THREE FROM INDUSTRIAL CULTURE RECORDS

PRAEW JIK - "Wu Wei" 3" CD-R (Industrial Culture)

This blog/zine was started because of my love for DIY harsh noise. PRAEW JIK is the embodiment of DIY harsh noise and this little 3" is about as "pure" as it gets. "Wu Wei" is a 21 minute barrage of pure sound. Barely audible traces of synth and screamed vocals are buried in what sounds like ultra distorted field recordings of waterfalls and then mastered at a ridiculously loud level. The one-sheet that came with this CD mentions the "Japtronic Stalwarts" as an influence. I'd say that's a great place to start seeing as how classic japanese harsh noise seems to be the ONLY influence. It's like channeling the combined spirit of classic Merzbow and Masonna through the body of a white dude from Florida. "Wu Wei" definitely isn't breaking any new ground but it doesn't need to. It's a fun way to unwind after work and piss off the neighbors. http://freewebs.com/praewjik & http://industrialculture.org


THE SLEEP SESSIONS - "Heatwaves & Snowdrifts" 3" CD-R (Industrial Culture)

Kielce, Poland noise newcomer, Dawid Kowalski checks in with 17 minutes of psychedelic noisy goodness under the moniker, THE SLEEP SESSIONS. There are two tracks on this CD not surprisingly named "Heatwaves" and "Snowdrifts". "Heatwaves" starts things off in midrange harsh mode. Lots of slowly evolving textures and thought out knob tweaking. The sound is constantly changing but never far enough in a new direction for my tastes. It gets a little tiresome at times. Good but not great. The second track, "Snowdrifts" sounds almost exactly like the first track. I had to check to make sure there wasn't a mistake in the track sequencing. I like that both these tracks sound like they were recorded live with no overdubs or editing but I would have like to see what else Dawid is capable of doing texturally. http://myspace.com/thesleepsessions & http://industrialculture.org


NO JOHN - "Parasite" 3" CD-R (Industrial Culture)

Experiencing to the music of NO JOHN feels like listening in on a study into the properties of sound. Usually when listening to noise, I can picture some chubby unbathed scalawag punching distortion pedals and sticking contact mics in his mouth. When I try and visualize NO JOHN, all I see a scientist wearing a lab-coat, tweaking a knob then taking notes, tweaking another knob then taking more notes. There are no "jamz" to be found here. NO JOHN's is a very "academic" kind of noise focusing more on subtlety than brute force. After the short 'wall noise' snippet at the beginning of "Fig. 1", the saturation disappears only to return a few times during the CD's 15 minutes of crackles, warbles, and synth buzz. Very original and highly recommended. http://nojohn.org & http://industrialculture.org

P.S. The chubby, unbathed scalawag I was referring to is me.

-FRED

TWODEADSLUTS ONEGOODFUCK - S/T fan disc CD-R (self released)

Boston's TWODEADSLUTS ONEGOODFUCK have been around for a few years. They're touring the US, putting out records, and their live show is a thing of legend (I'm serious, check on YouTube). They seem to be on their way up in the world which is pretty good considering how overly offensive they are. Ah yes... Power Electronics. That's what this is. TDS OGF start with your basic PE mold, take out the goofy Whitehousities found in a lot of PE, and replace it with shit-hot hardcore rage and pent-up sexual aggression. All the usual ingredients for PE are here. You've got the warbling synth, the obnoxious as fuck microphone feedback and of course, the token sexism and homophobia (ugh). But (unlike certain unnamed Power Electronics artists that bore me to tears) TDS OGF takes those ingredients and uses them to create an extremely high energy Power Electronics sound bordering on straight-up Harsh Noise and dripping with violence. It's like taking the ingredients for a chocolate cake and making a chocolate dildo instead. Wait, did I just type that? "Fuck First... Ask Questions Never" is my favorite track on here. The distorted PE vocals mix with brutal walls of distortion and make little tinglys up and down my spine. They keep it short and sweet on this one with six quick tracks that are over before you know it and leave you wanting more. Comes packaged in a very professional looking black digipack with a simple insert and gross cover art. Mastered by the mighty James Plotkin and limited to 200 copies. I have a feeling this shit is moving fast so get on it. Recommended for anyone who likes it naughty. Not recommended for the PC noisers.

