before the 5-minute mark, percussive rumbles and scraping develop. The beast returns from the corner of consciousness... Synth-like tones ebb in and out.

Halfway through and other dimensional chatter develops. Something else is here with us. 20-minute mark and the mood alleviates... The malevolent beings have left or turned their attention elsewhere. Is this a false sense of comfort? Are we truly safe?

I'm not sure if this release has some sort of literal reference like some of the other recent releases have. However, A Soul Eaten By Darkness unravels like a story. Very literary or even cinematic.

An extremely subtle but haunting affair. A slowly developed but detailed audio horror presented in two parts.

Nothing compares to modern Skin Crime. All Hail Skin Crime!

[Bloated Slutbag]

Incapacitants - Oxen Man's Uneasiness
Weird as fuck, by Incaps standards (which on some level prolly ain't sayin shit), I'd say at least 70-30 on the Mikawa end of the properly studio'd duo dispatched in the first three studies in dis ease, think Zouvrenee but in German. Track 4 counters with a twenty minute live attempt at restoring harshass integrity, basking in the afterglower of an unrepentantly cosmic Incapacitant, or two, buried bowels deep in some righteous turd-burgle-ya, flatulating up some fairly hefty o zone-depleted nose-hole penetralia type o zone. Said penetralia could be unimaginatively imagined as persuasively paired with, say, Savage Gospel, thus to huff the chuffed aftergusts of a Hasegawa, or three, willfully rocket shrining up a tempest. Will be getting a fair bit o replay as the ol' 'holes work to worm their way 'round the (relative) un-easiness of the studio splooge.


T. Mikawa - Cloud Carpet Bombing
Via No Beat Shit, Mr Hamilton/keraunograph recently talked up, in the most enthused of terms, the latest T. Mikawa solo joint, prompting me to immediately snap one up, so contagious certain gradations of enthusement would you not say. So here's me, now, having listened all of once or so and uh no surprises given the recent direction, supreme laser noise up the hidey hole, sounding nothing like anyone else, or shall we say blissfully unencumbered by concerns for where noise is supposed to be coming or going, at least from anyone not named T. Mikawa.

But that bliss, says me, is contagious. There were indications of this direction as early as Gyo-Kai Elegy, which was much praised at the time (and I believe is still). But once the mania set in, for the long haul, enthusiasms were noticeably dimmed, at least in some quarters, at least when these sorts of blissfully synthetic heresies were attached to Incapacitants. However, no less were there indications, particularly in Bloody, Innocent And Strategic (the last full length proper, circa 2014), of a profound desire to razor that blissfully innocent smile straight off your fucking face, and replace it with one much wider, redder.

I've sometimes suggested that on some level Mikawa, especially the later era Mikawa, may be very consciously picking up shards of fragments of where Monde Bruits left off. But, like, pissin hard. I'm willing to entertain the suggestion even more, at least today. Perhaps even more than the studio tracks in I, Noise, the earholes might legitimately reconfigure impressions of the intensely infested city of writhing synthetic zipper-wyrms as hyperdriven Psychosomatic Performance, better still hyperspasmic spirals of the Selected Noise Works, spastic, maybe, spasmic, certainly, stripping back sensibility, sensory debility, pissin harrderr, spiraling razors up the hidey hole, spearing smearing spiraling squealy-mouthed piggypeaks, up up and away through tubular glassy-smooth chambers of zzzzziiiip yeeeOWch jeezus mother of

cosmic zipper trauma.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

MNEM - Hegonon LP (Sentimental Productions)
Like waking up on an unmanned and antiquated, rusty old space craft heading nowhere in the middle of nowhere, in outer space, constantly getting stuck in space time loops. Or on abandoned equally antique submarine suddenly coming to life by itself in the Mariana trench. Reminiscent in atmosphere of the Irgun Zwai Leumi LP Klirrfaktor with all that ghostly decaying electronics thing going on, but above all, very Mnem. There's been a nice resurgence of industrial of this eerie nature as of late, at least in my head, with Jim Haynes - Electrical Injuries, Arkhe - Deep In Sleep and Alfarmania & Proiekt Hat - Flugornas Herrar sending me to similar places but taking their own respective routes. A great great album.

Damn! Almost feel like there is NEED for MNEM topic on this forum. When this LP came out, I was like I'll grab it when it hits the distributors... Couple years later finding myself thinking "there is Mnem LP on ukrainian label?!?"  and finally now, decided to buy bunch of stuff directly from label, that may be also in need for some funds in this current situation.
Anyways, today listening MNEM LP five times in a row. Almost work-day worth of just Mnem LP, and could have proceeded for more. Well.. It's still there at the turntable, so might start tomorrow with giving in another spin!

