Locrian & Christoph Heemann – Locrian & Christoph Heemann CD
Handmade Birds Records
Here’s a hefty collaboration between noise’s favorite post-rock offspring Locrian and a collaborator who goes by the name Christoph Heemann. Heemann is a German composer who I am unfamiliar with yet has belonged to a number of projects and has collaborated with Current 93 and other seminal European artists.
The music presented in this self-titled collaboration is a style of post-rock experimentalism with some metal and drone influences. Comparisons include Xasthur, Tarentel, Arktau Eos, Sunn0))) and House of Low Culture …

Crown of Cerberus – Her Strength C32
Cult of Craft
Immediately leaving an impression is the handmade packaging on this excellent tape. Heavy silkscreened stock with a bow holding it all together. The presentation exudes an intimate and spiritual affair which is reflected in the warm and ethereal sounds on the album.
The music is ambient but not necessarily drony, more like moving textures and tones delaying into oblivion. It reminds me a lot of acts like Cold Electric Fire or perhaps Vidna Obmana.
Crown of Cerberus generally emanates an air of peacefulness …

William Fowler Collins – Tenebroso CD
Handmade Birds Records
This disc from Handmade Birds is almost completely devoid of information. Adorned with deep dark artwork and a pitch black inner booklet the only information you will find here is the artist and album name on the spine. So before this disc is even spun you get quite a bleak impression of Collins’ work.
Collins is a self professed dark ambient artist working in the realms of drone with an industrial tinge. Tenebroso clocks in at around an hour with a total of 6 …

John 3:16 – Visions of the Hereafter – Visions of Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory CD
Alrealon
Here’s an interesting release that certainly isn’t something I get everyday. John 3:16 creates an ambient style of cinematic post-rock music that may perhaps have a small experimental influence to it as well. There are a lot of different influences and directions involved here but it comes together as something quite unique and presents a consistent mood which delivers more than what I was expecting.
I really enjoy the tracks that are less rock influenced more – …

Knurl – Pyrolysis C60
Terror
Harsh fucking noise – Knurl has it. Pyrolysis is the latest release from this uncompromising harsh noise act and it continues in the tradition that Knurl has carved out for himself over the years.
This is strait-up junk metal destruction, distortion, loud as fuck in-your-face aggression and pure transcendentalism that can only lead to nihilism. Doesn’t make sense because this is chaos at it’s most refined.
It’s true, Knurl reaches new heights with his renewed vigor on every release. Spastic, brutal and raw are a few feelings that come …

Pacing – Flea Dweller CDr
Human Beard Records
Here’s another little CDr from Buffalo New York’s sick boys of noise Pacing. They’re back with their style of droning noise and industrial with a slight grindcore influence (in both concept and sound).
Offensive Sobriety is an interesting track that features twisting metallic drones of tortured feedback. It leads nicely into Legless Segway Cruiser which is a more strait-up wall of disgusted noise. As usual Pacing’s more aggressive noise still needs a little work in the frequency spectrum but the movement and intensity is there.
The …

Sektor 304 – Subliminal Actions CD
Malignant Records
Here’s the second proper full-length effort from this Portuguese industrial project. If you’re not familiar with them Sektor 304 performs neo-tribal rhythmic industrial with a raw edge somewhat in the vein of Young Gods and Skinny Puppy.
Kicking off the album with a more abstract intro track entitled A Carving on Metal Skin Sektor 304 make the improvements in production quality here immediately noticeable. This aspect really helps to clarify their sound and makes the percussion hit harder, the vocals more effective, and the noise …

Umpio – Tripamishqi C30
Terror
Here is some pretty gruesome junk noise attacks presented by a project I am not familiar with. It’s always great to hear new projects especially when they deliver a barrage of ugly sounds like this.
Umpio doesn’t let up much in the span of side A on this jam-packed tape. The moments where you can possibly grab a quick breath of air slam back in quickly with some textured industrial sounds before you can even completely inhale.
The concept here is an apt one for rusty and aggressive harsh …

Vacio Perfecto – Tecniche Perse 3″CDr
Dumpsterscore Home Recordings
Vacio Perfecto is a relatively new artist from Spain and with this quick 3 incher he presents a solid mix of industrial, noise, and almost electro styles. The disc is smartly packaged in a mini sleeve to make for a compact edition.
Much of the source material here sounds analog but there is a lot of digital treatment which gives the material a very modern edge. However, the rhythmic nature of the release keeps an organic character to it as well which makes it …

Positive Adjustments – The Molalla Tapes CDr
Murderabalia
Here’s a release that was limited to 40 copies and is based on the true crime case of “the Molalla Forest Killer” Dayton Leroy Rogers, something of which I know little about. The disc is stock full of noise and sickened power electronics with a running time of close to an hour.
My first reaction to this lo-fi noise blast is that the production is rather poor with a lot of tinny high-end noise. As the album unfolds however there are moments that peek …