En Nihil "pyres" cs

En Nihil
pyres
Manical Hatred
(4)

Super harsh electronics. It's slowly evolving but constantly fucking with your ears. Pummeling walls of distortion that crash against your speakers like a tsunami. Piercing tones that break up the rhythms before they disintegrate into the fury. There are moments on this cassette where the whole dimension of the sound changes in such a way that you almost feel as if the room you were listening to it it suddenly changed it's shape and size. Maybe En Nihil could do a soundtrack to House of Dead Leaves. This is pretty fucking destructive to the listener. Maniacal Hatred is becoming a label to pay attention too. Jesus christ. Limited to 48 copies and unfortunately sold out already but discogs may have one for you. Good luck!

Pregnant Spore "death panels" cs

Pregnant Spore
death panels
Danvers State Recordings
(4)

Danvers State Recordings is a label to keep an eye on. So far everything I have heard from them has been very well done. Death Panels by Pregnant Spore from Baltimore's Justin Marc LLoyd is no exception. Dark and spaced out drones that have enough hell and anxiety in them to instill a palpable fear. Slow motion explosions or maybe a faraway earthquake comes to mind. The sounds on the cassette also somehow seem to be coming from a long time ago. Like a cassette you may have found in a time capsule or maybe under a piece of plywood in the forest. I have no idea how Mr. LLoyd was able to achieve this but it sounds amazing and really adds to a subtle uneasiness. Awesome release. Limited to 50 copies. Crucial.

Muennich "rugged" cs

Muennich
rugged
Fragment Factory
(5)

So often when young noise acts start out their first few endeavors show a lack of restraint. They have amassed their pedals and synths and have decided to just do everything all the time. Probably because it's fun but it is not really fun to listen to. Meunnich is all about restraint. Each track on this cassette ends in a furious cacophony but they each start with the slightest sound. A buzzing or maybe a quiet drone then another slight sound lays on top of that and lingers long enough for you to hear them work together. Then another layer and another layer until it builds into a controlled but immense mountain of chaos. It's pretty impressive work from this German artist. Simple black and white packaging with a piece of actual granite inside. LImited to 57 copies.

This Will Destroy You "tunnel blanket" 2xcs

This Will Destroy You
tunnel blanket 2xcs
Suicide Squeeze Records
(4)

This is the cassette version of the new full length from Texas' This Will Destroy You. Eight tracks of giant instrumental rock compositions. It's a style similar to neighbors, Explosions in the Sky, although I would actually say this is a lot of closer to the glacial paced movements of Sigur Ros. It's beautiful, dense and very heavy shoegaze. Some tracks are essentially drone with noise loops and swelling strings. Others songs are slow drum heavy pieces of layered distorted guitars, bass and strings. This record is a massive collection of songs from a Texas quartet that has really come into their own. Excellent work.

Triangle & Rhino/RJ Myato split cs

Triangle & Rhino/RJ Myato split cs
800 Wild!
(4)

Two disparate acts making some pretty intense and bizarre music. First side starts with Triangle & Rhino; a more traditional band with drums and instrumentation playing very untraditional sounds. Noise heavy free jams, strange alien beats and catchy and creepy little riffs that sorta worm their way into your brain. It's very weird but very enjoyable. I knew nothing of these guys before this but I will be on the lookout. The B side is RJ Myato's. It's a brutal HNW that is only interrupted by a strange service announcement that I think informs you that everything is about to be fucked. It's great. Nice simple packaging from 800 wild!

RJ Myato "when I work, I'm nobody" cs

Rj Myato
when I work, I'm nobody
No Nazi Noise
(4)

This guy hates working. I can't say that I don't understand the sentiment but RJ Myato hates work enough to actually create art in response to this hatred. I kinda love that. This two short blasts of fury on a C10. Harsh noise, wails and scraping that sounds like eight hours of rage crammed into five mintues fucked destruction. It's nice to hear someone's pain like this.

Same Sex Dictator cs

Same Sex Dictator
s/t
self released
(3)

Awesome super blazing prog grind from these Seattle lunatics. Four tracks ranging from super fast intensity to belligerent plodding hardcore. It's pretty awesome. There is a couple production issues here and there but if you went out and bought that Ottowa reissue that came out recently you should probably pick this up as well. You will dig it.

Sound Samples!!!!

So I think I am going to start adding sound samples to reviews if the artists want. So for any of you that would like me to include a soundcloud link, bandcamp link or even just send me a mp3, i will post them along with the reviews. I like coming up with descriptions and trying my best to illustrate sounds but I know some readers would love to have even a short sample of the tracks.

