Inner Demons 26

Inner Demons 26.

a.drift – a.live transmission – download/3”CDr – 2024 – Inner Demons Records -[IND202]

1. interference / live transmission – (recorded live @ warehouse salon – Boston 03.30.24)

https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-live-transmission-ind202

https://wyrd-records.bandcamp.com

Humming resonates, someone speaks to an audience, drones begin to overlay each other in different tones. Dialogue plays, it warps through being slowed down. A more aggressive splattering drone comes in, dialogue is looped and distorted. The volume increases, sounds get angrier and I can't tell if I am hearing dialogue, distortion or both. The sound becomes tinged with mania, as if it is screaming at the voices. Someone starts tinkering with drum beats and contact microphones. Sub rant – Beats in noise can be a bit of a shit area for me, the randomness of this beat makes it work. Warped noises screw with the sound, it makes me feel a bit nauseous, the noise is doing the work it needs to do. The beat makes me think of the Swell Maps with rabies going way beyond their limits until they are lost in a chaotic freak out. The drumming is awesome as it is totally improvised and becomes a voice within the noise as all of the elements spark off each other. Cinematic drones start roaring into the void of chaos. The chaos becomes increasingly more chaotic, until hell noise pisses pure darkness into my ears. The lone guitar twanging at the ends leaves me wrapped in plastic in Twin Peaks before it goes all screwy on me again. This is asshole noise for sure – the work does it's work.

This is an excellent live performance, a.drift is unique. I urge you to add this to your collection of delicious Inner Demons 3”CDrs, if not use it as a foundation on which to begin collecting them. BandCamp links are above.

ZG 2026

 

Inner Demons 25.

Inner Demons 25

https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com

https://thirtyfive.bandcamp.com

FAIL – Live at Denver Noise Fest 2026- Download – IND[283] – 2026

https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-denver-noise-fest-2026-ind283g

1.      FAIL – Live at Denver Noise Fest 2026

Juddering, staccato form a pulse, until roaring, bass heavy distortion with a digital tinge engulfs the entire sound. This shifts through changes in tonality, feedback taking over and wailing over blasts of noise. Wall noise takes the lead, this is made through several distortions conversing with and at each other. Within 4 of the 6 minutes we see many shifts and changes within the sound. Within 5 minutes it is apparent that a top tier performance was delivered here. Things like making the sound drag slowly, smothering it till it sounds like compression muffled to tension building low levels are great to hear. The die off at the end is great. I have reviewed FAIL a bunch of times here and FAIL delivers excellent harsh noise here.

Miko, Friends and Gensai Hasegawa – The City Wears A Folk Hat – Download – [IND282G] – 2026.

https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-city-wears-a-folk-hat-ind282g

1.      The City Wears a Folk Hat.

2.      The City's Light.

Manic vocals introduce me to The City Wears A Folk Hat, these change from one vocal sound, moans, dialogue, hisses, ding dongs and abstracted bird noises are made. I have seen stuff like this at my local experimental night Rammel Club and it is very good to watch as the artist have zero self consciousness, they go at it. This track is exciting and original, it is like a warped version of LAFMS happenings, going off into imaginary soundtracks with complex narratives between serious thriller and children’s television.

The shift to accelerated harsh noise becomes The City's Light. The roars at full pelt, in fifth gear and feels like it is being supressed to briefly alter the tone of the sound. It wails, roars, drags and screeches at me. A Good piece of fast moving, manic Harsh Noise.

This displays two good tracks, one dragged me to many different mindscapes through talk and abstracted vocal noise and then a piece of Harsh Noise dragged me through hyperspace. Thumbs up here.

ZG 2026

 

Inner Demons 24.

