Threatening Reflections - Mosquito Larve in the Birdbath.

 

Threatening Reflections – Mosquito Larvae in the Birdbath – Cassette, C20 – Virtues – VTUL010 – 2023

https://www.virtueslabel.com/

I’ve bought many releases on Alex Kmet’s Virtues label since it began in 2020. There have been impressive works by Doll, Corporate Park, Jon Mueller, SV8, Fog of Joy, Kate Rissiek and Climax Denial amongst others in that time. I like the presentation and the wide range of work by artists that the label puts out.

This is the second ever appearance by the Climax Denial side project Threatening Reflection, the first was in a split release with Climax Denial on Violent Whatever in 2007 – two sides of the same artist. I like the 16-year gap between releases and this is the first stand-alone release by Threatening Reflections.

The cassette is printed and presented in a pard clouded, part clear cassette case. The inner card folds out and there are images of mysteriously dead animals printed in colour with a shot of a Mosquito larvae with trees and long grass in the background on the inside cover. The artwork clearly and beautifully sets the theme to the work. I say this, as each of the images are like works of art in themselves, with the front cover images seen as either staged scenarios or natural accidents captured within a landscape.

The untitled work becomes a landscape of sound, initially formed through drones that remind me of the work of Angus MacLise or La Monte Young. This quickly moves into its own territory through the dragging vocal sounds, subtle glitch sounds and noises that seem to reference bad weather, each running through the sound at different times. I feel as if I am lost in an American rural landscape that shifts from plaguing me with fear, to overwhelming with natural beauty as I try to navigate it. These aspects cause the release to live up to the threatening part of the name, but it is also serves as a strangely seductive reflection at the same time.

One of my favourite Climax Denial releases is the Sexuality Is a Curse release on the short-lived IDES Recordings label in 2006. To me that recording is Climax Denial presented as something other than the genres that are frequently tied to the project. This release also does that and easily matches Sexuality Is a Curse in terms of how good and how unique it is.  Mosquito Larve in the Birdbath is a short but very strong release that demonstrates the different facets of beauty that Alex Kmet can create in his recordings.  

One and one alone, 2023.

Worth - Hamper.

Worth – Hamper – Aussaat – CD – 2023 – Aussaat23

https://naggecontent.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Aussaatundernte/

White Centipede Noise Interview - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8nrprR6ERs

1.    Pomander and Globular Glass.

2.    Black Oleoresin Motif on Teenaged Lucifer.

3.    Penetralia.

4.    Refraction Poison (Mirrored by Presage).

5.    Necrotechnology.

Worth is a USA based project that has been releasing since 2014. The creator of this project was also responsible for Weak Sisters, a project that goes back to 2006 and was active until 2011. Other projects include Other People’s Children, 3 Headed Monster and Experiments in American Music. He has been making Harsh Noise since he was 15 years old. There have been extensive interviews recently in Special Interests Magazine and White Centipede Noise Podcast.

I remember playing this to check it out as I was totally new to Worth’s work when Aussaat sent me this to review. Even by Harsh Noise standards and my familiarity with the genre, I found this to be very Harsh, way beyond what I am used to. Playing Pomander and Globular Glass I am impressed by how harsh this is. I am, I recently realised way ignorant of Japanese Noise that I read about and this being an important development, I wonder if it is as harsh as this? I know there is a slight stream of consciousness thing happening here, but I am having a year 0 moment with Hamper. This seems like digital noise and metal abuse combined to make attack, the approach is, to be amongst the most extreme that I have heard.

Swotting up on the project and artist prior to review, Stabat Mors was mentioned in Special Interests, that is another project I discovered recently as Steve Underwood mentioned I should check them out. I obtained a lot of recordings and have been blown away. Listening there are tones of similar bleakness spread across the work, not in a cloney way, just an undertone that is there, Black Oleoresin Motif on Teenaged Lucifer seems to resonate that undertone. The shift from the Harshness of the previous track to pure bleakness is impressive, even more so as the violent sound returns like a war and the kicks in with aggressive explosions of noise. The noise sounds vocal, a vocal in torment, the other noises range from savage to disturbingly playful.

