1208 North Fuller Ave Apt 1: Inner Demons #12

I am very excited today. Firstly, because I love quoting the above lines from the labels webpage and because this is because I have never done an Inner Demons Records compilation before, never. I have reviewed lots of different individual projects that have been released on the label and the work released has challenged noise preconceptions every time. I am often gobsmacked at what I heard as I find Inner Demons goes for challenging projects.

Andreas Davis has the unlucky job of coming first, there’s no space for any shit here and thankfully he produces an excellent passage of haunted, esoteric weirdness that is Not Able To. This sounds like some guitar loops, rainy distortion, rhythmic repetition, and lots of creaky noise. The overall track rises to become enchanting and harmonious.

Nasty Dosis Letalis kicks in with spluttery, interrupted distortion. I am unsure if this is contact mic abuse, but Dosis is at the severe end of Inner Demons challenging spectrum, this is the labels most challenging, abusive project. But none of that is a bad thing because here at North Fuller Ave you will know we love those sorts of projects and this nasty French based Serbian troublemaker is one of our favourite difficult noise projects. Backbreaker is a confrontational ear breaker, I bet those poor French are getting what for when he plays live. I like this it is Hydra style challenging work. Dosis Letalis lingers in Harsh Noise circles, but in reality is something far more severe.

A sense of ritual seriousness seems to be my introduction to the work of Lorena Grey, this combines deep drones, screeching, searing sound and fidgety ticky tock noise. The high seriousness of the work ties in with the first track and the clipped aspect follows well from Dosis. The second mix has a rhythmic backing, playful overtones yet plenty of abrasive joy - very good.

Lorena Grey’s rhythmic abuse makes way for a storming rhythmic blast from Inner Demons heavyweight Loss. And this is easily as good as the monumental She, Zombie work that they did. The overlying melodic keyboards are powerful as. I am sorry to go on about She, Zombie so much, but it is one of the greatest releases from the label and this is as good as that, which takes a lot. Powerful work and bleeds emotion everywhere, this feels more like a soundtrack to something.

The haunted feeling comes back with the work Maruda, the bleak atmosphere presented here is supernatural. I feel as if I am locked in a haunted house. Looped samples are treated and push the work back in time, this part is done in a sudden, effective way. Uprising of a Broken Glass is good work.

Noise Hangover delivers one of the longest tracks on the album, Oil Hangover. Noise Hangover is based in Russia, I don’t think I have reviewed Russian noise before, so this is very exciting. This immediately ties in with the epic soundtracks of Loss and Andreas Davis as the intensity and scale of the work begins to present itself. There is a scaled ambient quality as the drones grow, this is rich and evocative as if summoning up a landscape that is has an oil hangover. The politics the title brings up are immense, oil hanger is rich, ambitious work.

I am being treated today, more Russian noise from Plantoff follows this, this has a rhythmic backing with creaky, farty, abrasive noise overlaid. This like Dosis Letalis is confrontational in how it is presented, it has a slow motion, simmering anger that seems to radiate pure hostility, excellent. It appears the Avenue is going to have to look into Russia more as we have a few impressive bad boys rearing their heads from that direction on this compilation.

The sense of time travel on this release is picked up again by Prd, I feel as if I am somewhere Sci Fi, this demonstrates a use of synthesizer that is at once retrospective and futuristic. This is another ambitious soundtrack that takes the listener to another place. As the noises kick in and the pace increases it becomes more spacey and effective, nothing short of brilliant.

I have talked about haunted a lot in this review, but Suzane seems to up the ante where that is concerned. The ephemeral beauty of the work just shines. There are beats and shimmering noise woven into the work as it echoes and shines. I like the contrasts and shift as the beats step up and lead. Again, the politics the title suggests offer no subtlety and the work is pure beauty and depth.

One of Inner Demons lead projects This Is What I Hear When You Talk steps up to the forefront and presents its case. Unbroken, the title says it all, this climate won’t break me, I am here, and the noise reflects just that. Simultaneously sharp and splattering this work doesn’t use its usual wall just loops and spontaneity. There is a dramatic urgency that seems to replicate anxiety and take off from there. The severity of the work increases as the track nears its end. Unbroken is an unfiltered harsh reaction to now.

I am a humongous fan of Wolvestribe, they are the UK Power Electronics equivalent of Mr T (Clubber Lang) in Rocky 3, self-trained, pure isolated discipline and pretty much our unbeaten, whirlwind, new champions. They came out of nowhere, just check any of their 3 albums to prove this. Wolvestribe immediately throw us into a void of deep yet restrained, blasting noise. This is then tunnelled and channelled accordingly and is the usual clarity that comes from chaos, this is what Wolvestribe thrives in. But just when I think I have grasped it, I realise that I never know Wolvestribe’s true message, but when you weigh up Power Electronics, that’s what the best acts do.

I’ll end this review on a criticism, this awesome compilation is far too good to be just a digital release. But still, buy it and be impressed, I am.

Dorcus Maximus 2020.

1208 North Fuller Ave Apt 1

Pages

Sunday, 6 September 2020

Inner Demons #12 - A reaction to now.

No comments: