Reviews 09/25/2020

 Another kick ass day of solid listening whilst working.  Some killer material on offer today.  If you have not taken advantage of the labels putting this material out you should really get with it.  Why does it feel like there is a noise renaissance going on?  Is this the new golden age?  Who knows? Fuck it. Read on.  Send me some shit. Cheers, Symptoms.

C.C.C.C. / “Loud Sounds Dopa/Live In The U.S.A.” / CD / Helicopter + Troniks

2 ripping live sets from these Japanese legends from the deep dark past, originally released in 1993 and reissued just in time for your listening pleasure.  These performances were captured in 1992 in Oakland and Chicago and represent the absolute best of the early days of harsh noise. 

Cosmic Coincidence Control Center, otherwise known as C.C.C.C. are one of the major names when it comes to Japanese noise.  Their performances have been highly regarded for their full-bodied approach to the performance aspect of their work.  They rock just like any other band except for the fact that blowing your head off seems to be the most critical objective.

The contents of these 2 performances consist of divebombing planes, car alarms going off, computerized glitch noises all threaded together by a raucous blast of screaming hot noise.  You can hear the instrumentation as it is taken to its logical conclusions and then beyond.  Musical? No not really, but it is still captivating in its approach.  You can definitely feel the live aspect of the performances, as this is a band who does not take the intellectually concentrated approach.  The sounds emanate abruptly, without warning and fill the performance space with pure caustic shred. 

What we wind up with by the time the second performance ends is an album that has very real roots to the past all while providing a primer for those young hustlers looking to get into the noise game.  A 2 part hefty yet frantic listen which once again proves why Japan is not fucking around when it comes to noise, never has and never will. 

C.C.C.C. / Phantasmagoria / CD / Helicopter + Troniks

Another brain scrambling reissue from these Japanese legends, which will assuredly be a prime staple in your noise diet.  Here we catch C.C.C.C. in the wild dishing out a live session that definitely leaves you hanging on by your fingernails.  Recorded live on location in June of 1992, C.C.C.C. come across as a bit more in your face this time around.  While this is not to suggest that “Live Sounds Dopa/Live in the U.S.A.” is playful or anything but it does have a bit more camp.  This to me just signifies the brilliance of subtleties and small changes in setting and space.  Where you do it, the mood you are in when you do it, and the recipients involved whilst you do it will determine the extent, severity, and tone of the resulting creation.    

“Phantasmagoria” is a crushingly concise performance that once the heat gets turned up it is go time and it does not let up for what seems like a really long time.  As stated previously, C.C.C.C. is a band in the sense that they utilize instruments such as keyboards, bass, tapes and vocalizations.  However, this band turns their instruments up loud and kicks them around.  The pacing is pretty intense here and the pressure feels like it is ever mounting.  By the time it ends, its like the boot gets picked up off your neck and you finally are allowed to catch up.

Once again, the Helicopter and Troniks alliance is kicking down the classics from the wild and wooly days of the early 90s.   “Phantasmagoria” is well worth your time if you like it harsh and face peeling.  Get on board the fuck you express and crank this one up nice and loud.  Time to make your eyes vibrate.

Unsustainable Social Condition / Seductive Distress / CD / Troniks

Fucking harsh action of the highest order.  Right out the gate LA’s Unsustainable Social Condition sets out to out grit and out grind the competition with some furious full bladder noise pissings right to your face.  5 steaming tracks of rock crushing filth and dour emanations all peppered with a clinical approach to pressing your skull into asphalt while out on a high-speed drive.  No fucking around here, no interludes, no space, just pure crackle, sizzle and scream.  The lows rumble, the mids are searing and the highs are spitting, this is all about straight delivery.  Forget about philosophizing, reasoning or negotiating because it is time to get your wig split.    

The spaces between the tracks thrill me in the same way the space between punches to the head do.  It is just enough time to signal that more ass whipping is coming to you.  The textural shifts from track to track are dramatic yet thematically linked, which to me is one of the great balancing acts in noise.  You know that stabbings are going to happen, but the instrument that is used to do the stabling changes from one stab to the next. The work on display here is seamless and violently efficient.

Ultimately, this is a brisk yet full listen with no single track overstaying its welcome.  The tonal and textural shifts keep you hooked.  This will be in heavy rotation around here for a good long while.  Get this one and get your stab on motherfucker.   

Black Sand Desert / Painted Rope / CD / Oxen + Troniks

Corroded and broken bottom scraping dread from Black Sand Desert.  Waves of mid-fi harshness get into heated entanglements with throbbing waves of rotting piss.  This 3-track audio dumping is crispy blackened hatred full of busted up passages, dead ends, and unexpected snap offs.  The second track “A Coin Trick” is raunchy heaping mountain of electronic crackle and gut rumbling distortion, a brief drone respite and then a final descent into black tar rage. 

“Painted Rope” is another solid chapter in the Black Sand Desert discography.  It has all the ugly flavors one would want from a black noise release.  Each track has its own distinct identity despite the purposeful dwelling in filthy tones and dilapidated blackened thrusts.  You like it filthy?  Then do yourself a favor and take a bite of this noisy last supper. 

The Cherry Point and John Wiese / White Gold / CD / Helicopter

I had never heard of this project before, at least not that I can remember. I used to smoke a lot of weed back in the heyday so there is that. This was recorded in 2005 and originally released in 2016, which begs the potentially non-essential question:  What differentiates this material from that of their other collaborative effort LHD? 

Without attempting to assume too much, I would chalk it up to compartmentalization and timing.  It is probable that there was a different approach taken to the material that appears here than on any of the LHD releases of the time period.  This is me just theorizing, it really does not matter to me.  The important thing to note is that this material is absolutely stunning. 

Two raging tracks adorn this disc and it is apparent right away that Blankenship and Wiese are engaging in some serious pedal damage.  Tons of synapse frying skit skat racket that never seems to stay in any singular place or mode for too long.  What catches my attention immediately is how much clarity there is here.  The sounds are vibrant and crisp, this was recorded and mixed to perfection. 

Track 2 is a different animal altogether though as it is straight up wall worship.  Again, despite the bleakness, the capture of this piece was done flawlessly.  It feels as thick as it was intended, and you can actually hear the levels and the layers that would otherwise be lost in translation if left in the hands of anyone less qualified than this duo. 

As I stated at the beginning, I am uncertain of how their work process differs from that of LHD, but this feels equal parts crushing and vibrant.  Great pacing, tons of variety especially on track one.  The second half of “White Gold” is about as punishing as it gets.  For this moment in time, for this day, “White Gold” is a killer piece of audio destruction.  I will definitely be back for repeat listens of this piece of glory.    

Reviews 09/24/2020

 Here are today's latest reviews.  As always I am working from a layman/fan perspective and try to steer clear of trying to encapsulate philosophy, compositional techniques, or gear choices.  I listen to music in the same way I look at art, I attempt to take it in and note the feeling that it evokes in me.  The great thing about art is that there is no right or wrong, only what you feel.  This logic must be applied equally to creator and consumer, because the artist must be moved by the experience of the process by which they create ideas.  If the artist is moved then it would stand to reason that the consumer too will be moved in some way; good or bad.

This "movement" is a synthesis of the entire nervous system, eyes, ears, smell, taste, touch.  These senses work in tandem to create an emotional state.  These emotional states can be both pleasant and unpleasant.  These responses are what I look for when I listen to anything, especially when I am attempting to review stuff.  So from a technical perspective, I may be off the mark, but emotionally I feel pretty much right on the mark.  Not sure where I am going with all this but this may bear closer examination in greater length in the future.  In the meantime, if you like what you read and want some stuff of yours reviewed by yours truly please drop me a line at witchkunt@gmail.com 

Coming up tomorrow:  Reviews from White Gold, C.C.C.C., Black Sand Desert and a start to my mega stack of tapes that are now officially backed up.  Fuck. 

Cheers. Gene Symptoms.