Bleak landscapes of sound return on Penetralia, this hisses and grinds slowly. Drilling noise takes over, forming a wall of blast, thicker, deep elements then rush in and build the sound up. Thick, churning distortion begins to splatter everywhere and dominate the sound completely, it feels like you are staring face first at the Gates of Mordor, the sound is immense. The work takes a massive shift as other blasts of noise take over and the work accelerates into a bombastic hyperdrive. As the work nearly faulters out and crashes, this furthers a hasty rebuild of sound to continue the high paced noise collision. When the work splutters to single toned drones and whistling feedback, the elements play off each other, as if in conversation until the thicker depths of sound try to return to speed the track to its end.

Steady paced wall distortion and feedback combine with each element flaring alongside the other. Sharper sounds radiate urgency and cut into this, Vocal noise and shrieking feedback take over, this is the sound of Refraction Poison (Mirrored by Presage). I like the frequent shifts the noise makes as if to race through different territories, roaring through a mental landscape at high speed.

Feedbacks and drones take turns to pipe up, distortion and deep drones kick in to build chaos to the track gradually. I like the deep dominating drone that goes off, this would usually be used behind a dense array of noise, but with only a sprinkling of sounds on it, it resonates beautifully. As the sound roars, it is only for short times so other sounds can poke in, it is like muscles flexing and loosening continually. Necrotechnology has skilled control of a set of well curated sounds, the control over the sound is very prominent on the finale. The die-off towards the end is magnificent.

Noise is a personal thing; we all have different definitions of which artists are great. To be completely honest the magazines and podcasts were right Worth; I stand converted to Worth. This is the strongest album from 2023 that I have heard so far.

Army of One, no cliques, no falsehoods, only myself – the struggle is real.  2023.

Climax Denial #3

Climax Denial – Indolence – CD/Download – Abhorrent A.D. - AAD69

https://abhorrentafterdeath.bandcamp.com/album/climax-denial-indolence

https://www.virtueslabel.com/ (Still available from)

1.   Strong Nude Exhausts A Landscape.

2.   Clogged Drain.

3.   III (Mental)

4.   Shell In Muscle Fantastic Passion.

5.   Last Chance.

Indolence – An inclination to laziness.

Online dictionary definition. (merriam – webster)

I collect this project; I get everything that I can, but I have only reviewed him twice on here - my bad. Since 2005’s Little Wood Rose for Little Love Knife the discography of Climax Denial has steadily grown, as has the project’s reputation. Past interviews in As Loud as Possible and more recently in Special Interests have cemented the projects reputation. The image is a photo of a man with Lymphatic disease.

Harsh noise that feels like it is recorded with real metal and contact microphones explodes to create Strong Nude Exhausts A Landscape. Metal clangs throughout the roaring distortion, things stop, kick off and generally explode. This is release follows Asexual Electricity as a real foray into Harsh Noise. This has always been a part of Climax Denial’s many approaches, but these last two releases truly dive full into the genre. Blasts of electronics fuse into the physical sounds of metal clattering throughout the savagery of the piece.

Hissing goes off, we have Clogged Drain as sounds echo in the distance. This short track makes way for the burst of Power Electronics Harshness that is III (Mental), jarring feedback and distortion collide, the aggression is faster than the previous tracks. The throb of bass underneath the sound begins to pulsate and control how the other elements work on the track. This gets also develops a level of fucky digital noise as the sounds reach full explosion, the layering of elements is also impressive, giving a strong attention to finer detail of sound.

Menacing drones, shouting, cluttering and speech samples drop us into the dronier, bleak side of Climax Denial as demonstrated in 2015’s Dehumanizing Environments, this reminds us how nasty and cold the project can get. Last Track, Last Chance, an explosion of distortion throwing out an array of noises revs onwards. This track dies off with a drop in sound to reinvigorate with explosions of metal being hit and roaring distortion. Everything goes into hyperdrive until the die off, end.

The two shorter tracks delve into strange territories that remind us of the oddness of Climax Denial, it reminds us of who we are listening to. This isn’t the typical American Power Electronics, macho ex-metal guy who found PE through Relapse Records, this is the real weirdo oddball who came into Industrial Music and kicked off. The quest continues with new work and new sides to the sound emerging at different times. Great album, I can’t say enough great things about this project.

Army of One, 2023.

The RITA/OVMN

 

The RITA/OVMN – LP – Input Error – 2023 – IE-12.

https://input-error.co.uk/music

https://bakurita.blogspot.com/

https://therita.bandcamp.com/

https://www.discogs.com/artist/127868-OVMN

1.    The RITA  - Salmon Pink Crotch on the Chevelle SS Seat.

2.    OVMN – Head on Collision (Deadly Wreckage)

I am familiar with both artists on this split; I have reviewed the Rita a few times on here and recently bought OVMN’s Land of the Zombies release on Mother Savage Productions. OVMN is Joseph Roemer and Rodger Stella, they have been releasing since 1996 – both of whom also come from Macronympha and run Mother Savage Productions, no pressure here then. The RITA as you will all know is Sam McKinlay, so even more no pressure here then. A bit of Heavyweight reviewing going on here at 1208 North Fuller Avenue.

I was impressed that Input Error sent me this on vinyl, it was very clear to me that the label puts a lot of pride into their releases, judging by the quality of this and the Drug Age CD that I was sent, so maximum kudos to London’s Input Error.

Side One – The RITA’s track Salmon Pink Crotch on the Chevelle SS Seat uses a broken, crackle that abrasively drags along, it has a very real tension to its sound because of this. It drags at its own pace, constantly resisting itself, tearing and ripping on its own stutter. This also causes a slight bounciness to the sound as it jitters and moves around, giving it a slight playfulness. Towards the end the breaks in the static become more dominant, this signifies the sound is dying off, adding a strong compositional factor to the work. The title, when tied into the work makes you think of contact microphones attached between the Chevelle SS seat and the salmon pink crotch as it moves around during driving whilst sat down, is this symbolic of the friction of movements between crotch and seat? Also, with The RITA’s past work about Nylons, does nylon friction come into play? The title, cover art, other RITA obsessions really make the mind race as this work drags onwards. On the other hand, the choking, dragging sounds gives you a feel of imminent disaster or death, which leads us onto the next track.

Side Two - OVMN – Head on Collision (Deadly Wreckage.) OVMN stands for Optimum Volume Maximum Noise whom I have recently familiarised myself with and their Land of Zombies release. The sound of Head on Collision (Deadly Wreckage) has a deep bass roar in the background that is overlaid with a well textured crackle, it feels like an earthquake, cracking the earth’s crust like a biscuit. It feels like the ground disintegrating.  The speed of the sound from the back-roar makes it feel like an accelerating car, driving at a very high speed. The crackle feels like something slowly crushing under impact. Both elements are relentless so it feels like you are caught in a suspended state of acceleration and impact. The density of the sound seems to intensify gradually throughout the 18+ minutes, with the crackle getting more savoury and the bass roar really thickening up, both elements seem more combative towards each other more near the end of the track, they collide.

Conceptually this demonstrates true strength, as well as well thought out, mature, concisely executed work. Each track works with the title and artwork perfectly, it made me think and make associations between all the elements. Top work.

Army of One – focus, the war in the head is real, don’t be distracted. 2023.

Spiteful Womb - Interior Castle

 

Spiteful Womb – Interior Castle – LP – Cipher Productions - 2023 – (sic150)

https://spitefulwomb.bandcamp.com/

http://www.iheartnoise.com/cipherproductions/

https://cipherproductions.storenvy.com/

1.    First Mansion.

2.    Second Mansion.

3.    Third Mansion.

4.    Fourth Mansion.

5.    Fifth Mansion.

6.    Sixth Mansion.

7.    Seventh Mansion.

 

I’ve been listening to Spiteful Womb for ages. I own a few releases on tape, a bunch of downloads, but I have never reviewed the project on here - it is time to rectify that.

Spiteful Womb is Nora Egloff. The debut release was Postpenitent in 2014, there have been many releases since then, but Interior Castle is the debut vinyl LP by Spiteful Womb. The album comes on heavy vinyl, it has a colour sleeve with inserts.