Inner Demons 24.

https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/

Fail - Dated Eleven – 3”CDr/Download – 2024 – IND0182

       01. 080919

       02. 080830

Fail is a Dan Fox project that has been happily reviewed on this blog many times. Eleven is made up of two tracks. The first work, 080919 is the longer of the two,  it begins as gives off bass pulses, like a slow, dying pulse. Slow, rumbling deep low tones and a splattering sound thicken the sound up with more detail. Feedback wails in for a short time, thicker, roaring, bass heavy distortion comes in and creates a low wall for sounds to break out of. The wailing feedback sounds lost within everything. The juggling of different sounds keeps the track textured as the sound quickens. Rapid shifts, choppier sounds and deeper bass progress the sound quickly. Things slow down to low rumble, drones and spluttering sounds as it moves to an end. 080830 pulls things back into slow, heavy, deep Industrial ambient territory, I like the density of this track, it is just right, achieving an atmospheric sleepy, dream soundtrack. This is a beautiful ending to another gem of a release by Fail. Fail is greatness.

Ennaytch – Negativity Positive Lullabies For the Malignant, Vol 2. – 3” CDR/Download – 2024 – IND0181.

https://ennaytch.bandcamp.com/

           01. I Shall Diminish Until There Is Nothing Left.

           02. Pound of Meat, Rotten Flesh.

           03. Do Not Mourn Me When I Am Gone.

The familiar Ennaytch bleakness is immediately apparent on I Shall Diminish Until There Is Nothing Left, a 3” CDR – the familiar Inner Demons format. A beat goes off like fireworks in the distance as a wall of rumbling ambient fog and hissing noises go off at the forefront of all of this. Pound of Meat, Rotten Flesh doesn't have any beats, just layers of ambient murky noise and I feel this works a lot better as a track without a beat pin it down. Do Not Mourn Me When I am Gone continues radiating a fog of despair, this is just the right shade of murkiness. This is a good release, Ennaytch and Inner Demons has produced a good working relationship. I want Ennaytch to get better and better, they have the capacity for great things, I stand in their corner.

Moreine – Upon Thy Cattle – 5”CDR/Download – 2024 – [IND198F]

https://moreine.bandcamp.com/music

       1.     Skull Rack.

       2.     Venom Cult.

       3.     A Long Way Home.

       4.     2 Spades, 1 Grave.

       5.     The 13^th Cabin.

       6.     Dog Teeth.

       7.     The Fifth Plague.

       8.     Witch Sector.

       9.     Die Like a Pig.

“Behold, the hand of the Lord is uponn thy cattlewhich is in the field, upon thy horses, upon thy donkeys, upon thy camels, upon thy oxen, and upon thy sheep: there shall be a very grievous moreine.” Exodus 9:3 quote off Moreine bandcamp.

Upon Thy Cattle’s biblical themes run with very present-day diseases. This focuses on cattle, the last album focussed on horses and can be found on the project's BandCamp page. The album uses big synthesiser drones, contact microphone sounds and some field recordings to create the individual tracks. The playoff between the different sounds (drones & contact mics in particular) is constant and the tension is manipulated to create different pictures and disorientating shifts that pull the listener across different directions, Venom Cult does this perfectly. There is a haunted theme running across the album, a sense of foreboding doom is also created through the tension between sounds. Some of the vocal sounds that are made can mess with the balance, thankfully they are few. The album has that big, expansive sound that acts like Control revel in. Haunted tension is demonstrated in Dog Teeth which is the perfect balance of the album's signature sounds. The Fifth Plague models an excellent ambient tension as the work slows down. This allows for warped, screwy sounds to come in and intertwine with drones and pitches of feedback mixing all three elements well.

Upon Thy Cattle gets better towards the latter part of the album and show confidence in mixing sounds to adjust the textures of noises created.

Polarlicht – Practice – Download – [IND234G] – 2025.

https://polarlichthnw.bandcamp.com

         1.     Practice 1

         2.     Practice 2.

         3.     Practice 3.

         4.     Practice 4.

Polarlicht is a mystery project active since 2023, they also operate as Alice When She Cries.

