Pain Appendix - Dissorientating Numen.

Pain Appedix – Disorientating Numen – Cd – Aussaat – Aussaat 37- 2026

www.facebook.com/Aussaatundernte

https://painappendix.bandcamp.com/music

1. Nigredo.

2. Pagan Buddha.

3. Abysmal World Of Shards.

4. Swastikas in the Wild.

5. Twilight Language.

6. Factory Musick (Rhythm of the Will).

7. Mercurial.

I am a novice to Pain Appendix, this is my first encounter with them. Pain Appendix is based in Troy, New York and has been releasing since 2016. Disorientating Numen also uses field recordings from Bangkok, Tokyo, Osaka and various Buddhist and Hindu temples. The whole album, despite there being seven tracks, plays as one piece so the listener can't skip tracks. For technical reasons, I will review the album as an entire piece of work.

Disorientating Numen comes in a metal box. The elaborate collage artwork comes in an 8 page fold out booklet and comes complete with a Pain Appendix sticker. Gorgeous visual presentation which is a standard with the Aussaat label.

Chaotic distortion accelerates and decelerates over voices, it feels like a storm of electricity smothering all in its way. Piercing feedback is thrown out from the distortion, chanting can now be heard in the background. The friction on the distortion is really toyed with here, it feels like it is sanding the sound down. Voices that are singing and chanting can be heard through the hum and hiss as gaps appear in it. The chant becomes a drone that resonates through the work at this point. As the sound intensifies in volume and distortion, the chanting is very prominent in the sound. Suddenly the noise takes over thinning and thickening as it moves along – when the sound thickens it is huge.

Lone humming resonates coming from a synth, it does this for a short period, until the chanting comes back. Both seem to be egging each other on. The resonations become massive washing over everything around them, only the chant survives. Both seem to co-exist together, both contrasting and harmonious until the sound splatters out and shrill noise with distortion kicks in, the harmony becomes warbling chaos which ends this part.

Shuffling noises from field recordings rattle around as if metal is being hit and furniture dragged. A lone chant starts in conjunction with this and they two elements play out around each other with some contact mic shuffling occurring at the same time. Bells (or possibly gongs) and chattering voices bring this part to a halt. Low humming and sharp noise cut in as the people talk and bells ring. The synth resonations are strong, like an earth tremor. This moves to a movement of sharper, churning noise with the chanting moving into a more ominous territory. Everything is done at a quieter volume at this stage so that the listener feels any raise in volume of chant or noise. As the chant is left on its' own for a long time is powerful. Conversations and the shuffling field recordings bring begin to make it one big interaction of piano, talk, chant and background noise.

Metallic banging and a subtle repeated rhythm soon become the main core of sound. Metal is hit hard and what feels like a basement due to the echo and the distortion makes it feel damp. A violent feedback wails, deep synth backs it and we have an end of album explosion kicking off. I am unsure if there is shouting buried in this or it is the electronics, either way I appreciate the confusion.

I am going to put this directly, this and Slow Murder's last release are the best things I have heard this year. Disorientating Numen is an excellent album.

ZG 2026.