Taklamakan Vs. Umpio / Interaxion Venenosa / CD / White Centipede Noise + Narcolepsia

A prime example of grimy electronic wreckage on this 2-track heap of audio violence.  A collaboration of sorts between Taklamakan from Croatia and Umpio from Finland where each artist takes turns running the show.  I would never dare try to interpret their process but suffice it to say that their methodology makes for stunning results.  Each track is a hefty 19 minutes of filthy, rusty, greasy clanging, banging, toppling, and throttling chaos.  Red hot metals clashing with frantic chains, oil drums getting knocked over, toolbox dumped out on your head, army helmets dented in with baseball bats.  Whatever tricks and methods are getting utilized are being done so with powerful results.

While these pieces seem to follow the same general schematics, there are some definite shifts in gears in terms of intensity, spacing and texture.  While track 2 “Huesos Molidos” presents to be the more intense composition overall, track 1 “Cenizas Y Acidos” is also littered with a filthy identity all its own.  What makes this disc great is that it does not “feel” long.  Sometimes a 20 minute piece can really be a trying experience if left in the wrong hands, with two 20 minute tracks seeming even more of a chore.  However, with these 2 artists at the helm, the tracks are nicely paced with plenty of movement which makes the overall listening experience a pleasurable one. 

This album is very strong and definitely deserving of its reissue on White Centipede Noise.  If you missed this one the first time around way back in 2014, here is your chance to get wrecked properly.  This is incredibly strong material and definitely worth your time. Go check out www.narcolepsiahn.wordpress.com for more excursions into the junk zone.

 

Shredded Nerve / Acts of Betrayal / CD / Chondritic Sound

Haunted, unsettling, diseased, and seriously powerful art is what is on offer here from New York based artist Shredded Nerve’s latest release.  There are 8 compositions on here which melds a lot of different worlds together into a seamless, cohesive, and jarring listen.  Gritty field recordings, jugular slicing harsh jags, harrowing drones, and monolithic crud jams; it is all here, and it is all lethal. 

It is truly difficult to put this album into words because it treads so much territory and does so with great efficiency.  “Acts of Betrayal” is a work which presents to come from hours of perfecting the delivery and not settling on anything other than a glorious yet ominous smothering.  There are moments where you get lulled into a false sense of security and then you get overwhelmed.  This theme repeats itself several times across the album and it is always thrilling.  That feeling of knowing that you are about to get consumed by grimness and by the time you realize it, it is too late.

Another thing that I find endearing about this album is how each track seamlessly moves to the next, no breaks, and no time to consider what might be coming next.  It all works together, just as each track works on its own.  Beautifully crafted perfection.  This one should be in your library without a doubt as it is about as flawless as it gets.  This is what is called upping the ante kids, get with it.    

The Cherry Point / Live Hell / CD / Helicopter + Troniks

The Helicopter and Troniks team up keeps on dishing up the hard goods for the noise freaks.  “Live Hell” is a 3-track harsh noise pummeling straight from the live files of The Cherry Point.  So, for those of you who know, you already know what you are getting with this live outing.  For the uninitiated, you are in for a thorough mugging, plain and simple. 

The question becomes what is the difference between The Cherry Point live as opposed to on recordings?  Well the first thing that I notice is that these live tracks are not tinder dry, they are filling up the spaces in which each performance took place, you can hear the bounce off the walls.  In short, these sound live and you can totally feel it. 

The first 2 tracks are The Cherry Point coaxing out some ugly broken lows laced with butt blistering mid-range crumble, all delivered in the classic Cherry Point way, deliberate and intended to hurt your feelings.  Track 3 is a live collaboration The Rita and of course, as you would expect, it is seriously thick and deep fried as you like it.  If you are a fan, then I know you already did the right thing and got in on this one right way.  If you have not, then I suggest you get this because it is a fun ride, albeit a little bit bumpy. 

Richard Ramirez / Bleeding Headwound / CD / Old Europa Café

                Some primitive, pedal torture from harsh noise specialist Richard Ramirez.  This feels so goddamned live, almost like a demo.  Not sure when this was recorded but it sounds and feels old, and I mean that in the best sort of way.  This has that sweet vibe of being recorded in a high school gym with no one else in it, so much echo, so much distance. 