Practice 1 is a lighter density wall of crackle, that is layered well with space between each element so that they can function clearly. A static hum drones away at the core, swooshing wind like distortion cuts across this with a  crisp crackle sprinkled around it. This dies off with a howling frequency that pierces off into the distance. Practice 2 starts off as static electricity and crackling sounds sounding off each other. It feels like an electric wasteland, an exercise in prolonged, static tension. A bigger sound with a lot more energy and explosiveness comes through on Practice 3. This track seems to fire off a lot, with the rolling distortion underneath it, to keep things in a continual motion, the crackle again is a sprinkling, allowing the deeper textures of sound to lead the work. The mix allows the elements to change in prominence later on in the work, this allows random clips of change into the sound. This also gives off a desolate feeling that runs across the whole album. Practice 4 has a sound it will roar as a normal war and then the friction increases to make jagged, stuttering splats of noise it dies off to a very Industrial hum that fades slowly into nothing.

Overall this is good wall work.

Substak – Synaisthimatikos Thoryvos – Download – [IND236G] – 2025

https://substak.bandcamp.com/music

           1. Kathodos.

           2. Lethe.

           3. Tartaros.

           4. Dyshonia.

Substak is Kostak Staikos based in Greece and active since 2014.

Drones build on Kathodos, they resonate and pulsate as the communicate the opening of the ep. T times it feels as if there are chants buried in the background. This is a simple, effective track that feels as if it has depth. Lethe functions in a similar way, distorted keyboard drones swell ominously giving off menacing vibes. Tartaros doesn't start off as strong as the other sounds, it sounds like a slightly distorted didgeridoo. As the distortion and backing noises increase it meets the high standards of previous tracks. The final track Dyshonia is a lengthy 20-minute epic. An immediate mixture of elements is  shown here, big drones, distortions and rapid shifts between how they operate and communicate are evident. This is all strong, effective work, Substak is ace on this release, excellent work Kostak. (this needs a physical release too, it's super.)

Nothing and Nobody 2025. 

Inner Demons #23

Inner Demons #23

https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/

FAIL – Unfortunate Things – 3”CDR/Download – [IND170] – 2024.

          1.       Tallypractice.

          2.       Unadequacy.

Fail is the project of Dan Fox; I always expect great things from this project.

Tallypractice glitches around until it lands in the middle of a conversation made up of slowed down voices and sped up voices that overlap to form an unintelligible community of sound. Huge, distorted drones flood the voices and cascade with others to build up the depth of the sound. As waves of distortion wade in to smother the remaining voices, the density can be felt. Blasts of noise cut into this, until the drones come back, rumblings and glitches can be heard throughout it. The aggressive noise returns to beat these proceedings up, it is as if the noise is created by pushing the sound into an accelerated hyperdrive. This is an explosive collision of Industrial and Harsh Noise.

Unadequacy: Pulsating humming and crackling distortion fill my headphones; a keyboard melody plays but becomes a melody of distortion as it rises in volume. The death hum that backs this, impresses me greatly. As things change speed, the contrasts dart and change around Unadequacy at a rapid pace towards its end.

This is excellent work.

Platonoff – Evil Smells Oil – CDR/Download – [IND169} – 2024.

https://platonoff.bandcamp.com/album/uno-lump

Russian project Platonoff from Saint Petersburg has been active since 2020. Evil Smells Oil is their 4^th release for Inner Demons Records.

The title track uses a slow, farty sound that is backed by a beat’s low rhythm. As the track begins to fully form, noise overlap the proceedings, building like a whirlwind over the rhythm. As the distortion dies off, we are left with slow noise and rhythm which progresses to the sound of emptiness. Slow trumping drones return to introduce ‘Looming Shadows of the Past’, this uses some impressive synth humming and drones to deliver a stronger sound. The rhythm reemerges to clash over the deep bass which sounds ancient and slow as if representing the Looming Shadows of the past. An interesting release.

RDKPL- Herr Pes Trinch – CDr/Download – [IND168] – 2024.

https://rdkpl.bandcamp.com/

         1.       231022_03

         2.       231022_04

RDKPL is Radek Kopel and comes from Most in Czechia. This prolific project has been releasing recordings since 2021. Kopel goes right back to 1994 with a range of different projects.