Side One - Flies buzz and sounds click with a low under drone, sounds go off, it is hard to gauge what is going to happen, this causes immediate tension to the listener; it feels like fragments of memories from the past floating around a space. Buried lyrics flow through dense atmospheres, the noises fill the space, the drones are pushed forwards more so the sound has a thickness that is being continually compressed to give off tension, this forces the different sounds together to become a new form. It is like when you become someone else in a dream or a side of yourself that you aren’t aware of. I like the shift in the third mansion, keyboards melody and drones form the main sound. There is a delicacy to the sound, a minimalism and very successful combination of the different elements. Third Mansion is a break away from the noise and an impressive burst of musicianship across the Interior Castle – that isn’t to detract from the other interiors, but this sudden shift hits the listener.

Side Two – Texture builds within the sound until deep radiating synths pulsate across the sound to make way for the vocal to curse across the work. This has a Power Electronics urgency that heightens the darkness of the work, it is as if the work has taken a step forward at the listener to get in their face. The Fifth Mansion drops back into hostile subconscious territory. Inaudible vocals that play out in the background, high pitched synthesizer sounds wail over the work and the fluidity of the work makes it feel as if the sounds are being pumped through the body – this has a physicality to it that is very prevalent in the work. The sound begins to accelerate and become nosier, falling into PE territory again. The last two mansions descend into dream-like ambient territory that returns partly to the feel of the third mansion and leads us to the end of the album's journey.

I have read Spiteful Womb interviews, where the inner self and obsessions becoming the work is discussed. I feel Interior Castle achieves this and is a perfect representation of Spiteful Womb as a project. The images on the cover, inserts, sparse labelling on the heavy vinyl make for a beautiful, well-presented object. The sound is like a nightmare with fleeting moments of beauty, consistent depth and a sharp attention to detail. I have always liked the work, but this, to me, is Spiteful Womb’s best release so far.

Army of One, 2023.

Abrasion Addict - Death Gives Life to Science.

 

Abrasion Addict – Death Gives Life to Science – Cassette/download – 2023

https://abrasionaddict.bandcamp.com/

1.    Death Gives Life to Science.

2.    Anatomy Ornamented.

3.    The Pathologisation of Dissection.

4.    Foetal Maceration.

Death Gives Life to Science is the second of three releases by Blackpool, UK based project Abrasion Addict.

The title track opens the release, this clangs and splutters gagging noise at me. I like the broken sound, this tries for a long time to be fluid, but is really hacked into by screaming feedback. Bass hums through the shards of noise occasionally as they begin to sound like an agonised dogfight – the sound is truly brutal. The sound builds more body through the bass whilst maintaining the screeching qualities it built. As the bass begins to rev into the sound a thick density reinforces and radiates the sound powerfully.

Pulsating digital repetition is Anatomy Ornamented, fractured voices and crunching form a busier sound as all battle for dominance. The sound of this track varies massively from the first. Different noise sounds weave in and out of the work forcing it to change continuously. Sounds with varying degrees of intensity come into the sound and dominate for periods of time. The noise chatter argues with a marching, pulsating, melted noise sound for a long period of time until the relentless march crushes everything.

The album ups its intensity further with The Pathologisation of Dissection, this reaches a full sound immediately, it is like a detailed wall with clarity focussed on all its aspects. It roars and hisses massively. The depth drops to allow less noise to work its static magic with less background noise interfering. The sound chokes and gasps towards its end, rebirthing with a full sound, continually hacking itself into less.

The finale of this release is Foetal Maceration is the shortest track, the noises here sound like screaming buried in static roaring and crunching distortion. The continual shift is impressive, making an epic end to Death Gives Life to Science.

Bold, savage, modern-day Harsh Noise. Keep up the solid work my Blackpool Friends.

Army of One 2023.

Drug Age - Dyslexic Action.

 

Drug age – dyslesic action – 2 x CD - Input Error – 2023 – ie18

https://input-error.co.uk/music

https://jdv.bigcartel.com/

Disc One.

        1.    Progress people.

        2.    Discrimination of graphemes.

        3.    Impact on writing.

        4.    External causes of sensory deficits.

        5.    Prevalence of intuitiveness.

        6.    Lungomare.

        7.    Soup loop.

        8.    Philosophy of language.

        9.    A furthest colony.

Disc Two.