Track one “Atomic Distortion” points the way with jagged paint stripping peals of hi end interspersed with full speed ahead hit and run jet blasts of crushing bottom end.  Tons of stop starts lend to the unpredictability of the piece, giving it that slam on the brakes before you hit the bus head on vibe.  Then eventually it gives way to rancid gusts of hot death.  This track is lengthy but the distance and obscurity gives this a little something extra.

The second track “Left Eye” is like a minefield of crushing explosions appearing at random.  Whispy reverberations laced with gas leak spittle are only rivaled by the sound of bad outlets and freewheeling electricity.  Vomiting sonar waves trade off with forlorn crackle as the distance fills up the space where the oxygen used to be.  This one is another long trip through the shitty part of town.  Listen to the boxcars groan under the weight of broken human cargo. 

Strangely, track 3 “Spinal Amputation” is not its own track but rather seems to be a part of track 2.  I took the disc out and replaced it and sure enough it only displays 2 tracks.  This would explain why track 2 seems so incredibly long.  This of course does not detract from my enjoyment of this album in the slightest.  Is there better Richard Ramirez stuff out there? Probably and probably not, the man has such an expansive discography that you could pretty much start anywhere and get off proper.  This one has a great vibe that makes it feel like a long-lost gem from the demo era. 

Robert Turman / Beyond Painting / CD / Chondritic Sound

Robert Turman has been around for a good long while and his discography is pretty thick but I really have to believe that “Beyond Painting” is a jewel in his crown.  I will admit to not being super well versed on his work apart from reviewing his split with Aaron Dilloway way back in the Witch Kunt print zine days.  I was enamored with his work then, but this is really something extraordinary.

Considerably far removed from the harsh walls and pedal abuse of so many artists out there, Robert Turman is a composer of the highest order.  The compositions on “Beyond Painting” are a wonderfully expansive and powerful listen.  Depressive symphonic drones are the key element here but it really is something far beyond that.  Note selection, the waves they emote, the holding, the releasing, allows each track to move at a majestic yet glacial pace.  There are guitars and bass hidden amongst the drowsy sunrise/sunset/solstice movements, everything has a place as there is plenty of room for intensity to settle in like a fog.  This is not an artist trying, this is an artist mastering, emoting, and pouring out the insides of himself. 

A point of interest for me is how the artwork which adorns the cover of this album “Living Room Painting, In Essence” is also the handiwork of Mr. Turman.  This artwork compliments the aural contents perfectly, it gives color and emotional meaning to what you are hearing.  I truly feel that this is a perfect synthesis of two completely different, yet not so different mediums. 

Is it noise? No not at all, we are way past that now.  What is on offer here is extraordinary ambient soundscapes that reach into you and grab ahold.  This is music for a soundtrack to a movie that does not exist yet should.  According to the liner notes, these compositions were copyrighted in 1990 with an initial release on Actual Tapes in 2010.  Now with this Chondritic Sound reissue coming in 2020, it feels like now is the perfect time for this album.  Bleak and beautiful just like modern existence.  It speaks a language all its own.  I cannot recommend this highly enough as it is a truly extraordinary piece of work that will yield rewards with each successive listen. 

 

Reviews 09/23/2020

 Here is another batch of fresh reviews.  With all the red hot noise action going on these days it is serious hard for me to keep up.  I assure you more is coming, including a serious heavy stack of tape reviews.  If anyone needs stuff reviewed drop me a line otherwise leave me alone.  Cheers, Gene Symptoms.

PS.  By the way YES I reviewed myself.  Read the explanation which accompanies the review. No one else is going to review my ass so I had to pick up the slack.  

Martyr of Sores / Terroriste Sonatas / 6xCDR / Room 2A

A 6-disc thesis statement on crispy and bleak harsh drones.  Richard Ramirez is taking the listener on an extended jaunt where textures are studied into oblivion.  While discs 4 and 5 did not play (technical glitches do happen) the remaining 4 discs consist of single tracks that run the expanse of whatever tone shape has been uncovered.  For some this may seem to be a tedious listen but if you like it monolithic then you can dive in here and find different grits of sandpaper to rub on your goddamned face. 