Cathartech "Apis" 3"cdr

Cathartech
Apis
Sonic Munitions
(4)

Somehow this slipped through the cracks in my reviewing. I had meant to post this a couple months back so I apologize about that. I would hate to have you have missed out on this one. Two tracks using bees as source material and analog synths. Both excellent examples of AJ Lindner's brand of drone. Recorded live earlier this year and definitely showcases the skill and restraint of the artist. I know that it can be hard for everyone to play 3"cdrs these days (you need a cd player with a tray. no laptops) but I really find this format attractive and always worth it. The size is nice but the limited space usually means that when you are recording for one you really need to be disciplined with your work. Aj Lindner makes excellent use of this format. Grab this if you can here.

Klit "Cock Hunters" cs

Klit
cock hunters
Danvers State Recordings
(3)

You definitely know what you are getting into when you pick this up. From the name, title and artwork you know you will be subjected to something harsh, dark and obscene. Klit does a good job living up to this. Four totally fucked tracks of swirling harsh audio destruction. Just fucking filthy. Limited to 50 copies and almost completely sold out at press time.

Get Hard "Forced Addict: Part One (Four Months)"

Get Hard
Forced Addict: Part One (Four Months)
Waterpower
(3)

A short sampling of dirty noise from Get Hard. Reminds me of some of the stuff i listened to back in the 90's. Taint, Smell and Quim maybe some of Morgan Henderson's (Fleet Foxes, Blood Brothers) cassette work. Real gritty, lo fi noise and pulsing rhythms with the occasional vocal to add to what is just plain dirty and wrong. This little c10 is short and dark. Good work. Wouldn't mind this being a little bit longer but I appreciate the restraint.

Bear-Man cs

Bear-Man
Phantom Head
(4)


Fuck. This is good. This British trio consisting of guitars, electronics and a drummer plays very noise driven improvisational pieces in the spirit of John Zorn meets Wolf Eyes. The six improvisational tracks run at about 45 minutes which may seems a little long but the playing on this cassette is exceptional. The drummer is unbelievably talented. Obviously someone who has been playing well for a long time. Jazz influenced patterns and beats but played in way that moves the tracks forward. With this sort of music you can often get just noodling nonsense that is devoid of any movement or value. Bear-Man transcends that. The guitar and electronics work perfectly with the rhythms and move the tracks forward to their end. The cassette itself is simply designed but has some of the best cover artwork I have seen in a long time. Both the audio and visual are inspiring. Excellent work.

Josh Lay & Teeth Collection LP

Josh Lay & Teeth Collection
Husk Records/Factotum Tapes
(4)

God bless you Josh Lay. His label, Husk Records, has been releasing excellent work from a bevy of experimental artists for awhile now. This collaboration is apparently has been waiting in the wings for while now and it's great that it has surfaced. A 12" and a cdr make up a huge body of work from both Josh Lay and Teeth Collection. It's a epic sampling of two top noise artists creating something bigger than the two of them. a huge maelstrom of noise and drones that starts on the LP and ends on the cdr. I guess the cdr is from a out of print cassette and has a couple individual tracks as well. This LP, limited to 200 copies, will probably be gone soon so I recommend grabbing one as soon as you can. Good luck.

A Story of Rats "relinquishment" cs

A Story of Rats
relinquishment
FSS
(5)

Those unfamiliar with Garek Druss' work should take this opportunity to check it out. This Idaho native has been working his synth mastery for a few years now. Often collaborating with other acts, he can elevate their work with his brand of analog drone. From the debut Pussygutt LP, his constant work with Adam Svenson in Dull Knife to his work with Portland's Tecumseh, A Story of Rats is a valuable player in experimental music these days. Relinquishment is made up of two excellent compositions. The first is made up of beautiful sweeping drones move slowly through each other to create epic soundscapes. The second side features similar treatment from Garek Druss but with the addition of guitar supplied by Mathew Merris; a childhood friend of Garek's. I would like to think of this as a preview of his new full length that should be out on Eiderdown Records or maybe a sequel to his cd on Debacle Records. Either way I would recommend jumping on this excellent cassette before the 100 copies have disappeared.

Providien "followed by a wraith" lp

Providien
followed by a wraith
Amethyst Sunset
(4)

I fucking love the Midwest. With Hanson Records and everything amazing coming out of Chicago, the Midwest is a hub of interesting experimental projects these days. In the case of Providien you have a band made up of Mark Van Fleet from Sword Heaven and Nathan Reynolds of American Jobs; both hailing from Ohio. This record is a sprawling collection of tracks; from grim atmospheric synth destruction, a la Throbbing Gristle, to lo fi acoustic guitar wanderings. Some songs actually verge on rock with over saturated beats and broken guitars. All very bleak and totally destroyed. It's really well assembled songs that have some strong structures for something so abstract. Excellent work and hopefully not the last time I will hear from these two. Limited to 200 copies.

providien - "seeker of the sun" by amethyst sunset