        1.    Early Organisation.

        2.    Tipo l.

        3.    Tipo p.

        4.    Aggiunte e ripetizioni.

        5.    Specific disturbances.

        6.    Mundane minutiae.

        7.    Confessioni.

Drug Age is Francesco Tignola and Matteo Castro, they are from Italy. The duo has been releasing as Drug Age since 2012. Dyslexic Action was originally released on Second Sleep in 2013 on a four-cassette release. Francesco Tignola also runs the Joy de Vivre label and creates work as Elisha Morningstar. Matteo Castro runs the Second Sleep label; he is active in projects like Primorje and Lattera 22. Drug Age’s most recent releases were Deaf Plants and Costume e Societa in 2020.

The first disc of the album uses Harsh Noise creatively, this is firstly done through dramatic shifts in speed across tracks. At times it feels as if it is hurtling through a train tunnel at 186mph and other times it is as if the sound is slowly ploughing through a mountain. Broken crackle blisters and splutters to slow the sound down, thick, hissing distortion accelerates the work away from this. When chaos erupts, insane screeching, wailing feedback and hissing, whipping distortion are thrown around. This creates a shift in noise texture as the sound accelerates into itself. High pitched shooting sounds cut into the distortion fracturing the flow of sound. The battle within the work is consistent. The sound breaks down into either: broken crackle, screaming feedback or lone hiss at different times before throwing everything back together again. Clunking and clattering noises are at times left to be the main sound until the main noise elements return and work with, or over these.

Disc two screams into action, feedback and hiss square up to each other until they unite. However, the work on this disc eventually falls into heavier, murkier, atmospheric territory. Sounds are left to wail in an empty no man’s land, it is different to the lone noise awaiting more noises that happens on the first disc, here we are thrown into trance like passages of foggy noise. The noise is like a lone voice, lost and scared. At times the work feels like a radio in purgatory trying to find a signal, but only able to broadcast noise. This disc manages to achieve very haunted tones as the sound wails, gasps and coughs. As the work busies up, the sound has bleak drones that weave from being undertones to overtones and back again. The density of the sound returns to full flow.

The first disc is a solid display of Harsh Noise and how to keep things interesting. The second melts the sound so we are left with fractured atmospherics that are very effective as well as continued, precise outbursts of noise. Everything is detailed and composed well. These factors make it clear why this tape set needed a CD reissue. This has original theme, strong sounds, with excellent shifts in mood and composition. I was going to say that Dyslexic Action is very good work, but I am going to go with excellent here.

Army of One 2023.

Inner Demons #22

Inner Demons #22

Cr(A)wE. – AlgorithmicEthics – 5”cdr/download – 2022 – [IND119F]

https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/algorithmicethics-ind119f

https://crawe.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/craweband

https://www.stopkillerrobots.org

https://autonomousweapons.org

https://caat.org.uk

1. IntelligenceExplosion

2. смерть Death 死亡

3. AlgorithmicEthics.

4. WhoeverIsAWolfWillActLikeAWolf.

5. Kargu-2.

6. CrabsOnTheIsland.

7. AnInherentlySubjectiveDetermination

-ThatWillBeResolvedOnACaseByCaseBasis.

8. CapitalismInvestsInDeathNotLife.

9. ReturnToTheDesert.

10. DroneSwarm.

11. TheRealRiskIsNotMaliceButCompetence.

AlgorithmicEthics is about the greatest danger our planet faces of all, Lethal Autonomous Weapons (LAW’s).

In March 2020 Turkish built STM Kargu-2 quadcopter drones attacked anti-government rebels in Libya fully autonomously - without human operator command.

This terrifying historic event made a few tiny subheadings in the mainstream media following an obscure UN Security Council report produced a year later, but widely went unnoticed. It was the worlds first published account of a weapon attacking human beings with no human operator control or command.

America, China, Russia, the UK and nearly every major nation and arms developer have massive LAW development programmes, despite all the worlds leading thinkers and human rights advocacy organisations agreeing LAW’s pose the single biggest risk to humanity and should be banned outright. The pentagon spent a published $4.6 billion on AI programmes in 2020 alone with far more funding hidden behind sub contracts.