Let me be perfectly clear though, yes, the contents here are drone based but many of the pieces lean into the harsh side of things.  However, once each composition settles in you will not get a whole lot of variety.  For some this can be trying on one’s patience but for many this is where the challenge/reward concept comes into play.  I can be a maddeningly discerning listener at times so often I find myself listening for elements such as space and expansiveness.  What lies in the between the molecules of filth and the droplets of blood? This is where the magic is.

The back cover of this release therein contains a statement which may be used to guide the listener on this hellish ride or at least give clarity to motivation.  It reads as follows: “Hate and murder in the name of religion is vile.  Prejudice towards a person due to their race, religion, sex, orientation is vile.  Stop the ignorance.” I for one could not agree more.  So for all you Ramirez devotees out there, here is yet another release which proves that he is not stopping for you or anyone else.  Go check out martyrofsores.blogspot.com for more insights and information.  A frustratingly beautiful listen. 

Striations / Collection 2 / CD / Phage Tapes

This 20-track collection is the audio equivalent of trauma and tragedy.  This is one of the most intriguing listens I have had the pleasure of partaking in.  Sickened crumbles, screaming feedback, piano snippets, harsh walls are interspersed with plain spoken PSAs, screaming victims trapped in twisted rubble, panic stricken loved ones, unfazed newscasters, and the pure sound of death.  This album is unpredictable, tightly constructed, and has a clarity of vision that cannot be denied.  Much like the disorganized nature of a car accident, “Collection 2” is messy, violent, and monumentally depressing. 

For those of you who ordered the Striations “Trauma Code” collage zine, this is the sonic companion piece that really cements this as a thorough study about the fragility of life when man and machine collide.  Man never wins.  Man gets fucked up completely.  Man gets torn apart.  This album is a sound collage that will stand as the ultimate statement on smashed skulls, pulverized chest cavities, burning limbs, and ruined lives.  This comes with my highest recommendations, so do not just sit there with your thumb up your fucking ass. Hit up Phage Tapes for this epic piece of noisy gloom and doom.

Cracked Dome “Aggregate Monotheism” / CD / Nefarious Activities

Yes, I am reviewing myself but before you cry foul let me explain why.  This 3 track disc was recorded somewhere in 2015 at the request of the label Nefarious Activities.  I had sent the recordings over and after all this time they finally made it to a finished product.  I was stoked to finally have this piece in my hands as I had lost the original master a long time ago.  So even though I have had artist copies in my possession for well over a month I was waiting for an opportune time to give this the full listen.  So here I am giving this a listen in full for the first time since these tracks were recorded.  I feel there is enough distance between me and the material that I can be unbiased.

Track one “Help/Disarm” gets right down to business with a slowly shifting yet utterly violent wall.  Soon after, some blackened screams issue forth through the din.  The vocals are raspy as fuck and I do not remember what I was yelling about.  Most likely it was something about suicide or something along those lines.  This track is simple and effective, a good hearty fuck you to kick this ritual off in style.

Track two “Morphine Crucifixion” is a hearty dose of crumbly wall noise that seems to slowly increase in volume as it goes, and it seems as though some other mobbed up waves converge at the same time, giving this piece a frenetic feel.  The feedback starts pissing upwards in desperate arcs, coating your chest in warm goodness.  Despite the bleakness on display, there really is a lot going on, hard to quantify, hard to recall process-wise.  This is the sound your skull makes when it is pressed into concrete, for hours on end. 

For me, I am also a firm believer in discovering a tone or a set of sounds and trying to see what can be done within the parameters.  Take the sounds to the edge before they go off into bullshit.  I work slowly yet steadily on making pieces evolve and because of this my work sometimes gets overly lengthy which I have tried to scale back over the last 10 years or so.  The conclusion of this track leads to a 2 note drone that is over driven and anguished.  It feels like the aural equivalent of the onset of withdrawals.  I do not recall how I generated these sounds, but I think that it was done on a keyboard, not certain though.  What is clear is that the further it goes the filthier it gets, the nausea sets in, the wishing for death gets more plaintive. 