-FRED

Spotlight :: GLAUKOM SYNOD

GLAUKOM SYNOD - "Hydrocephalizer" CD-R (self released)

This is the kind of "industrial" I can really get into. No dramatic goth bullshit. No sugary techno fluff. Just pure cut-up electronic brutality and noisy distorted rhythm. GLAUKOM SYNOD is the work of Frenchman, Gabriel S. Using a computer, Gabriel creates a noisy, fun, beat-driven experiment in musical schizophrenia. Because of his use of a computer. Gabriel is able to throw anything he wants in there... and he does. Unlike most beat-driven music, there is almost zero repetition. In the title track alone there are harsh noise like rumblings, field recordings, samples of an actual rock band, low drones, danceable beats, blastbeats, glitched out retardedness, and way too much shit to actually type out. Because of the constantly changing form, it makes "Hydrocephalizer" seem a little unfocused but that doesn't keep it from being a whole lot of fun. The next three tracks are very short, the longest clocking in at 2:31 and showing a more controlled (though not as fun) side to GLAUKOM SYNOD. Recommended for people who think they don't like modern industrial music. http://glaukomsynod.site.voila.fr


GLAUKOM SYNOD - "Obsessism XXIII" (self released)

Another one from GKS. This one apparently came out before "Hydrocephalizer". A quick internet search tells me that this is GKS's first demo. The 10 songs on this release aren't nearly as all-over-the-place as "Hydrocephalizer". The beats are more danceable and there are lots of heavy metal guitar samples. This sounds like something I would have really been into in the '90s. Y'know? Ministry, Rammstein, Skinny Puppy, the whole bit. It's still noisy but not anywhere near the mind-fuck that is "Hydrocephalizer". Unfortunately the CD was too long for me. I lost interest about halfway through and had to struggle to listen to the whole thing. That's not to say it's bad. It's just not really my cup of PG tips. Worth checking out if you like your industrial to be in "song" form and mixed with extreme metal. My copy came with a super pixelated xerox cover and was hand numbered 433 out of 150. http://glaukomsynod.site.voila.fr


V/A - "Reincremation" CD-R (Nhilistic Holocaust)

This isn't a GLAUKOM SYNOD release at all but a 4-way split CD-R that GLAUKOM SYNOD's Gabriel S released on his label, NIHILISTIC HOLOCAUST. The 4 bands featured are IMPUREZA, ARSONIST, SUDDEN DEATH, and INGURGITATING OBLIVION. France's IMPUREZA starts things off with some awesome well-recorded catchy death metal (sung in Spanish?!) ala IMMOLATION or NILE but with more modern thrash metal influences. Totally brutal! Totally awesome ! Not what I was expecting at all after listening to GLAUKOM SYNOD for the past hour. The acoustic flamenco guitar was a nice touch too. That shit seriously made my fucking day. Next up is ARSONIST from Sweden. ARSONIST keeps it up with some brutal Cannibal Corpse influenced death metal. From the song titles ("Sadistic Necrophile Bed-Pleasures") to the relentless pounding blastbeats, their four songs reek of Cannibal Corpse and I love it. Germany's SUDDEN DEATH sounds remarkably similar to ARSONIST but with a slightly rougher production and a more old school approach to song writing. Last but not least is another band from Germany. INGURGITATING OBLIVION close this CD off nicely with a lethal dose of modern brutal death metal. No thrash or hardcore influences. Just straight up Suffocation worship. I haven't listened to this kind of over the top macho death metal shit since I was a teenager and I after listening to this CD, I wonder why I ever stopped. My copy was number 857. That's a lot of fucking CD-Rs! http://site.voila.fr/NIHILISTIC

-FRED