electronic / noise / experimental

Sacred Bones Records 

At the end of 2015, I declared Blanck Mass' Dumb Flesh as the 2nd best album of that year, just behind No Joy's  More Faithful. In hindsight, judging by the amount of plays those albums got from me I should have declared Dumb Flesh as the best. It is a stellar album and I am not afraid to call it a landmark album in the history of electronic music. To say I had high hopes for World Eater is a massive, massive understatement. High expectations can yield big dissappointments though. M83's 2016  album Junk was a huuuuge let-down and I wasn't that impressed by Nothing's Tired Of Tomorrow as well. I know that musicians don't (and shouldn't) give a rat's bottom about how I feel about a particular album turns out though. It's their album, their fruit of their labour. Still, I got cautious about being too overly enthousiastic about upcoming albums, but in the case of World Eater I couldn't help it. This simply couldn't turn out bad or okay-ish, right? 

Right!! If anything it's even better than Dumb Flesh! I know I get carried away easily, dishing out hyperboles a lot of the time but this honestly surpasses all my expectations. Benjamin John Power takes his brainchild to the next logical step. Dumb Flesh already strayed much further from the ambient sounds of Blanck Mass' eponymous debut album by being much more rhythmic but World Eater takes it again to the next level. After the brilliant opener 'John Doe's Carnival of Error', that sounds like a musicbox mated with monstrous setup of analogue synths, complete with the (now almost trademark) glitched and cut-up vocals, 'Rhesus Negative' blasts through your speakers. A monster of a track that left me practically dumbfounded the first time I heard it. Again, the cut and paste vocals give it that alien feel to it. I really like the way that they are used as a percussion instrument. Speaking of which, the beats and occasional harsh vocals of this track lean very close to the rhythmic noise from artists on Ant-Zen and the likes, but the whole epic, larger than life soundtrack-like feel of the tracks results in something unlike you've ever heard. It's a glorious triumph of a track. 

'Please' drastically reduces the speed and yet again features the warped voices as the main focal point. I can't quite put my finger on it, but for some reason I'm reminded of The Bulgarian Voices Choir when it comes to the vocals. It has that same otherworldly feel to it. 'The Rat' goes down the rhythmic noise road again, albeit much more playful and, like the whole album in fact, doused in a huge soundtrack sound sauce. 'Silent Treatment' is as close to a "love song" as Blanck Mass will get and has a certain broody sensuality to it. 'Minnesota/Eas Fors/Naked' hearkens back to the debut with it's ambient sounds and moods. 'Hive Mind' starts calm enough, once again a sensual 'love song sound' but explodes into a glorious finale at the 6:30 mark which makes  you want to crank up the volume all the way to 11. Pure bliss. 

I haven't really gotten into the whole idea and concept of the album but then again, Power explains it all in the various press releases, as well as on the bandcamp page. So who am I to explain my interpretation to you, dear reader? I'm all for people finding their own meaning. Power states: 'The human race is consuming itself' and the anger and frustration that come with it are tangible throughout the album. Most notably in 'Rhesus Negative'. But it's not all negativity. There are glimmers of hope, and the aformentioned finale of 'Hive Mind' is a good example of that. At least, that's how I interpret it. The fact that Power manages to invoke so much feeling and emotion in what is essentially a wordless album is an accomplishment on its own. 

I cannot stress enough how absolutely stellar this album is. It is an album that transcends genres and like Dumb Flesh before it is yet again a landmark album. We are not even halfway 2017 but this will reach my number 1 spot, unless something even more amazing will come by.... 

​
Bjorn

electronic / ambient

Once is the most recent album by Dutch electronic music artist Eelco van Westen, better known as Taktyle, released on March 17. With an effective, inventive and cohesive mixture of electronica subgenres, like ambient music, neoclassical and progressive, this seventy three minutes album is an epic coalescence of visceral harmonies. With subtle melodies and enduring atmospheres of a prominently colorful symbiosis of deeply resonating sonorous intonations, Once can be described as a splendid record. With twelve tracks – Inside the Box, Green Sheep, Faith, Follow Me, Pinched TB, Mainstage Falafel, Pioneers, Bobbekeen, Vacuum, About Big-Eyed Barking Dogs and Electro Cats, Orange December and Waltz Macabre – the songs are usually very long pieces, where you can almost travel through the tissues of time, undergoing a progressive journey by the intrinsic expansion of your own sensibilities. With a formidable sonorous approach, explicitly lucid and exceedingly vivid, Once reveals itself to be a major record, one that really has come to change each and every aspect of underground electronic music, launching a genuine revolution in the shape, the consistency and the elemental sincerity of the sound.     

With an aggrandizing sense of beauty and eccentricity, Once is a graceful and innovative ambient electronic record. Although the album has its fair share of monotonous passages, the overall score of the album is outstanding, deeply rewarding, precisely intense, and favoring a prominent mosaic of dilapidated tapestries of reinvigorating beauty and splendid majesty, throughout the ocean of its miraculous musical proposal. Like small particles reunited in the functional diagram of a conscious display of infinity, every track in Once exhibits the veracity of a sentimental ordination, unseen in the sonorous waves spread through the lines of its unwavering melodic expansion.  

Once is an album to hear in a quiet place, to appreciate profoundly, in a very serene and sagacious state of mind. From the songs, a splendid universe of sound emanates subtlety, in such a condescending, but at the same expressive manner, that you really will find yourself situated above the clouds. Possibly, even in another planet, or another galaxy. 