Weapons that can be programmed to attack through facial recognition technology with no human input acting on racial profile, economic status, political affiliations, age or simply at random is not some cheesy dystopian futuristic sci-fi nightmare, but a reality that is already here and fully developed.

Support anti arms trade advocacy groups where you can and hold the developers of these weapons to account, before their lust for money destroys us all…

Quote from CrAwe Facebook page.

This was meant to be a day when I caught up on my Inner Demons records reviewing, it was going to be special as I am to start reviewing their recent 5”cdr releases. Yes! You read me right the label has done not 1 but 3 - 5” cdrs in the last batch. But I feel as if I am in either of the Dune films and the Harkonnens are coming to get me. Cr(A)wE blast me with epic, timeless, sci-fi music that is at once dramatic and emotional. It allows just the right amount of emotion into IntelligenceExplosion to hit just the right note on this percussion/synth mini opera. The levels of intensity and emotion are balanced perfectly throughout the whole album. There are tracks such as AnInherentlySubjectiveDeterminationThatWillBeResolvedOnACaseByCaseBasis that focus on drones rather than the epic build ups, this shows good contrast in the work.

As mentioned in the quote above this album deals with the threat to humanity from AI generated weapons and how people’s reckless desire to be rich fuels this trade. It adds a who new level of sinister to the work. The work soundtracks a very real, fully developed threat. The back story and style that the music is played it makes it a very real Sci Fi epic/apocalyptic epic piece of work.

Adam Colman makes all of this with a bow played specially designed, fretless 3 string guitar designed by Colman and Dan Gathercole from Gallo guitars. This guitar is known as the CrAwEcaster. Cr(A)we has been actively releasing since 2019. I am sure regular guitar and other instruments are used too judging by photos of the project.

Reading about Cr(A)wE and hearing AlgorithmicEthics shows a brilliant album by a very serious project.

Army of One 2023.

Inner Demons #21.

 

Inner Demons #21

Inner Demons logo from the Inner Demons Bandcamp.

James Nathan Powell – Hateless – 3”CDR/Download – 2022 - [IND131]  

https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hateless-ind131

https://jnpowl.bandcamp.com/

1.       I.

2.       II.

3.       III.

4.       IV.

5.       V.

6.       VI.

7.       VII.

8.       VIII.

9.       IX.

Spitting crackle greets me as my introduction to the work of James Nathan Powell. The crackle functions alone with no backing bass unlike the following track that uses a combination of deep bass and sharp hiss cutting along the top of it. The bass is effectively cut into on II, it dislocates the smoothness of the sound, but the hiss isn’t – this makes for good listening. Guttural clanking and banging seems to hijack the track - James isn’t having any of this smooth continuity lark, he’s very difficult.

Very fractured noise makes up III, it is as if this looked like it was going to be something, but changed direction as the sound splutters and coughs out noise. This is abrasive work. Hissing distortion and clanging make up IV, I like the level of experimenting that emerges on each track. V marks a return to fractured distortion as it progresses to gargled spatter on VI, this sounds like a broken voice trying desperately to communicate. Bass tries to back the work but it is equally fragmented. The broken approach continues into VII which has more splatter to its sound. VIII ups the ante with fragmented elements forming a broken wall, this sounds gasping and dragging. Piano playing ends the album, giving a nice finale from all the splattered walls and chaos.

Interesting work, broken up nicely with different experiments and recordings.

INFELIX – Eternal Hymns of Entropic Darkness – 2 x 3”CDR/Download – 2022 – [IND122D]

https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/eternal-hymns-of-entropic-darkness-ind122d

https://infelix.bandcamp.com/

https://lapsed.bandcamp.com/

1.       HYMN I: GBK.

2.       HYMN II: The Divine Abyss of Sleep.

3.       HYMN III: Doomed to Devour.

4.       HYMN IV: Hoarding Decay.

5.       HYMN V: The Anguished Light.

6.       HYMN VI: Eternal Suffering.

This is an Inner Demons double 3” CDR release, I like these as you end up with an album worth of work across two Cdrs Eternal Hymns of Entropic Darkness initially has a majestic Industrial sound, it is dark and futuristic. It also doesn’t sound like anything that I have heard before with its’ ambitious sound and cinematic quality. There are moments when the sound has a buzz like a swarm of flies, giving an infected feel to the work. Noise is used amongst the rhythms in different tracks, at other times noise is prominent in the work. The work on the second disc is the best as the use of prominent noise kills off the majestic rhythms with impressive ambient textures. I feel the work does glide across genres and think it shows some impressive synth skills across 2 discs. I didn’t take to the first disc, but the second disc really perfects what INFELIX is trying to do across the other disc, I was eventually impressed.