The final track “Knife Trance” creeps in with a glassy high-pitched whine, accompanied by a barrage of static garbage lurking just beneath.  Tension is building very slowly as the torrential monsoon of hatred rushes towards you with deliberate intent.  I am really enjoying the build up here, it is steady yet gets to the point quickly, which is always been a goal of mine.  This track puzzles me though, because even though the explosion is coming your way, it never quite gets to you.  Then it all just mysteriously fades out, you did not cum.  You went to the edge and you failed to attain the finality you were aching for.  You fail at dying.  You fail at everything.  Could this track be my equivalent to Wagner’s “Tristan and Isolde,” where there are no chord resolutions until everyone is dead?  Probably not but it is the thought that counts right?

All in all I would say that this is one of my best compositions because it encapsulates so much of what I have been working towards for years, control and knowing when to say when.  When the artist copies arrived in the mail, I was immediately thrust back into a world that I had not been paying enough attention to.  The pandemic has made it possible to get back to doing what I love it has made it a mandatory act of self-preservation.  Not sure if this is still available anywhere and my artist copies are all spoken for, but if I could recommend any of my work to anyone, “Aggregate Monotheism” would be the one.  Thanks to Mike Finklea of Nefarious Activities for putting this one out. 

 Incapacitants / Operorue / CD / Helicopter + Troniks

I could be wrong but the Helicopter and Troniks co-releases have been nothing short of a deep dive into the past glories of noise.  Not for the sake of relishing in nostalgia but a reminder of how much great noise has been released over the years.  With all of these recent collections and reissues is an opportunity to get a taste of the past which can then point the way forward for anyone who is making noise during these plague-ridden times. 

“Operorue” was originally issued in 1995 and personally speaking this could not come at a better time.  3 tracks of Japanese harsh mastery.  Formed in 1981, Incapacitants have been showing everyone who to do hard noise and this release is no exception.  Glitchy, cutting, busted up tones radiate from the speakers the minute you hit play. 

Track one “Postal Savings & Postal Life Insurance” is high pitched drillings into the ear holes which takes on different shapes depending on where you stand in the room.  Believe me, I took note of this as I was looking for something on my shelves.  The high tones are present no matter what, but the positioning of the listener determines how those tones hit the listener and envelop them.    

Track two “Appointment With My Friend” is when things really get cooking.  Here is where the passenger jet takes a fat nosedive and breaks apart.  Thick bubbling low frequencies hold up a teetering fortress of mids and highs that whistle, vibrate, and get tied up in knots.  Vocalizations issue forth amongst the sizzling wreckage that edges ever closer to a molten panicked hiss. 

The final track “A Walk In the Evening” follows the same theme as its predecessor but cranks the darkness up considerably.  This time, the mids are bullying their way up to the front and the chirping and feedback squeals are struggling to stay in the mix.  The tension builds dramatically and periodically gags on itself and then continues to spew more shredded whistles and white-hot rage.   This track feels like it is the sum result of the previous 2 where the tension finally breaks and you become the recipient of an extended sonic haranguing. 

I have long said that when it comes to harsh noise, Japan pretty much runs the goddamned table.  “Operorue” is stacked up nicely from the teeth drilling of track one to the fiery finale on track 3.  Here again, the Helicopter + Troniks alliance is dishing up another classic from way back when.  Another ass kicking session from a legendary unit, get this and learn.  Get this and burn.

Reviews 09/12/2020

 Here are some fresh reviews straight from the Gene Symptoms factory of worn out cliches and variations on the theme of crushing your nuts.  Cheers. Sympto Bizmol.

Total Slitting of Throats / CD/  Troniks

This one is billed as “An HNW Audible Manifesto” and it certainly lives up to that as you would expect. What you get is The Cherry Point, Mania, The Rita, Sewer Election, and Treriksroset teaming up and serving you heaping helping of tinderbox dry sizzling hatred.  Most of you already know what each of these artists delivers on their own and it is ugly to be certain.  So, the question then becomes, what kind of hellish thunder do they deliver as a collective?

Your audio torture comes as a single track originally recorded in 2005 that has no obvious or blatant shifts, just a single blast of wall noise just like you like it.  As you get sucked in at or around the 10-minute mark you do notice some very slight subtle changes to the tonal quality and the complexion, but it is an impenetrable mess overall.  Of course, it could all just be a figment of my imagination; a dash of wishful thinking that something might happen.  If the objective was to simply deliver a faceless shroud of audio violence, then mission accomplished.  If you are looking for some new school, emo noise revelations and tasty audio fuck sessions then you ought to just give this one a miss.