Unfortunately, as beautiful as it is, Once is a record that can reach only a very specific audience. It will hardly be appreciated by anyone outside the progressive/ ambient/ neoclassical electronica underground scene. But if you are one of those enthusiasts, do yourself a favor, and listen to this album. With a marvelous ascending intonation, a subtle rainbow of creative audacity, and an impeccable sense of brave originality, the beautiful melodies of this record will enchant you deeply. Taktyle’s music will penetrate the essences of your soul, bringing the whole universe with it. 


Wagner

heavy jazz / grindcore / noise

Time to prepare for another slab of ruthless jazz aggression by Dutch combo Dead Neanderthals. The question is, how do you prepare for something like this? I mean, this is not the kind of music you usually listen to when you begin digging into the immense world of sound design. You got to have a certain history, some stepping stone bands, so to speak. For starters, you need to know your way around noise and experimental music. You should know something about jazz and then forget all about that. You should know about grindcore too.

A friend of mine once said that Dead Neanderthals "abuse their instrumental respectfully". I couldn't agree more. What they come up with sounds like pure equipment torture, but one that is only possible when the musicians is passionate about the music. 'Craters' is a thirty-six long extreme jazz composition, where sax and drums drag the listening into a cesspool of metallic, harsh and barely controlled chaos, for the occasion aided by a bass guitar. This album claws, scratches, screeches and gnaws, all in perfect Dead Neanderthals tradition.

I think it's safe to say that this is Dead Neanderthals darkest and moodiest work so far. In a way, it can compare to their previous work but also to acts like Barchan, Plaistow and Sunn O))). You know, jazz but heavy, overwhelming and perhaps a bit homicidal. Is it a recommended album? Well, obviously it is. Every Dead Neanderthals fan should have already got his hands on a copy of this album. Even if you're not a fan, check it out. You will either love it or hate it but you'll have to agree that it's something you don't hear every day. 


​Serge

avant garde / experimental / drone / jazz / noise

Well well, here is something you don't hear every day. That is, unless you are a hardcore free jazz fan who easily finds his way into the pummeling chaos that this genre is.  If you, on the other hand, are someone who loves his music to be easy digestible, controlled and somewhat predictable, you might want to think twice before hitting the "play" button on top of this review. Your world might be shattered.

Of course, the Dutch don't really care about shattered worlds and pulverised dreams. That little country has been throwing a lot of unexpected and weird things on the world, including gabber hardcore but also the awesome blend between grindcore and jazz that Dead Neanderthals produce. Well, it the latter region we find The Julie Mittens, for me now known as "the Skullflower of the jazz scene", and their haunting release 'Soundcult'. 

What  to expect from this release? Well, a lot of noise, inspired by the Japanese noise scene. The four songs, each lasting over ten minutes, are incoherent and dissonant slabs of drones, noises, percussion and unidentifiable sounds. This certainly is something for the trained and experienced ear but those ears might be overjoyed with these bizarre sounds. So who to recommend it to? Everyone, just check it out and allow The Julie Mittens to drag you into a whirlpool of noise. It'll be an experience you never forget.


Serge

dark ambient / noise / experimental / industrial

Last year, the apparent resurrection of Sielwolf pleasantly surprised me by releasing, 'Atavist Craft', a cooperation with German ritual ambient project Nam-Khar. Now, they return with a second effort, one that seemingly takes on an hypnotic, repetitive and industrial approach. Well, I cannot say that I'm disappointed by this direction, on the very contrary. This new album, 'Oppressfield' is pretty damn awesome, to be honest.

In fact, 'Oppressfield', both the title track and the entire album, are perfectly suited to function as the soundtrack for a post-apocalyptic horror game, or movie. There are unidentified noises coming from everywhere. The atmosphere is haunting and often quite intense. There are eerie soundscapes and drones. There is repetitive percussion, lulling the listener into a dark state of trance and taking him on an adventure through his deepest fears.

Of course, this is not an album for everyone. I cannot imagine people playing this at a dinner party or during a pleasant get together with friends and family. This is an album that should be listened to in absolute solitude, preferably loud. The gloomy drone track 'Failed States', for example, is a scary piece of work that only experienced ears can appreciate. But those ears will definitely adore this thing.

Who to recommend this to? Well, obviously to fans of MZ.412, Atrium Carceri, Brighter Death Now, Desiderii Marginis,... that kind of stuff. If you're into old Cold Meat Industry albums, 'Oppressfield' undoubtedly deserves a place in your collection. I only mentioned two tracks, but apart from the title track, I have to say that 'Crypt Trap' is the absolute highlight on this release, closely followed by the ritual droner 'Exorial' .

​Seriously, this is industrial ambient at its best...


Serge

progressive metal

dark ambient

post rock

shoegaze / psychedelic

symphonic doom

grindcore

alternative / metal

dark ambient

indie rock / pop rock

punk rock

rock / blues

funeral doom / black metal

noise / drone / spoken word

heavy metal

death metal / black metal

Serge

industrial / noise / dark ambient

Fans of death industrial, power electronics and ritual noise will by now know the name Trepaneringsritualen.  With sonic live rituals allover Europe this act has surely made a name for himself. In fact, I don't think I've seen a more prolific and prominent act in this genre since the glorydays of Cold Meat Industry. Now, Cold Spring reissued Trepaneringsritualen's long out of print debut album and added the long ritual work entitled "I Remember When I Was God" (included as download for the vinyl edition).

What you can expect from this act, is pretty much similar to the stuff that acts like Brighter Death Now, Nicole 12 and Genocide Organ have been throwing in our faces. Harsh, rhythmic noise, with pissed off screams, loaded with misanthropy, agony and hopelessness. There is nothing pretty or beautiful about this whole thing but play it loud and before you know it, you'll be in a spiteful trance, barking out your demons and cleansing yourself from those dark, haunting emotions.

Obviously, this stuff is not suited for everyone. If you want music to be musical, you should step away from stuff like this before it obliterates your sanity. Yet, if you're one of those freaks who like to dwell in the grittiest regions of the sonic underground, this thing will give you the nightmares you crave and thrive upon. 'Deathward, To The Womb' is simply a stunning piece of work, a haunting masterpiece of pure dark sentiment. This comes highly recommended for all the ritual noise folk out there. You know you want this...


​Serge

black metal

Vault Of Dried Bones

Aah, a new edition of Brieviews, and why not simply kick of with what will probably prove to be the most raunchy and ghastly piece of musical extremism in this article. Sorguinazia is a duo, dwelling in the deepest, darkest caves and tombs of the black metal scene. Don't expect musical ingenuity on this one, but prepare to get molested by fierce guitars, haunting vocals and a relentless tempo. One these three songs, the duo constantly balances on the edge between primitive black metal and harsh noise. This is not music, this is either an exorcism or an occult ritual and it's definitely suited only for the chosen few who can handle the extremest of the extreme.

stoner doom

On the slower part of the metal spectrum, we meet up with Brazilian psychedelic doom band Ruínas de Sade and their self titled three-track debut. I'm not sure when this band formed, but my guess is "not that long ago". However, despite the fact that the whole thing sounds like a first effort by some enthusiastic youngsters, there is some bloody awesome potential to be found here. The tracks are long and loaded with monolithic riffs, rough vocals and psychedelic solos which even bring Pink Floyd to mind. Of course, I would recommend this to all doom fans but another shoutout goes to labels: sign these guys, lock them up in a studio for a year, add a solid producer and they might come out with a classic. This is talent!!!

post rock / electronic / doom

Onto one of the most unique releases in this edition of Brieviews, an astonishing cooperation between Bulgarian doom metal band Smallman and drum & bass producer Ivan Shopov (Cooh/Balansky). The result of this cooperation is an often perplexing blend of styles, contrasting rhythms, dark ambient, folk and post rock passages and intense outbursts of metal. Bands that come to mind include Massive Attack, Coldplay, Primordial and Anathema. There is plenty of atmosphere and more variation than you can imagine but most of all, these are simply excellent songs, dressed in a modern and epic sound.

progressive metal

Since we're dwelling in the experimental and somewhat unusual corners of the music industry, allow me to introduce Jupiter Hollow. In the past few years, this duo has been absorbing all things progressive and now come up with a stunning blend of everything between Rush, Opeth, Pink Floyd, Dream Theater and Tool. The five songs on this album are complex, often downright confusing pieces of progressive rock, interlaced with ambient passages. They not only show tremendous technical abilities but also a decent flair for songwriting. Fans of progressive rock should definitely get their hands on a copy of this. This is pretty much everything you like, pressed into one ep.

progressive rock

On the somewhat more gentle side of the progressive rock spectrum, we reconnect with Finnish masterminds Grus Paridae and their new single. I remember writing a review for this act in the early days of Merchants Of Air and I remember being quite charmed by their music. On this single, that is no different. 'Forthcoming Nonintellectual Decadence' is a classic progressive rock anthem, one where I can clearly hear influences from Pink Floyd but also elements from classical music. The piano and violins have a central role in this atmospheric and beautiful piece of music and the whole thing sounds well balanced, varied and as anthem-like as this kind of music should be. Nice work.

death metal / thrash metal

thrash metal / black metal

dark ambient

facebook

noise / experimental

dark ambient / experimental

black metal

post punk

progressive / power metal

Modern melodic metal from Canada, suited for fans of Kamelot, Symphony X, Alter Bridge and Tesseract, that's what the biography mentioned. Yet, I'd like to add bands like Moonspell to that list, certainly after listening to the brilliant opener 'Guillotine', which is an epic dark metal anthem. The rest of this ep is pretty much equally interesting with some very strong metal songs. Red Cain somehow managed to blend progressive, technical and dark metal into a mesmerizing journey. Personally, I really dig the clean but forceful vocals with this kind of music so in that Red Cain certainly delivered the goods. Closer 'Unborn' is my second favorite, especially with that epic intro. 

black metal

progressive / alternative rock

progressive metal / djent / post metal

Some more relentlessness from our neighbours in France, this time with a genre called "djent". I'm not very familiar with it and many of the bandnames don't really ring a bell but I know what I like, and I like what I'm hearing right now. Short, nervous riffs, energetic drums, loads of atmospheric sounds and a harsh, screaming voice create a captivating blend of post metal and hardcore. No doubt that songs like 'The Wall' and 'Broken Streets' will be absolute blasts when played live, certainly with that amount of energy and intensity. This definitely is one for the newer generation of metalheads, but I think Meshuggah fans can easily appreciate this slab of aggression too.

indie rock / psychedelic

ambient / drone / noise

Dezoito (which means eighteen, in Portuguese) is the eighteenth album by Brazilian electronic/ ambient/ drone/ noise artist Gustavo Jobim. With four tracks – being them Heart and Sound and Soul and Vision, The Road, For Richard Pinhas and 33 – Jobim (the same last name of a great legend of Brazilian popular music, Antônio Carlos Jobim, better known as Tom Jobim) is a musician obviously influenced by the classic German school of electronica, something the artist himself acknowledges openly.  

Dezoito is a very interesting album, filled with intriguing noises, contrasts, sonorous experimentations and uplifting twisting beats. Nonetheless, given the length and the nature of each one of these tracks, I strongly recommend you to listen to each one of them separately and calmly, after you listen to the whole album, which will be a far more enjoyable experience, since each one of these tracks appear to be grounded in a very artistic, experimental and fearless exploratory field of work. 

Undoubtedly appearing to be a very methodical work, sometimes lucid, sometimes more hallucinatory, Jobim obviously like to explore the vastness of his musical proficiency, astoundingly studying possibilities in a noisy and protuberating soundscape, establishing for himself no limits or boundaries. On his interesting approach to songwriting, composition and execution, he clearly sees the result of what he is doing. Nonetheless, given his astounding levels of experimentation – and obvious despise for commercial appeal, which would be no surprise at all for such a fearless and skilled underground artist – and the fact that his major influences are misunderstood and audacious electronic acts from the past, his music is confined to a very restrict audience, with the hopes of being understood and properly appreciated only to a handful of eccentric enthusiasts.

But his music really has interesting potential, abilities and capacities, apparently built in a very cohesive diagram of techniques, sounding joyful, modest, playful and exhilarating at the same time. Despite the whole album being charged with a magnificent sphere of lucid sensitivity, the first two tracks set the groundbreaking standards here. The second one, The Road, really impersonates a beautiful and relinquishing atmosphere, subsumed by an 80’s nostalgia, that captures you, and never leaves you unannounced or lost at the center of its own free styled rhythms. Filled with interesting references and influences from the experimental and electro scene of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, this album reevaluates the musical proficiency of electronica in a more vast panel, properly diluted in a style that reinvigorates a fresh sobriety into harmonies that admonishes a sonorous galaxy of possibilities like only a handful of artists are capable of really doing it right, in the whole history of the electronica genre, and its multiple subgenres. 

Filled with a great multitude of layers, albeit his music can be described as static to a certain degree, given the fact that one main rhythm can be predominant throughout a whole track, Dezoito, by Gustavo Jobim, certainly is an interesting sonorous experience, that will certainly enlarge your personal concept about electronica experimental music, and will surround you with a nostalgia feeling – if you are familiarized with the genre, of course – for such magical moments that this album, in the end, will make you search for more works of this fascinating, exquisite, eccentric but very inventive, creative and audacious artist.      


​Wagner

electronic / industrial / noise / avant garde

An album that opens with a song titled 'Life Is Noise Around Me', you might start to expect a challenging listening experience. You could be right about that too. In fact, at first listen, this album really might sound somewhat unconventional. Yet, sometimes "challenging" and "unconventional" result in something interesting and that's exactly what's happening here. Let's see if I can guide you through this one.

Csigo is a singer-songwriter and guitar player from Hungary who played and plays in bands like Dubcity Fanatikz, Anima Sound System and Beat Dis. However, don't let those references fool you, because on this solo album, Csigo does things quite different. This has nothing to do with dub, rock or even techno music, although at times it's quite danceable. So what is it? Well, basically, it's the lovechild between eighties avant garde electronics and rhythmic noise.

Opener 'Life Is Noise Around Me' and follower 'Interplanetary' remind me of acts like Suicide and Throbbing Gristle, while on other occasions Crash Course In Science, The Normal or even Prurient come to mind. That being said, yes, this is a heap of minimal but dark electronics, perfectly suited for those industrial dancefloors. 'Vexation' even takes the "industrial" tag quite seriously, being a droning and repetitive piece of music.

In all, this is a strange and harsh album, one which I would recommend to all you dark electronics freaks out there. Perhaps not to the people who are into easy-digestible dance music, but for those who dare to experiment and seek deep, dark music to accompany the noises in their heads. The last track, 'Blank Look', might terrify you a bit, but don't worry, it's just music... I hope...


​Serge

experimental / noise / drone / ambient

Unexplained Sounds Group

An interesting compilation, refined and superbly majestic, exceedingly experimental and underground in all of its sound. A curious and intriguing sonorous experience, that only the most fearless will dare to listen. Lucid and innovating, the twenty three track compilation is a devotional, as well as a demanding, universal experience in a penetrating sound device, that challenges moderate and common concepts. 

A compilation hard to define or classify, its experimental nature, is certainly the most prominent aspect in all of its groundbreaking shifts. Nonetheless, I will not dare to day that I have liked all of the tracks. While some of them are just noisy, others are really interesting musical pieces, tied together in a delusional field of embrace, really worthwhile listening. But this is a compilation very hard to embrace in several aspects, mainly because its greatest qualities are also its main weaknesses: while the album is markedly experimental, it’s too experimental. You have to listen patiently, to understand it correctly. Nevertheless, there is some interesting sounds here, that you will not listen anywhere else. Intriguing and mesmerizing pieces of music, that certainly will drive its audience insane. This is the right album to listen quietly, candidly, experimenting each and every one of its notes, to appreciate and understand correctly. But its overtly experimental nature also means that this compilation will be appreciated mainly by a select audience, and a smaller group of interested musicians.

All in all an interesting record, very sensible and markedly musical, tonal, florescent and daring, this is highly recommended for the ones who are not afraid of listening to refreshing new things. With great quality and a fearless touch of originality, Portugal Experimental Underground is exactly what its title means: a select and diversified cast of underground tracks made by Portuguese experimental musicians. A compilation that has charm, excellence and a spellbound rhythm that speaks to the soul, here we have coherence, cohesion and unity. While it is not perfect, it certainly is a marvelous experience, and a great collision that will certainly blow your ears away. 

But I certainly should reiterate that this is not an album for everybody. Ordinary people and ordinary listeners will not understand this compilation. Its serves to a basic premise, and only people already familiar with avant-garde genres will learn the proper way to appreciate. But this is also one of the main charms on the record: the fact that appeals only to the more open-minded audiences. 

Portugal Experimental Underground is not an ordinary album in any way, on the contrary: it is extraordinary in all levels. And if you’re not familiar with this type of sound, you will certainly find it strange. And – I repeat here – while I should point it out that I haven’t liked all the tracks, there are some fine pearls here begging to be listened and discovered, while also being a groundbreaking selection – and a fine audacious experimentation – on music, that we should learn of, a lot. A lucid and majestic compilation, I certainly wish that a volume II follow soon, for it certainly intrigued me, and I have learned a lot by listening to this one. Obviously the Portuguese experimental scene is monumental, and it’s a shame that the world knows so little about it. Nonetheless, I think compilations like Portugal Experimental Underground will change this, little by little. 

Certainly an interesting record, with tracks finely selected, arranged and produced, Portugal Experimental Underground is a fundamental album, for the ones who like music with an acutely prominent avant-garde concept.                       


​Wagner

A few days ago, we published fifteen songs for your Halloween playlist. If you know a little bit about the history of this holiday, you'll know that it originates from Samhain, the Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year. To celebrate Samhain, English label Sombre Soniks comes up with a Samhain Sale on 31 October and 1 November. So if you're still looking for some decent spooky music to play or if you're simply a fan of dark ambient and related genres, this might be your chance to pick up some grizzly gems. On this label special of Brieviews, we guide you through some of Sombre Soniks releases. To see all of them, click here. 

A Most Accursed  is a side project from members of Druhá Smrt, who are also a part of the Sombre Soniks stable. With this new album, they deliver three strange and haunting tracks, each one lasting exactly thirteen minutes. They're all grim, dark and droning pieces of work, with the second one, 'Where Owls Shriek All The Night', being the most unsettling one. You can actually hear the owls shriek in a vague and gloomy tempo. On opener 'In The Valley Of Feral Dogs' you can also hear the hounds creating this hint of rhythm. In all, this definitely is a must-have for fans of dark, mystic and obscure ambient music, certainly those who like to crossover to noise once in awhile.

From Finland comes lo-fi obsessed experimentalist Fecal Fetal with his second offering on Sombre Soniks. On this album, the artist works with a wide array of instruments and materials, from kantele to styrofoam, to create otherworldly pieces of music. The result are six strange and often uneasy pieces of music, here and there coming up with mere hints of melody and rhythm. The whole thing reminds me of other experimentalists such as De Fabriek, Maurizio Bianchi and Zoviet France. So if you're in for strange, bizarre, unconventional and downright odd, this album definitely is something for you. But beware, it might cause horrifying mental images.

Grist is a master in slowly evolving layers of soundscapes and loops and on this album he further explores that art. In three long tracks, the artist slowly drags you into his mystic, hypnotic world where you will experience visions and emotions you never knew existed. This constant building-up has a captivating and almost trance inducing effect, especially when it's played loud and in absolute darkness, which is obviously exactly what I would recommend. The tracks also seem to balance on the edge between musicality and noise, another constant throughout the career of Grist. If you're looking for something deep, droning and repetitive, this definitely is your cup of tea.

After his splendid cooperation with Yumi Hara on the 'Wheels Within Wheels', Guy Harries returns for his first solo effort on Sombre Soniks. On this album, Harries invites us on a long and mystic journey through soundscapes, noises and pulsating drones. The result is a gloomy and eerie album where unexpected sounds turn up. That being said, this would make an excellent soundtrack for a horror game. The five tracks consist of field recordings, modular synths and found objects which Harries turned into sonic adventures which will certainly have an effect on your psyche. This is something for fans of Zoviet France, Rapoon and Inade.

bandcamp

The 'Dark Ambient' series have become a constant throughout the oeuvre of Sombre Soniks. These compilations contain a lot of exclusive tracks from artists from the stable but also several songs from acts outside the label. On this twelfth edition you can find tracks from Akoustik Timbre Frekuency, Misantronics, Druhá Smrt, Backyard Ghost and Grist but also Kristus Kut, Catacombs Of Doom and Oneirich, amongst others. And, as usual, this is a highly recommended album for every dark ambient fan out there. If you're looking for a decent playlist for your Samhain activities, look no further and download this compilation. You simply can't go wrong with this.

bandcamp

Canadian act Sp3cd3rs returns with a droning and epic album which will definitely disrupt your consciousness and gnaw on your self esteem. I think it's safe to say that the songs on this album are lingering harsh ambient tunes with loops, soundscapes and unidentified noises. Yet, it's the repetitive nature of the whole thing that gives this album a certain vibe, a quite immersive one too. It's easy to get lost in these drones and let your imagination do all the work. For fans of minimal but harsh experimental music or "death industrial", this definitely is a must-have. If you have acts like Luasa Raelon, Brighter Death Now and Tim Hecker in your collection, you should add this one too.

This might be one of the most varied albums on Sombre Soniks. In no less than fourteen tracks, each one dedicated to a different element or planetary sphere, Portuguese experimentalist Babalith delves the listener in a whirlpool of drones, dark ambient, minimal folk and noise. The tracks differ quite a lot from each other, although they all have that gloomy dark ambient atmosphere. My favorite one is the long 'Venus Oscillation' which is a pulsating piece of music that reminds me of some of Deutsch Nepal's compositions. Anyway, this is already Babalith's fifth album for this label, one where you can certainly hear an ever evolving artist.

More reviews for Sombre Soniks releases:

Akoustik Timbre Frekuency - Harmonik Radiance
Babalith - The Dream Cycle
Misantronics - Contraformance
Druhà Smrt - Mythologem
A Most Accursed - Imaginal 
Sielwolf & Nam-khar - Atavist Craft
Yumi Hara & Guy Harries - Wheels Within Wheels
Druhá Smrt - Occurrentium
Weltensprung b Kaiserwetter - Prag​

experimental / drone / noise

The world of experimental music is one of many 'mehs' and a few awes. I've seen people make drones, noise and ambient with all kinds of instruments, from guitars and bass guitars over hurdy-gurdies, tape recorders and window glass. Once in awhile, a drummer joins in on the fun, bringing an extra dimension to the whole thing. However, this time, the drummer doesn't join anybody, he does it on his own. In that aspect, this is the longest and most intriguing drum solo I've ever heard.

But what would you expect from someone like Rene Aquarius? Being one half of power jazz duo Dead Neanderthals and cooperating with people like Dirk Serries and John Dikeman, this dude certainly knows his way around everything between ambient, jazz and grindcore. Armed with his drum kit and loads of effects, he now comes up with his solo debut, a debut I was extremely curious about. I know most of Aquarius' other work and I'm a big fan but there is a difference between Dead Neanderthals and this album.

The main difference is the tempo. Do not expect any grindcore blast beats because those are left behind and replaced by eerie drones, often harsh noise and strange, otherworldly soundscapes. The result comes very close to dark ambient acts like Svaixt and Treha Sektori, as well as experimental noise projects like MZ412 and Megaptera. That being said, this album would have fitted perfectly in the Cold Meat Industry stable. There are even some nice Deutsch Nepal percussion passages here.

So yes, this is an extremely slow album, sluggishly dragging itself through my speakers. It has an eerie, haunted atmosphere which makes it a perfect soundtrack for nightly quests through abandoned buildings, if you're into that stuff. Come to think of it, abandoned buildings would be a neat place for Aquarius to perform these pieces. I'd certainly like to see that happen. Even more, now I'm wondering what a cooperation between Aquarius and Tomas Järmyr would sound like. Maybe that would make an interesting project for the future.

But I'm digressing again. Apparently I'm very good at that, just like this Dutch gentleman is very good at getting more out of his drums than most other drummers could possibly imagine. Obviously, this album comes highly recommended for all fans of experimental ambient, from Anenzephalia to Zoviet France. If you like any of the acts I mentioned in this review, I urge you to check out this awe-inspiring piece of work. Now, how about that abandoned buildings tour Rene?


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noise

Buh Records

And now for something completely different. And when I say that, I mean it. You know those people who nag to you about how extreme metal is unlistenable? This is a compilation of music that even the most seasoned music lovers will deem unlistenable...  A little bit of personal background first.. 

Ever since I was a kid, I've been fascinated by the sounds that everyday (electronic) items emit. I remember scanning the various wavebands on my crappy Supertech radio and taping (note to self: find those tapes) all the weird clicks and whirrs and beeps and screeches and disembodied voices in my very early teens. There is something so fascinating about it that even up to this day I can't get enough of it. It's like pareidolia but with sound. Digging for patterns, melodies even in what to most people is just a hopeless cacophonous mess of noise. I think I've said it before, but it's safe to say that noise is an integral part of my life. I love listening to it, I love going to shows and I love making it. There's something primal about it that I just can't ignore. Not that I want to... 

So even though I consider myself fairly knowledgeable, this compilation just goes to show that you can't know everything. In fact, if this compilation is any indication of what's happening (or has happened) in this genre worldwide, there's probably a massive heap of things I don't know or have never ever heard about. Which is good, I like a challenge. And challenging this is. Here we have 11 tracks from 9 artists that were active in the Peruvian (yes, Peru) noise and industrial underground in the very early 1990s. Aesthetically very much rooted in the DIY punk and grindcore scene, the music itself couldn't be further removed from any kind of genre. One could say it barely classifies as music anymore.. 