Funeral noise sounds off to introduce 231022_03, I like the combination of keyboard and hissing, glitching sounds. Low deep, distortion passes underneath this and is revealed fully whenever the sound stops as if giving a brief pause to the noise. The main noise that leads the track fills out into a combination of warped psychedelic wavering keyboards and deep underrunning bass; the combination of both elements thrusts the sound forwards. The two elements break up so you get short, sharp blasts of each at the end of the track. Further glitching sounds, albeit more fractured explode, the sound is faltered lots making the track a series of high-speed cut ups. 231022_04 is a fractured collage of noise spread across 10 minutes. A good release, but the first track was by far my favourite.

Jon Watkins & Fail – Reflections on Art and A.I. – 3”CDr/Download – [IND162] – 2024

https://jonwatkins86.bandcamp.com/

https://thirtyfive.bandcamp.com/

          1.       You Were Warned…

          2.       …And Now It’s Too Late.

You Were Warned…, displays a combination of guitar melody and noise that complement each other perfectly. The guitar is untreated as if just played straight into an amplifier and the noise builds a murky atmosphere around the melody. There isn’t a lot to say other than how beautiful this track is. In contrast to this …And Now It’s Too Late, allows the drones of FAIL to take the leas and the guitar is a bit noisier this time, less melodic. The atmosphere is edgier to this track, but each artist compliments the other perfectly. I think this is a gorgeous release, both artists have worked together to make an awesome collaboration.

Nothing and Nobody 2024.

Inner Demons #22

 

Inner Demons #22

https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/

Sick System – I Was. I Am. I Will Be. (Homage to Rosa Luxemburg) – 2023 – CDr/Download – [IND151]

https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/i-was-i-am-i-will-be-homage-to-rosa-luxemburg-ind151

https://www.rosalux.de/en

https://www.discogs.com/artist/11482655-Sick-System

     1.       I Was. I Am. I Will Be. (Homage to Rosa Luxemburg) 1.

     2.       I Was. I Am. I Will Be. (Homage to Rosa Luxemburg) 2.

     3.       I Was. I Am. I Will Be. (Homage to Rosa Luxemburg) 3.

Homage to Rosa Luxemburg begins with a reading from Rosa Luxemburg’s writings delivered with a clear, concise voice. The wall kicks in, I am immediately impressed by the shift from introduction to sonic chaos. The wall blasts distortion over creaking, dragging sounds as drones go off in the background. The feel of the wall is a rustic haunted with an aged timbre that is emphasized through the continual creaking buried within the distortion.

The second movement is higher pitched, with faster movement and cuts through with sharper noise a lot. The main sound becomes something that lies between the noise equivalent of a solo and the sound trying to be vocal as it jitters its chaotic dialogue out. As part 2 progresses, it becomes choppier, faltering, allowing sounds to pause while the others take prominence for a time.

A howling, wailing, distorted blast becomes the 4^th movement. I like the looped wail of the sound that is added to this part, the distortion is subtle on this, the pain of the sound is prominent here. Individual sounds drop back subtly to allow for the isolation of particular (howling) sounds to emphasise the agonised aspects of the track. A reading of Luxemburg’s writings ends the work.

There’s often a lot of online discussion about good and bad harsh noise, with an emphasis on crap Bandcamp projects. This is good Harsh Noise bolstered by the backing of an excellent label and a physical release.