All in all, you know the pedigree of the individual artists involved so the violence should not come as a surprise.  They are in lockstep with each other, the aim and objective is clear.  If you like your noise thick and meaty then score this album and get ready to dive headfirst into the tree shredder, the afterlife beckons bitch.

Savage Gospel / CD / White Centipede Noise

This 2-man crew from Finland throws down 3 tracks on this album and it is a real stunner.  Rather than tread familiar HNW territories, this cadre is keeping it murky, harsh and focused.  It has that sweet wall riding action that the serious hardcore freaks love but it is rife with nuclear meltdown fumes, gas leaks, train wrecks and explosions.  The ecological and societal damage is well deserved and the anguish of modern life is real. 

Track one “Magnetic Tongue” is a very dense distant roll between AM radio stations where the coherence is nowhere to be found, only fog and static teasing you from afar.  This is the sound of waking up in the morning and being equal parts confused and disappointed that you are still alive.

Track two “I Want to Make Everyone Happy” is a tightly measured romp through the crisis of your choice.  Howling squeals and rolling feedback hissing in an immense space where all the sounds are free to travel.  Savage Gospel is steadily upping the brutality which sets the stage for the final act.

Track three “Clustered” is the sound of Savage Gospel pulling out all the stops and unloading their arsenal in epic fashion.  I kept thinking about that feeling you get when you are in having an emotional logjam.  You are pissed, sad, confused all at once and unsure of how to safely release it without shoving a needle in your arm.  You come completely unglued and just let it fly scattershot in every direction.  This track is intense and beautiful. 

This album is highly recommended, a postcard from a friend that does not exist.  The packaging rules, the sounds are lethal, and the urge to hit play again is like a pickaxe through my skull.  Stop fucking around and get this one right away. A true must have for the harsh heads out there.

 

Leather Bath “Nature’s Crackling Fire” / CD / Chondritic Sound

What happens when Greh Holger and John Wiese team up? You get a haunting tapestry of organic sonic interplay, and it is awesome.  Leather Bath treats the listener to 2 tracks of mysterious, unsettling, haunters that move about in an unassuming manner dishing out surprise after surprise.  Metallic clanks and steel wool rub downs lay the foundation for sweaty winds to swirl about the windchimes of a distant past that is surely never to return. 

Track 2 opens with a singular tone moaning mournfully while mysterious movements take over.  Late summer breezes carrying crumpled wrapping paper which gently hold court with stirrings of the morning after a night of hard drug use. The Howling commences unanswered.  Skin on steel provides a backdrop for these unanswered calls; the end is so far yet ever so close. Strangers mingle without you.  You lay back in a faux restless sleep, pretending to care.

This album’s success rests on how carefully every event is laid out.  There is nothing forced or shoehorned in.  This is not just another “beat you over the head” release which are so commonplace these days.  This is a special piece of art.  Each track is like a river, it moves in its own way, organically in time with the inner clock of the Earth.  This will be a well-regarded classic that is custom made for these fading summer days.  Your gateway to the time of the harvest lies with this album. This comes with my highest recommendations. 

 

Kjostad “Red Iron Knife” / CD / White Centipede Noise

Field recording specialist Stefan Aune’s Kjostad project unleashes a 2-track feast of devastating crumble and decay on “Red Iron Knife.” One thing that is noticeable is that this album is pure wreckage in the rolling and tumbling low end that cascades across each track.  Deadly winds penetrating cave walls scraped by heat and metal. Kjostad is creating work that relies more on process than technology and the results are devastating to say the least.

 Aune asserts that his work is captured at Kjostad Lake in Minnesota with many sounds being somewhat recognizable and others that far less identifiable.  In the case of the first track “Open Pit Bodies” the familiar is a lost concept as you get thrown like trash into broken, scattered clods of bottom end damage. This piece seems to be split into acts in the same manner as a play in that there is a brief respite followed up by continued grinding and agonizing, this time with the frenetic intensity turned up a skosh.  Slight submerging dips interspersed with second long spaces of silence; the flogging remains systematic. This is simply crushing stuff.