It is very hard for me to describe an album like this, especially if you are not familiar with this genre. Most people will find this completely and utterly unlistenable. Adventurous people will have their tolerance boundaries stretched and probably broken. Even for seasoned noiselovers it still demands a huge understanding of what noise is about to receive some sort of enjoyment. It is, however, always fascinating. Especially considering the background of this scene from a, let's face it, country you wouldn't normally associate with extreme music. 

It's best to listen for yourself, even if you will probably hate me for making you do just that. People who feel that their noise library could use some expansion and are into acts like Runzelstirn And Gurglestock, Masonna, Gerogerigegege, Justice Yeldham and things like that will find much to like, with a fascinating backstory on top of it. 


Bjorn

dark ambient / noise / drone / experimental

dB/Mz is Magnus Zetterberg (aka Manifesto) and David Bengtsson (aka IOK-1), or in other words, a cooperation between two dark experimentalists from Sweden. So it shouldn't be a surprise that this album contains six long, gloomy tracks, full of eerie noises and deep drones. There's also an industrial feel about this, but not industrial like in Rammstein or Hocico, more like in actual repetitive factory sounds.

The album contains a certain tempo, a slow, torpid rhythm, manifesting itself in lingering sequences and deep percussive elements. In the second track, that actually results in a sound similar to my mother's old washing machine. It's odd, because in my childhood, I used to
imagine "music" with that washing machine as a constant rhythm and all kind of noises as melodic or percussive elements. '2' could actually be one of the tracks I would have made with that thing.

On '3' the noise-elements seem to take the upperhand, as the track gets an "underwater" feel and a sharp, pungent beating on metal objects. This is arguably the harshest track on this album, not suitable for sensitive beings. '4' drives on an annoying phone-sound and eerie soundscapes. Well, usually that would be annoying, here it's just damn interesting to see how far these artists can go to create their music.

If I have to compare the music to other acts, I think I'll refer MZ412, Zoviet France and Machinefabriek. You know, experimental ambient with a dark twist and a haunting atmosphere, balancing on the thin edge between music and noise. The droned-out '5' is my personal favorite but I'm sure I'll be listening to this thing a lot more from now on. Besides, it contains one of the absolute key-elements for decent ambient music: fit in with environmental sounds like roadworks, trains, birds and the always interesting discussions of my neighbours. Buy this...


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drone / dark ambient / industrial / noise

Many people don't understand why other people create this kind of music. They can't grasp the minimal approach, the haunted, eerie sound and the often crushing atmosphere. "It's not fun", they say, but this music isn't supposed to be fun. It's supposed to be satisfying. It's supposed to explore and exorcise some deeply personal emotions . Besides, usually it's not even made for an audience, looking for "fun". This is deeply personal, ritualistic even.

Arnwald is a Belgian project, formed by the drummer for bands like Enthroned, Necroblaspheme, Humanitas Error Est & Lost God. Do not expect furious blast-beats or grinding guitars on this one for this is something completely different and, as I already mentioned, something deeply personal. As a fellow dark and obscure music producer, I can perfectly understand where Arnwald is going with this material. Right into his own inner self, that's where.

The tracks on this album, titled 'I' to 'XI', are collections of soundscapes, noises, repetitive industrial percussion and deranged voices. They remind me of an early Scorn, some dark ambient acts like Raison D'Etre or martial industrial acts like Sophia. For the most part, they are somber tunes, slowly dragging themselves alongside torpid percussion. Yet, here and there, as in 'VI', the whole thing turns into an industrial noise bombardment.

Other acts that come to mind, include Brighter Death Now, Whitehouse, Contagious Orgasm... At times, the musicality of the whole thing is completely gone, leaving nothing but noise and screams. On other occasions, there are hints of melody, hidden beneath a veil of drones. But the whole thing is so intense, so immersive that I kept raising the volume throughout the entire listening session. This is harsh stuff, food for the deranged brain.


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experimental / noise / noise rock

Improv is fun, that's for damn sure. A few years ago, I played in an improv-noise duo, having a great time exploring the boundaries of our instruments or just blast out some severe noise to rip the listener's head to pieces. Of course, it doesn't always have to be heavily distorted guitar drones to remain interesting. Sometimes the beauty of improv simply lies in the unexpected touches of musicality, which is the case on this strange album.

Spook is a trio from Lausanne, Switzerland, armed with violin, electronics and drums. They're quite new to the scene, and I don't even know which scene I'm talking about. Is it the noise-scene? Is it the jazz-scene? Yes, jazz, probably because of the whole experimental approach which reminds me a lot of many free-jazz acts I've seen and heard. I feel like these are indeed trained musicians with a wide background.

In eight instrumentals, Spook come up with an unpredictable and highly surprising sound, somewhere between the electronic chaos of Black Dice and the bizarre art of Fantomas. But I also recognize influences from other acts, some gritty shoegaze and noise rock bands like Sonic Youth or The Melvins. The opener, and title track, immediately shows what this acts stands for: absolute weirdness, confusing but addictive.

During the entire album I caught myself thinking 'what the hell is this and why is it so immersive?'. With every passage I getting more and more excited about what will follow. What follows is pretty much always a surprise, whether it's harsh noise, experimental ambient or straightforward rock music with the experimental approach of Zappa. Even after a few listens, this album keeps on surprising me, which obviously is a massive plus.