Infelix – Abyssal Despondency – 5” CDr/Download – 2023 – [IND150F]

https://infelix.bandcamp.com/

1.       I. Murmurs Ov The Tormented.

2.       II. The Stagnant Nausea Ov Existence.

3.       III. E_R_D.

4.       IV. Ecstasy ov Null.

5.       V. Stench ov Death.

6.       VI. Sepulchral Occupation.

7.       VII. Burdened by Ash.

8.       VIII. Endless Rotting Sky.

INFELIX has musical roots in 80s and 90s industrial music, blackened dystopian ambience, nightmarish death industrial, depressive black metal, and doomed power electronics. Philosophically INFELIX navigates depression, environmental collapse, anti-capitalism, anti-fascism, animal rights, existential dread, cosmic pessimism, misanthropy, and metaphysical nihilism. Quote from the Infelix Bandcamp

I am familiar with the work of Infelix from a previous Inner Demons batch. The project has been around since 1998. The creative mastermind behind the project is Jason M. Stevens who is also does the project Lapsed.

Murmurs Ov the Tormented begins the sounds moving through ambient landscapes, created by drones that gently evolve via shifts of tone and mists of distortion. Thudding, roaring distortion and vocals deep inside the mix resonate The Stagnant Nausea of Existence – the sound is big.

E_R_D demonstrates effective repetition and a noisier approach to the sound, this carries through to Ecstasy ov Null the layering is impressive here, sounds weave through each other and bounce off each other beautifully. Stench ov Death utilises effective electronics that perk my interest further. The churning sound that begins to dominate the sound is strong. Sepulchral Occupation is the album in full stride, the beat is slow and acts like a pillar for the noise to explode around slowly. I am often averse to beats in noise and take a lot of persuading of their validity, here I am persuaded. The track gets deeper and thicker as it goes on. Burdened by Ash is the perfect balance of noise, melodic synth as if soundtracking something in a sci fi film. Endless Rotting Sky allows some diseased drone to infect vocal samples and spread the noise rot and a melodic, dramatic end.

The majestic, large sound resonates across this album with its cinematic ambition. The Blackened Death Industrial factor is there, the darkness of the tracks is also consistent throughout the album.

Jettenbach – A Meditation on Procrastination – CDr/Download – 2023 – [IND149]

https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-meditation-on-procrastination-ind149

www.jettenbach.bandcamp.com

 

      1.   One Simply Can’t Sustain This Level of Gear Acquisition. But I Might Get Another Reverb.

      2.  I Have Come to Accept That I Will never Have as Many Pedals as Dan and That’s OK.

This is one of those releases that grips me immediately. It begins with a new age ambient feel on One Simply Can’t Sustain…. The sound has consistent gradual shift and change, within the grand scope of its landscape of sound. Jettenbach uses drones and synthesiser sounds as the main sources to evoke a subtle darkness punctuated by rays of light through synth key notes until it begins to glitch out and comes to an end.

A synthesiser noise tries to take off but it can’t, the sound is rephrased through pops and drones that slowly evolve into the even bigger sound of I Have Come to Accept... There is also a clearer air of suspense to this track with a feeling that the sounds are repeatedly coming at the listener like waves in the ocean – soundwaves.

Despite the humorous, carefree titles, A Meditation on Procrastination presented here is complex and very well executed. I like the whole body of work of this release, the small quirks and glitches work well to add character to the expansive lushness this artist continually produces. A futuristic gem of a release.

CHEFKIRK – A Non-technical Introduction – CDr/Download – 2023 – [IND148]

https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-non-technical-introduction-ind148

https://chefkirk.bandcamp.com/music

https://cementimental.bandcamp.com/

     1.       Accidental Birds.

Accidental Birds pulsates into life, CHEFKIRK controls the pulsations whilst warped waveform noises play with those pulsations as they morph into glitches of sound. I like the fresh, original use of noise that combines with other sounds as if to add a bumpiness to the movement of sound, I’d describe it as having a deliberate multi-layered, rough texture. At times it falls into cacophony of psychedelic science fiction sound effects as if in a film from the 60s or early 70s. It has a lot in common with the work of Tim Drage’s Cementimental project and I would advise working together. This sound seems to occasionally push overload on itself and run excitedly towards a meltdown. This is a strong release, well worthy of purchase.

One and alone 2024.

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.