Track 2 “Deerblood Paleface” is just as crumbly and irritable as “Open Pit Bodies” but with the low end serving as a grimey framework in which tearing strips of mid fi heavings fill the space up with unapologetic violence.  Again, the source material that is being used here is not readily identifiable and by the time it gets run through the Kjostad production process it is mangled beyond recognition and placed in a new context.  This is where “Red Iron Knife” becomes a seriously engaging listen.  This is pure process and movement; the electronics are simply there to help the process along; flipping the source material on its head and then severing it.

“Red Iron Knife” is a primitive depth plumbing excursion that is as bleak and malignant as it gets.  However, there is a beauty to be had here that cannot be ignored.  Nature captured, scattered, reassembled as a new Earthen trophy for your ears.  This is a killer listen that will only yield more rewards with each subsequent revisiting.  A true must have for your collection so do not screw this up.

 

Sewer Election “Blizzard Amplification” / 2xCD / White Centipede Noise

A 2-disc collection of new recordings from Swedish noise merchant Sewer Election.  If you are familiar with this artist’s work then you already know it is going to be a rough ride through a myriad network of frequencies and crushing improvisations.  This album does not disappoint as the first 4 tracks on the first disc run the gamut of the harsh spectrum from screaming feedback stabbers, growling teeth snapping lows, to wrenching barf blasting heaters.  The title of the album is “Blizzard Amplification” and there is no more apt description than this because this is a blizzard, ceaseless, overwhelming, and makes you question everything.

Track 2 “Fishnet Psych-Out” is so gritty and crispy, a real goddamned sizzler.  The billowing feedback squalls rise up and down like a well-muscled ass pumping into nothingness.  Straight up blistered and tortured rage as you and your gear get kicked out of the noise show and down the stairs. Bear in mind this is but one track out of 9 where the volume is up and the frequencies run wild.

One key thing that I have noticed with this, my second listen through, is that these tracks are not one dimensional by any stretch of the imagination.  Sewer Election takes harsh noise out for a run across town for dope deals.  Everything is moving, shifting, unexpected and generously littered.  There are no straight lines between point A and B to be had and this is why this collection is such a riotous listen.  Sewer Election is not here to just hang out and smoke cigs with you.  

                Track 4 “Crystallized Disease Genitalia” is a glitchy bubbly synapse splitter with a dull rumble laying in wait for you.  Do not have too much fun because you will get got.  In short, disc one is a real jog around the wastelands but the question remains, what of disc 2?

Well, disc 2 gets right down to the dirty business of burying your ass alive as “Spirals I” is a hideous unloading of furious static and far distant high-end rhythmic warbling.  Another fun question to ask is what would happen after you get kicked in the balls by your assailant?  A blast of aggros static right straight to the grill.  Which is exactly what you get on “Filterbank Waste Campaign.” Dour, faceless, wall riding action abounds, crispy, sizzling, head shoved into the deep fryer and then the train stops slowly across your skull.

“High Voltage Face Removal” is exactly what you think it is a full on crumbler and screamer.  One thing that is apparent here is that these tracks are all generous in length and each have their own distinct sonic geography.  Sewer Election does not simply settle in one area for too long, there is a lot of movement which makes for a great listen all around.

The forlorn static hiss and piss of “Cosmic Mirror II” is dramatically different to my ears in that its presence is understated.  This does not kick off like a stadium demolition full of chaotic blistering bombast.  This is a creeper, steadily riding the concourse not giving you many twists and turns which is unsettling it its own right.  This collection concludes with “Razors Edge” which serves as a brutal bookend and gives you a perfectly well deserved kick to the head before you get left to ponder your mistakes. 

If you love Sewer Election then you already know what is in store for you.  But bear in mind, this is a hefty collection of harsh noise.  Perhaps too much in one sitting?  That really depends on you but either way this is a harsh noise specialist delivering a chaotic yet violent manifesto that demands your attention.  Take it all or take a few inches at the time, either way you will take a shit out your mouth.