Goose – Selah – 3”cdr/download – 2022 – [IND125]

https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/selah-ind125

http://zaftigresearch.com/

http://angrygoose.net/

1.       Selah.

Goose is a USA project by Brett Lunceford that has been active for 23 years.

Selah is starts quietly, ambient drones and sounds play in the distance. The sleeve information tells me that this release was made using only a 22” Gong and a signal processor. At some points there are rhythmic beats, subtle beats on the gong. The dark atmospherics the gong creates are strong as it resonates and rolls. I find myself wondering where it was created, in a room, a recording studio, someone’s house? Lunceford makes the gong resonate in different ways; he can make different passages of sound from the same gong to allow several shifts across Selah. As a piece of work it moves along beautifully. Selah is very effective and very strong.

Army of One 2023.

Abrasion Addict - Brutalist Detrius.

Abrasion Addict – Brutalist Detritus – CD/Download – love earth music – 2023 – LEM288

https://abrasionaddict.bandcamp.com/

http://www.loveearthmusic.com/

1.       Brutalist Detritus.

2.       Death Throes.

3.       Metallic Enslavement.

4.       Flesh and Steel as One.

5.       Purgatory.

6.       Release.

Abrasion Addict – Brutalist Detritus > New UK Noise Project from Blackpool England.

Machinery clunks away as something whirs away behind the noise, this comes to the forefront of the noise and the chugging noise dives from one side of the stereo range to the other, this is dizzying and aggressive, it is also a good start. Harsh screeching kicks in, dies out and reboots again. Walls of distortion make brief appearances, the machinery comes back alone, soon joined by screeching noise again. This is Brutalist Detritus.

A larger assault of noise is Death Throes, this has a heavy bass undercurrent with shifting, screeching sharpness cutting over the top. The bass roar is dense so that the higher pitched sounds have good backing. At times it feels as if the two are being pushed together forcefully so that the combination of Dense and Harsh’s explosion is the result of this. The sharper sounds become increasingly dominant towards the end through their relentless assault, it becomes a warped lead performance. As it races towards its’ own Death Throes, the track splutters, coughs at high speed into its own end.

Screaming, metallic, abrasive noise greets me for Metallic Enslavement which continues at the same speed as Death Throes. Space is allowed between the noise, there isn’t an overwhelming backing density so it can move at speed whilst retaining a clarity of sound. Elements of noise are moved in and out of the work to allow different interactions and scenarios to occur.  At one point the sound is stripped down to crude scraping and chugging noises to allow a real ugliness of sound to resonate.

The longest track is Flesh and Stone, this uses very aggressive on the ears screeching abrasion with a heavy backing bass noise roaring in the background. I become aware how truly aggressive the work is during the sonic assault of this track, I wonder if there have or will be live performances to expand and concrete these methods? The clarity of the work goes from murky to sharp, deliberately and it is effective. The dense bass is allowed to lead at times to allow spaced, wailing interactions of the high-pitched frequencies over it. Friction pressures the sound near the end to create an effective drag.

Low rumbling and atmospheric whirring create a less busy atmosphere for noises to crackle on and flit across the stereo range. Screechy noise begins to chatter across all of this, entitled and arrogantly ignoring the big important rumbles that are occurring. Purgatory is complicated, many layers go off.

The final demonstration is called Release. Here, sounds try to accelerate and are cut off for others to try. I feel as if I am being jolted into different demonstrations – in, out, in, out, in, out… I like how the sound is cut off and cut into, the creator is ruthless.

This is a new project, so advice comes before the finale. Keep releasing on other labels, network, keep releasing to cement your reputation and develop your vision. Play live when you can, this explosive aggression needs to be heard. Good album, good work and keep it up.

Army of One 2023.