Sometimes it's minimal, kind and gentle, like in 'Shall We Go?' but most of the time, this album is dynamic and intense like in the great track 'Grand Parade In Bottens Part 3'. 'Godzilla' even comes close to doom or post-rock, be it in a weird and unpredictable way, like Merzbow would make it perhaps. The only certainty is the fact that this album will often make you look at your speakers, with a "what???" look on your face.


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noise / drone

Time to return the favor. A while ago, my colleague Björn reviewed the latest Misantronics album, 'Contraformance' (read). He also rebooted his own experimental project and renamed it to this jolly phrase, "Hellstorm Of Flaming Nothingness". Now, he released a first ep, an eerie four-track, nihilistic, minimal, droning and even more minimal. So it's only correct that I return the favor and write this little review. Besides, it's a pretty good ep too.

The four pieces on this ep are excellent pieces of minimal ambient or noise, so minimal that you can almost call it microscopic. They drive on deep mechanical drones and a few soundscapes, sometimes showing a hint of melody. The whole reminds me a bit of the works of Sam Prekop, Zoviet France, Rapoon or Tactile. Or the works or those early electronic pioneers with their oscillators and strange music machines.

The opener 'Compassion' remains my favorite, and perhaps I'll make a little Misantronics remix for this one. My favorite title is the last one, 'My Life, And By Extension Everyone Else's Is Meaningless", which might be one of the most minimalistic pieces in the history of music. So check it out, play it during your dark meditation sessions or just blast it through your speakers to make your neighbours go mad. It's definitely worth it...


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experimental / noise / avant-garde / jazz

"Hello, this is the first album by avant rock / experimental band Danielle Liebeskind", that's how the accompanying note for this album opened. I remember thinking "experimental, avant rock, that sounds a bit arty-farty, a bit pretentious possibly". I mean, I've heard a lot of "avant" stuff in my life and sometimes the self-glorification of the artists is massive, certainly compared to the non-coherent manure they produce.

But I tried the album anyway, because the exact opposite is also true. I've heard a lot of "avant" stuff which takes the listener on beautiful, strange and unexpected journeys. Besides, Danielle Liebeskind is a Dutch band, a trio and some guest musicians. For some reason the Dutch seem to know how to make experimental music interesting. Apart from their "shlagers" and their awful carnival music, the Netherlands are one of the greatest countries to discover new sounds.

And yes, Danielle Liebeskind is something to discover. They're mostly an improvisation act, so it shouldn't be a surprise that this debut is a registration of improv sessions, recorded in March 2014. They seem to be influenced by jazz, classical music, ambient, drone and noise artists but I can also hear elements from Pink Floyd, mostly in the guitars on 'Equilibrium Of Make Believe'. Those guitars also seem to be hiding behind a wall of weird sounds and odd percussion.

The whole thing does indeed feel like an experimental jazz performance, a very experimental one. You know, like when Sonic Youth, Keiji Haino and Merzbow decide to to make a jazz album together. I'm not even sure which instruments were used but I guess they include spoons and singing bowls next to more traditional instrumentation (piano, drums, guitars...). On the other hand, in the first part 'Little Acts Of Rebellion / I Saw Your Light' I recognize absolutely nothing, except for the narrating voice.

That track is one continuously changing piece of minimalistic music, that's for sure. So is opener 'Kimya Dawson Tribute', a song that perfectly fits in with the natural and human sounds around me. In fact, it often happens that I have no idea which sounds come from the LP and which come from in and outside of my house. I like that. It gives the album something extra. It makes it sound completely different every time I listen to it. 

And I think I will be listening to this quite a lot from now on. It's an album that deserves deeper exploration by curious and open minded music fanatics. The way it turns from gentle noise into a piece of classical music into a dark jazz tune, accompanied with what sounds like typewriter sounds, is brilliant. I can only applaud this approach to music and I do recommend this album to all you experimentalists out there.


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jazz / avant garde / noise

Well, since we're dwelling in strange and absurd music, how about an avant-jazz record that will awe and confuse you? In Love With is a project by French drummer Sylvain Darrifourq, aided by the string instruments of Théo and Valentin Ceccaldi. The album is named 'Axel Erotic' and it's a weird thing, but what would you expect from experimental jazz, something radio friendly? Forget about that. This will kill your radio...

Yes, experimental jazz, I guess many people will know what that means and I guess many people will know exactly what to expect: incoherent rhythms, non-conventional sounds and a nag to take everything to the absurd. Those expectations truly come true, even though the album opens quite friendly with an experimental modern classical piece. 'Bien Peigné En Toute Occasion' is probably the most listener friendly track here, and quite frankly also one of my favorites.

Yet, from then on, things become stranger. 'A Saveur De Très Beurre' nudges towards experimental and pretty dark ambient while 'Asil Guide' becomes utterly chaotic, certainly in the drums. 'Sexy Champagne' takes on a more gentle approach, a bit ambient-jazzy if you like. 'Les Flics De La Police' is a repetitive and polyrhythmic piece of experimental music, not really my cup of tea but not all records can be, right?

There are a few more songs to be discovered on this album, to be discovered by a seasoned jazz fan that is. I cannot imagine that any music lover will be able to appreciate this without the necessary foreknowledge of avant garde jazz music. But that doesn't mean it's a bad album. I quite enjoyed the weird and mesmerizing trip and the many surprising hooks and edges. Perhaps you can too, so check it out. At least it will be something you never heard before...


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