Inner Demons #20

 

Inner Demons #20

British Misery – Untitled – 3”CDR/Download – 2022 – [IND126]

https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/

https://jettenbach.bandcamp.com/music

 

1.  I Am of the Opinion That the Void Can Be Terribly Wearing at Times.

2.  Literally Everything is Shit Since David Bowie Died.

Image from Inner Demons Records Bandcamp.

British Mystery is an anonymous project, I may or may not have the right Bandcamp link above, who knows? If this is linked to Jettenbach, this project has released before in 2020.

The first track, I Am of the Opinion That the Void Can Be Terribly Wearing at Times, has foggy atmospherics, it feels like you are lost at sea as some beats eventually emerge and play in the background. Melodic drones play as the track slowly wakes up and comes to life and feels as if it is now a journey on a beautiful day. Is this subversion to the void, Inner Demon’s challenges that notion all of the time, so we’re good.

I like the title, Literally Everything is Shit Since David Bowie Died, how people felt about him, I can see this being the case for some. Deep, resonating drones have a mournful feel here. It has a sense of gradual shift moving through different subtle changes to the composition. The beats return in the background, they are managed perfectly, they don’t ruin the feel, they work well as another element to the track’s shift.

If this is Jettenbach, it says ‘zero talent’ on his Bandcamp, that isn’t the case I can assure you. I think that this is a very good release. I think it is another Gem from the label and a good artist to watch, links to both are above.

Going to have a better day today, 2023.

Inner Demons #19

Inner Demons #19

https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/

Dardis – A Chain Reaction of Various Cracks – 2x3”CDRR/Download – 2022 – [IND132D]

https://dardis.bandcamp.com/

http://www.colindardispoet.co.uk/sounds.html

1.       Ankle Grinder.

2.       Ankle Grinder (Redux).

3.       A Crack in the Redux.

4.       A Persistent Echo Heard Through the Rain.

Image from Inner Demons Records Bandcamp.

My last Inner Demons review was Colin Dardis’ Funerealism release on Inner Demons so his work is no stranger to this blog and I liked his work. He also writes and releases books of his own poetry along with his own music. He is based in Northern Ireland, his work is influenced by his own experiences with Asperger Syndrome and Depression. He has performed at events, been shortlisted for prizes and ran workshops with his work.  This album was created during the first lockdown but couldn’t be completed until afterwards.

Ankle Grinder starts with drones, they feel like lighthouse beams shining through fog on the edge of land surrounded by a big ocean, I like the atmospherics at work here. Lately on the blog, I have talked about artists using noise in a quieter setting, although this leans into ambient territory heavy, the subtle use of noise is good, it keeps my interest. The redux version of Ankle Grinder uses deeper, sorrowful drones to build its sound. I like the immersive quality that the work gives off. A Crack in the Redux is the most sinister of the three tracks on the third disc as it uses echo on sounds that spread across the track like ripples in a puddle. I feel a quality akin to Scott Walkers songs on Nite Flights present in this work, the strings whether they be actual or sampled have that affect. It occupies an ambient territory that resonates beauty and a sense of drama subtly played out.

The final track occupies an entire disc, A Persistent Echo Heard Through the Rain. This starts with the bleakness of the Ankle Grinder tracks. I have to add while the pre-Spring sun shines on me through my blinds, this work is an amazing soundtrack. This work is busier than the other track, subtle busy, but still busier. The shifts across the work from sound through to sound demonstrate this. A persistent Echo uses deeper sounds that feel as if they were sourced from human voices, it feels immersive as if the listener is floating t in the work. This is very good ambient work, I like how it is themed from the above description, it relates to the enforced solitude that some had to experience during these times.

Being an artist that works across genres can be a liability with noise or ambient work. It often requires a lot more commitment as it can just be the sound side project and be a bit shit. I have seen this a lot when reviewing the multi-dimensional artist’s shit HNW project or sound art project that has no depth. Not here, the sound work of Dardis on Inner Demons has so far, proved to be excellent, I like this work a lot. This is well worthy of purchase.

Alone and one 2023.