I suppose it has been talked occasionally, that MNEM might have left more impact on Sweden than it has in Finland? Although KAOS KONTROL did the great releases and the bands own label put out little things, I can't really name any Finnish artists who would be namedropping Mnem among bands someone needs to check out from Finland plus not really other artists who sound like it. Looking at sweden, I can't estimate what has been role of this project there, and reel-to-reel tape experiments are certainly nothing Mnem invented or pioneered, but that all said, it feels as if Swedes has been influenced a bit of this?

If someone has not checked Mnem, and likes corroded, decayed noise-sound loops, somewhat claustrophobic feeling, slow paced repetative, kind of mechanic, but weirdly organic and hand made stuff. Absolutely essential to grab something.

 

[MT]

Edwige - The Inconsolable Widow Thanks All Those Who Consoled Her CD

One of those CDs that people should be raving about a whole lot more! Three man destruction unit consisting of Mania, The Rita and Sewer Election. And as one should already guess, there’s no goddamn way this can be bad. Sound is crunchy as hell, has that power of SE production, excellence of Mania junk metal ’n vocals and The Rita piledriving the static noise phallos into the sweet hole of Edwige Fenech. Great example of a collaboration where every artist compliments the other, no one is getting driven over and all sounds just blend fucking beautifully into this harsh noise chaos. Seriously, every noisehead NEEDS to have this CD! I have no experience of the later recordings when Mania had left this ”band”, but this one I classify as underrated, and maybe even hidden gem. Available for cheap!

[MT]

Mangled Clit - Erotakill 2CD

Filthiest USA noise there is! Hospital has done amazing job with this 2CD collection, case opens like a gatefold vinyl, up to 4 panels wide. Booklet is done with high quality materials, even have photopaper for center fold with Sals typod thanks part. But the material itself, CD1 is ”SS66/72” is a relentlesss filth attack, mega crunchy, feedback squealing noise and Sals vocals attacking the listener. Shouting all obsceneties possible. CD2, ”Purveyors of Cruelty” has more slow approach, rather menacing pitch shifted vocals keep delivering the same filthy obscenity but with more slouched pace. It is an interesting contrast to the rantings of the first CD! Neverthless, filthiest noise from US of A! Hails to Hospital for making this. 2 CDs worth of this kind of material might be exhausting to some, and some might lapse into a sexual phychosis.

[Eigen Bast]

Skin Crime – A Soul Eaten By Darkness c60 (Hospital Productions)

Nothing compares to modern Skin Crime. All Hail Skin Crime!

The B side is incredible. The level of composition goin on with the heavy rhythmic element has me stoked for whatevers next, that almost black metal riff feedback with the kick drum towards the end is A+ headbanger shit.

[Baglady]

MSBR - 2000 Thousends Contaminate Electronic Acids C60 (Old Europa Café, 1994)
A slightly more laidback prequel(?) to Intensification (PDB, 1995). A hard scorching hot sonic drill in the center, surrounded by phased and flanged fluttering sounds, lasery beams, synth screams and whatnot. It's so immediately recognizable as MSBR, that specific thing, that sound, that I can't help but chuckle (joyously, ofcourse). The straightforwardness of the recording combined with the softened burl courtesy of the cassette format (heavy low-end on this one!) has me thinking of Dead Body Love, a connection I haven't drawn from any other work by Koji Tano, but it's definitely apt in this case to my ears. Heckin' chonker! It's full of surprises and unforseen moves though. The abrupt shift in texture, color and goddamn pretty much everything, in the middle of side B - yet with the steady pace and determined drive intact! - is a goosebump moment for the books, jesus christ. Noise doesn't get any better than that!

Wonder where Urashima is at with the MSBR reissues? He had a great start with Ultimate Ambience and the rather unexpected Structured Suicide, but it's been a while now. Collapseland and Intensification would be the obvious steps, if there is more to come.

[Zeno Marx]

BigRoadBreaker, aka BRB, aka BRB>voicecoil - disinterpretioned 1997

I'm relatively sure I've never heard of this band, and unless they're listed on the board under BRB, I didn't find any mention of them.  Discogs shows they've been around since 1991.  They're all over the place, from electric currents to crunchy electro-acoustic to early, dark experimentalism to PBK testing to Skullflower-like noise.  Maybe something I could hear released on Sound of Pig even.  I ran into the name in an old podcast interview with Andrew Nolan when he briefly mentions their name.  Dark journeys.

https://muzamuza.bandcamp.com/album/disinterpretioned

[FreakAnimalFinland]

WORTH "Penumbral Calypso; Early Garden Walls" tape
Hospital productions
Listened this one from bandcamp, don't have the physical tape. Worth is really good and the sound works well as file. I can only assume it will sound even better on tape, but it has all that decayed, saturated, mixed feedback-blast ripping and all that. Compositionally slightly weird, that the best moments of tape are kind of random moments and it doesn't feel like ending somehow on "high note" so to say. It is good all the way, but I wouldn't think there is like utterly clear compositional direction - or if there is, he avoid the obvious. No building up climax etc. So many of the individual sounds are so full of spontaneous life, always modulated into something new, but very much tech free -feeling.

FAILING LIGHTS "Christmas Eve Dark Ambient" tape
Hospital Productions
Almost surprising release! When it starts, it makes me think of... Burzum keyboard songs, haha! And that is most certainly not a negative mark! This is not dungeon synth, no way. But it goes beyond minimal dark ambient in its tonality or even "melodic" feeling and suddenly some pieces are like Burzum Black Metal albums electronic tracks obviously with more low-tech and hand made approach, with something that title says... Christmas Eve dark ambient... Weird, but I find myself liking this a lot.

[Fistfuck Masonanie]

Skin Graft – Final Judgment CD (White Centipede Noise)

Only just now getting around to listening to this CD. It has been sitting in my "to listen" pile since... JUNE 2022... shit. I knew this was going to be a really good album, but no clue what the hell took me so long. Well worth the wait though. Heard this was supposed to be a Troniks CD but due to a hiatus got picked up by WCN.

A really engrossing and enveloping sound. I feel fully consumed by the texture. Maybe because I'm blasting it at high volume as well, which always helps. Extremely blown-out textures. Really blown out. Really pummeling and I can't find the words right now to encapsulate the fullness and power behind these frequencies. I also enjoy how it's really one large developing piece with movements and dynamics.

It's funny, or sad, how an album like this where you can tell the artist put his blood, sweat, and tears into creating it, can go with little to no lip service whatsoever afterward. I bet a lot of people really enjoyed this album as well, you just never HEAR about it!

Anyway, I really really enjoy Skin Graft, and this is an excellent album. Next up on my neglected listening pile is the Worth Sacred Violence Noise CD. I also have Savage Gospel Horrors Of Nature in the queue.

[morbid_dyspepsia]

WORTH "Penumbral Calypso; Early Garden Walls" tape
Hospital productions

It is good all the way, but I wouldn't think there is like utterly clear compositional direction - or if there is, he avoid the obvious. No building up climax etc. So many of the individual sounds are so full of spontaneous life, always modulated into something new, but very much tech free -feeling.

That was what I was kind of trying to say in my review, but maybe in more of an abstract manner. Nothing to hold on to from start to finish.

[MT]

Bastard Noise/U.N.D. 7”
Rather unfamiliar with both projects, so was curious to get this. Bastard Noise side has high pitched wonky backgrounds and growling vocals of many sorts. I’ve had some previous short encounters with Bastard Noise and this falls into same thoughts. Peculiar, odd, unsettling. 7” is great format for this, cause I don’t think I could listen to this any further. UND has an interesting mid range buzzes with crackles and menacing tone backboning whole thing. Strange sample bursting through the surface. Second track kind of has the same feeling but more noisy. Very hectic atmosphere, yet very little happens. Looping sound hammering away, slowly adding more texture to itself. Quite solid 7”, not for everyone though.


Woundead 7”
Another project of UND fellow. Sleeve contained an old train ticket from Poland, which shifts my thoughts to train ride ambience and this 7” supports that image.  Then again the covers have pictures of pills, a knife and random family album fotos. Anyway! Muffled sound that reminds me indeed of a train riding the tracks, wobbly and bassy ride in the dark dreamland. Somehow this is extremely nice sound to listen to, so in contrast to previous 7”, I’d like to listen this longer! Towards end, side A emerges from the murky sounds to more clear synth wobble, then dives back into a source sound which I am quite sure is a field recording. Side B is even more subtle, but again very nice to listen to. Somehow there’s a certain kind of frequency which reminds me of very old computer racing games, just a monotonous buzz. Very strange 7”, not noise really, more like just… strange ambient. Worth of buying to have an oddball 7” in your collection.