RU-486 – Iron Empire C52
No Visible Scars Cassettes
This one was a little tricky. Here we have a “C52″ but it’s the same material on both sides so don’t think you’re getting that much bang for your buck. That’s ok though because this is some effective and dynamic thrashy harsh junk noise that hits hard right in all the soft spots. The packaging is a little awkward with 7” artwork which is rad, but a tape just thrown in the bag.
The opener “Cast Iron Effigies” is also a little deceiving …

Plastic Boner Band – The Way of All Flesh CDR
Power Silence
I have to admit I was totally fooled by this release. It looks so pro I thought it was a real CD. Although this may be a CDR don’t let it fool you, it looks and sounds very professional. The artwork is simple but great and definitely works to further the concept here. Kind of strange because the last release I received from Plastic Boner Band was this crusty CDR in weird bulletin board style packaging and heavy spraypaint junk …

Weak Sisters – Final 7″
Secret/Wasting
I have no idea how I came across this quickie little 7″. Maybe it was sent to me, maybe some touring dudes gave it to me? There’s no information on the record save for the group name and album title on the cover. Black ink silkscreened on grey matte paper sets the tone of a high-contrast lo-fi power electronics album.
That’s basically what is delivered here, with maybe a little more of an experimental noise influence than I expected. But this material reminds me a lot of …

V/A – Untitled 6xC10
Phage Tapes
Here is an INTENSE release and the first Phage Tape release that has fallen into my grubby mitts. How to tackle a review of 6 separate cassette tapes all rolled into one release has been wracking my mind now for some time. This is certainly a most ambitious project. What we have here are 6 10 minute cassettes each with material from one of the following artists: Climax Denial, Discordance, Human Larvae, Moribund, Sewer Goddess, and let’s not forget our favorite Yankees Sharpwaist!
Packaging is pretty nifty …

Concern – Truth and Distance CD
Digitalis Recordings/Iatrogenesis
Concern is the ambient project of Gordon Ashworth who also is the sole proprietor of Iatrogenesis Records, and records under both Oscillating Innards and Deep Jew. Truth and Distance is his latest EP of flowing, droning, light ambient music and although it’s a shorty it delivers!
With three tracks spanning roughly thirty minutes Concern pulls out the shining, triumphant, harmonious drones right from the get go in the epic 16 minute opener “Truth and Distance”. With subtle field samples mixed into shimmering metallic layers of …

Andrea Borghi – Moltiplicazioni CD
Lisca Records
Here’s a sexy looking CD and although it’s packaged in a standard jewel case the inserts are heavily textured canvas-style paper with what seems like silk screened artwork. Coupled with very precise text this immediately has a high-tech academic feel. Andrea Borghi is apparently an Italian artist who creates experimental sound using CSOUND and Max/MSP software. The digital element can definitely be heard on much of Moltiplicazioni but it doesn’t hold it back.
The first three tracks on the release are listed as the first “Accumulation” …

DDDD – Frustration Music CD
Love Earth Music
Here is a full length recording from another project unknown to me. With a photograph of a photocopy featured on the front cover I just have to question what kind of aesthetic these guys are going for. The artwork looks pretty bad with black text overlayed on high contrast black and white collage work which makes it unreadable.
Unfortunately the sound doesn’t fare much better. The disc is comprised of 4 long tracks, two of them being close to 10 minutes with the last two …

Cloama – Lernaean Catacomb Complex C55
Erratic Sporadicism Tapes
Now here is some elaborate packaging! With 2 plexiglass pieces screwed together containting a tape and transparent inserts to form an odd-looking object here I’m boggled at how Erratic Sporadicism had the time and resources to make 199 and of these puppies. Very creative but unfortunately not very practicly designed as the case is extremely frustrating because you have to assemble/disassemble the tape and artwork every time you want to listen to this. But definitely worth picking up for the odd packaging alone, …

The Teratologist – Cabinet of Curiosities C30
Cathartic Process
Cabinet of Curiosities is a standard tape in a plastic case with simple text and graphics in high-contrast black and white adorning the j-card. It’s a simple, professional looking item and after dealing with all this weird packaging I’ve been collecting it seems somewhat refreshing. The tracks are simply named “Cabinet of Curiosities Part I & II” one track for each side.
Slow, dirgy, awkward, The Teratologist delivers industrial experimental music here. The strange torture device that adorns the cover seems so fitting for …

The Vomit Arsonist
Force of Nature/Cipher Productions
The Vomit Arsonist is the project of Andrew Grant based out of Rhode Island. Although he has been coined as power electronics in the past Wretch walks the line between death industrial, dark ambient, and power electronics effortlessly blending the genres together to form a cohesive and strong work. As the first proper CD release from the project Wretch is a success in all aspects.
The opener “The Warm Body Complex” introduces the disc well with a low-end drone that builds into textured ambience with …