Aghori – Light Circles 3″CDR
Existential Cloth Recordings
Something tells me this is not the Aghori who’s 3″CDR Light Circles has found its way into my hands. Not that I have anything against emo/tribal metalcore but this is clearly a different beast!
What Aghori delivers here is a good 20 minutes of organic ambient/noise seemingly created from the sound of bowed cymbals, manipulated distortion and perhaps vocal moans. Both tracks are untitled yet the first is more intense on the noise factor drenching the ritual ambient layers with a light layer of distortion. …

Vehement Caress – Cachexia C20
Apicult Recordings
Here’s another really great tape from Boston’s own Vehement Caress. Represented here is a great convergence of throbbing industrial, lo-fi harsh noise, and heavy drone.
Side A features several tracks, the first of which is a pummelling industrial anthem very much reminding me of older Brighter Death Now. There are no vocals, so it doesn’t meander into the realm of power electronics – it remains pure death industrial. The following tracks are shorter outings wandering in the grungy noise realm, reminding me of some of Wolf …

Corephallism/Gnaw Their Tongues – Split 10″EP
Lascivious Aesthetics
This is easily one of my favorite releases of 2012 and it’s great to know that before the halfway point. Two underrated acts team up for this obsessive industrial slab of vinyl to form a formidable sonic force. Their respective styles differing so much yet at the same time complimenting each other gracefully. Right off the bat I noticed the absolutely gorgeous artwork with sparse yet well placed text which helps make this release an instant classic.
Corephallism is up first with two tracks of …

Sudden Infant – Inner Storm C30
Blossoming Noise
Joke Lanz is back with his brand of dadaist aural blasphemy. Once again coming from the Blossoming Noise camp who seems to be able to consistently churning out quality releases. Inner Storm’s graphics features a simple collage with sparse text and information, the focus clearly on the music here.
What Sudden Infant delivers is his usual style of insane audio terrorism but with a variety of new and different sounds woven in. The tracks here all have a repetitive rhythmic core with layers of noise …

Teeth Collection – Untitled 3″CDR
Husk Records
Teeth Collection is an enigmatic midwestern noise project that focuses on using physical sound sources for his compositions and this untitled work is no exception. The main sources cited within consist of “one mic, no amp, and the tumbler from a dryer”. The fact that no electronics were used here is touted on the booklet and it certainly raises an eyebrow as to how he could actually pull this off.
Yet the result: stunning. The work comes off as something from Niellerade Fallibilisthorstar but with more …

Heavy Breathing – Severe C30
Fever Recordings
Immediately very noticeable about this package is the extra cardboard box, high contrast silk-screening and lo-fi images of various Muslim women in traditional burkas. The sparse artwork highlights the basics of the packaging as well as the minimal textures one might overlook had the design been too engaging.
The sound here is quite understated as well. With a lo-fi production quality it represents the rough aesthetic well. Although this isn’t caveman electronic; it’s well composed and layered to form a formidable wall of aggressive sound in …

Hive Mind – Elemental Disgrace LP
Editions Mego
Here’s a heavy full-length from the former Detroit resident, now L.A. wunderkind Greh Holger. The LP is nicely packaged with full-color cover and shiny print along with heavy gram white vinyl. Quite classy, and apparently falling into the category of the “Spectrum Spools” series of the label.
Elemental Disgrace sounds like it is 100% synthesizer but the sounds Holger is able to cull from his machines are varied, and lie heavily on the subconsious. Perhaps the sound that would occur if you brought a …

Mourmansk150 – La Guerre, L’Anarchie Et Le Chaos CD
Nil By Mouth
Here is the first proper CD release from this now infamous European power electronics act. Mourmansk150 takes its queues from such acts as Militia, Brandkommando, Strom.ec with a new school take on power electronics and industrial. La Guerre, L’Anarchie Et Le Chaos is a record that has already become infamous for various reasons. For starters it includes a pure shit-talking track entitled “Fuk Miko Aspa” (sic) – I say pure because the lyrics don’t really flesh out any good reason …

Reviver – Total Load Shed C30
Temple of Pei
Here’s another great offering from Reviver this time from Telecult Power’s label Temple of Pei. With simple credits: Chris Donofrio = graphic eqs, this tape is more on the minimal side of Reviver’s work.
As the label describes it, “oceans of electricity drowning anyone stupid enough to fuck with it. What if Nicola Tesla smoked DMT?” I would say that’s not far off. The electricity element is palpable here, it the wavering pulses and growling drones really make my hair stand on edge. Even …

Darsombra – Deliriums & Death 3″CDR
Public Guilt
This is an older disc yet it’s my first exposure to Darsombra. Clocking in at 14 minutes there’s not a whole lot of material to go by, but with two solid tracks it delivers.
It sounds like Darsombra fits into the guitar drone/metal mold quite well, taking queues from such groups as Earth, Sunn0))), and Nadja. The composition is quite musical in nature in Peripheral, the first track. But this is very well composed with effective multi-tracked guitar layers and dirgy chords which make their …