Gnawed – Purge C40
Maniacal Hatred
Heavy is the dose for the day when I popped in Gnawed’s Purge cassette. I had been exposed to a few tracks here and there but it didn’t properly prepare me for the full-frontal assault that is Purge.
Purge is a pummeling attack of rhythmic synth pulses much recalling the classic death industrial sound of Mörder Machine and even with similar flanger-induced vocal hatred. Although Gnawed seems to enjoy the low-end a little bit more with less synth fuckery in the higher registers.
The tape is quite consistent …

Envenomist – Bound Dominions CD
Fatal Beliefs
Bound Dominions is the latest full-length from David Reed’s underwater concept based dark ambient project Envenomist. Seems it is a separate project from his other dark ambient project Luasa Raelon because of this conceptual difference, as I don’t hear much difference in sound or style. Yet that can be considered a good thing because with Bound Dominions Reed continues to pump out the shiny synth-based industrial ambient that he has become known for.
As much of his work, the first few tracks are very call-and-response between …

Controlled Bleeding – In Blind Embrace CD
MVD Audio
It’s kind of embarrassing but this is only the second full-length I’ve heard from the long-standing eclectic act Controlled Bleeding. Previously I had been exposed to Shanked and Slithering on Hospital Productions which was balls-to-the-wall harsh noise. Of course this is something completely different, but in a great way.
In Blind Embrace is a interesting mix of different styles, there are elements of neo-classical which are strongest in the opening track Tormentor’s Song reminding me of Arcana, Sophia, and Puissance. Then there is the …

Brandkommando/Seth Ryan/Fear Konstruktor/Disgust – Split 2xC30
Phage Tapes
Wow, here’s a hell of a split double cassette! Phage Tapes keeps up with their absolutely beautiful packaging standard with tasteful minimalist textured artwork in a uniquely shaped double cassette box. A heavy matte silkscreened insert is included with tracklisting. With four sides and artists to go through it could seem like a lot but the material on here is top-notch so it goes by fast.
I am familiar with only 3 of these artists, the odd man out being Disgust who I have never …

UNSUB – Interstitium
Dark Winter Moon Recordings
Power electronics and ambient music. Two genres that would seem an unlikely pair, but on Interstitium, UNSUB pulls off this combination masterfully. Utilizing drum beats over deep, rhythmic drones, UNSUB creates an engrossing sound that strikes a balance between esoteric and listenable with no real compromise to either side. The effect is harsh, hateful electronics with a very hypnotic side to it. The recording quality here is quite high, so both sides get equal sonic representation. Even though the power electronics are definitely present here, …

Sky Burial – Kiehtan CD
Lens Records
Here is yet another chapter in the ever-increasing Sky Burial chronicles of Michael Page the man behind Irukandji, his own D.I.Y. noise label Audio Immolation Industries, and the now defunct Fire In The Head. Previous Sky Burial releases usually embody a dense atmospheric sound often bordering on industrial but with heavy drone influences and culling concepts from Native American and ritual themes.
Kiehtan is a clear step in a new direction for the project. This time embodying a much more new-age style in the vein of …

FRKSE – FRKSE C45
I Had an Accident Records
FRKSE creates Middle Eastern and Indian inspired heavily distorted beats very much in the vein of Muslimgauze, or Telepherique’s split with Maurizio Bianchi entitled “The House of Morning” and also reminding me of the project Ginger Leigh, of which I have reviewed a few times before. What’s different about FRKSE is that they feature live drum machine performances combined with heavy synth drones or at other times combined with guitar or bass lines.
There is a general smattering of random and rough samples both …

False Flag – Lucre/Teeth 2xFD
Auris Apothecary
So, if you’re wondering about what the fuck kind of format this release is, “FD” stands for FLOPPY DISC. Yes, that’s right kids, I’m talking 2x 3 1/2″ 1.44 MB FLOPPY DISCS. Of course people will have differing opinions on the relative usefullness of this format but personally I don’t care. I appreciate the effort to have to find a floppy drive, download the tracks and also enjoy the monumental packaging in the process. With cut-out elements, gold silkscreen and phenomenal minimalist text design this …

Funerary Call – Dark Waters Stirred CD
Fall Of Nature Records
Here’s another release from Vancouver’s Funerary Call, as stated before this is the more black ambient styled project of Harlow MacFarlane also of Sistrenatus. This material is more recently recorded in 2008. Dark Waters Stirred is a more restrained album than the previously reviewed The Black Root and seems to feature the use of guitar in the bulk of the tracks much more prominently, yet never really coming out with it.
I would most easily compare this to the style of sounds …

Funerary Call – The Black Root CD
Fall Of Nature Records
Funerary Call is the black ambient project of Harlow MacFarlane who also performs more varied death industrial sounds under the moniker Sistrenatus. Although Funerary Call is an older project of his, he is still active and churning out new material. This particular release happens to be a reissue though, originally released on Fluttering Dragon Records in 2004.
The Black Root definitely stands the test of time as this is some top notch black ambient/death industrial music. This is the kind of noise …