Dante Augustus Scarlatti – Worship at the Throne of the Oscillator C40
Auris Apothecary
Yet another phenomenally packaged release from the Auris Apothecary camp. They never fail to amaze me with their carefully crafted artifacts. I’m not familiar with the artist here but with such a great presentation expectations are set quite high.
I really like how the track lengths are listed on the back cover of the booklet here. It’s very helpful in deciphering the larger structure of the album. Breaching the Circuitry of Reason opens the tape; a noisy opener lasting …

Aeoga – Temple Treye CD
Aural Hypnox
The Finnish masters of dark ritualistic music are back once again with Temple Treye which truly must be a dark place somewhere in the outer reaches of the northern wastes, or perhaps it is a place that only exists within their minds. Either way some sort of it is manifested in this 45 minute outing of intense ritual musick.
Opening with Feast of the Stance it’s clear Aeoga are experimenting with different sounds and styles because the use of theremin like synth lines pitch bending into …

Navicon Torture Technologies – Your Suffering Will Be Legendary 2xCD
Malignant Records
Your Suffering Will Be Legendary is a mammoth two disc set in a gorgeous digipak and stocked full of excellent ambient, death industrial, and drone featuring collaborations with artists like Aun, Cenotype, Herbst 9, Troum, Jarboe and more. It’s a lot to take in and took me quite a few intense listening sessions to fully absorb the depth and breadth of the release. The funny thing about the release is that almost all of the power electronic influences of earlier …

Aural Hypnox – Underworld Editions I C20
Aural Hypnox
Underworld Editions is a series started by the label Aural Hypnox and is a document of their invitational private seances which consistent of the various members of the associated artists known as the “Helixes Collective”. The material is said to have been recorded in a subterranean lodge located in Oulu, Northern Ostrobothnia which I can only assume is in the far reaches of northern Finland – feel free to fact check that one.
What is presented on this tape meets all expectations and then …

Bruital Orgasme Untitled – C30
Sincope
Here we have a new tape by the married Belgian couple Bruital Orgasme, who seem to specialize in creating a mix of old school harsh noise combined with field recording cut-ups, glitch textures, and thick harsh drones. I have a few of their past releases, and while I’ve enjoyed them, there’s been nothing that’s really blown me away. There was enough to keep me interested though which led to this C30 landing in my hands. I think with this tape they have taken a huge step …

Iron Forest – Body Horror CD
Crucial Blast
Iron Forest returns for the project’s last full length with Body Horror. Once again presenting his brand of doomstep to the masses. Immediately eye catching is the artwork which is a collage of various pornographic source material but abstracted so as to portray a mass of horrific creature-like images.
Kicking off the album is Pathogenesis which is probably the track on Body Horror that stands apart from the others the most. It’s a slower affair and features a picked guitar as the base for the …

Hheva – Drenched in the Mist of Sleep C30
Diazepam
Hheva appears to be a relatively new project but that doesn’t mean that Drenched in the Mist of Sleep isn’t some quality material. First off, the release is beautifully packaged in leather casing tied shut with thick twine. The j-card reveals textured paper with smartly black and white images and text, a very nice DIY presentation.
Side A contains The Forest Bathes in Crimson Lead which is a beautiful floating ritual drone piece. Harmonic and peaceful yet focusing on an air of mystery …

Urna – Larvae C60
Brave Mysteries
Urna is a project from Italy that has been around for many years now, but has remained largely unheard outside of his own country except for maybe the early releases that came out on the infamous Slaughter Productions. I first heard his CD-R “Lares” back then when it came out and was very impressed by it. I tried tracking down his other work with little luck, besides the occasional disc here or there. So it was great news when Brave Mysteries announced they were releasing this …

V/A – The Moon is Hungry 2xC20
Intangible Cat
Four killer artists come together to create this great double tape set. Immediately noticeable is the great artwork job tying everything together here. The artists tend to do a great job as well creating like-minded sounds to fit into their side. I listened to this puppy a few times before even opening up the booklet and realizing that it was more than one artist, which is one point that demonstrates how succinctly this material works together.
Up first is Homogenized who presents possibly my …

Crown of Cerberus – With Arms Extended to The Heavens C30
Depravity Label
Crown of Cerberus is a project that creates ritual music through electronic means. Tending to rely on loops to create a repetitive, psychedelic, and oftentimes beautiful tapestry of sound the project is quite adept at achieving an otherworldly experience. Gracefully accompanied by an exquisite display of DIY art on this tacfully silkscreened packaging; this release is truly something special to behold.
Side A contains the track Exalting Her Majesty’s Beauty from the Depths of Every Ocean, and from the …