V/A – X Means Not Welcome 2xC20
FTAM
Straight edge harsh noise & power electronics? Can this be true? Have these scenes finally collided and if so, how will they possibly reconcile themselves? Well, X Means Not Welcome is the first step on a very slippery slope that will probably never lead to these scenes ever being able to successfully collide but what it certainly does offer is 40 minutes of militant heavy electronics that will appeal to any fan of the genre, but probably not just any straight edge kid.
Baculum is …
En Nihil – Crimes C60
Phage Tapes
Remember the scene in Terminator 2 when Sarah Conner has a flash forward into the future and everyone’s skin is blown off their skeleton? Well hitting play on En Nihil’s Crimes is very similar to experiencing that moment, but luckily my skin bounced back after being almost blown off by the intense barrage of distorted walls that assaulted me. The production of this tape is absolutely massive and it’s noticeable immediately.
Worth mentioning is the beautiful artwork and manufacturing offered by Phage Tapes with a …
Compactor – Desensitization Reprocessing C32
Out-Of-Body Records
Compactor is the project of Derek Rush the man behind many impressive music/noise projects including A Murder of Angels, and Dream Into Dust. Although A Murder of Angels is pure dark ambient you will find much more traditionally music leanings with Dream Into Dust, split the difference and that is where Compactor fits in.
The project combines more industrial underpinnings with new school electronica and power noise to create a varied mix of styles. But Desensitization Reprocessing is anything but a rehash of 4-to-the-floor beats …
Joe Marshall – The Evening Redness in the West C22
Double Dot Dash
I am trying to refrain from making any jokes about this album title because I have to remember my roll as a reviewer and not as a comedian. It seems the only time I utter something I think is funny I end up being the only one laughing. I’m sure any comedy is not intended on The Evening Redness in the West though because in addition to the abstract, colorless artwork the song titles are quite foreboding.
It turns out …
Colorguard – Channels C13
Elm Recordings
Yet another unknown artist from this label and right here in New England as well! I love hearing new and interesting artists one of the few reasons I write these things. This is a quick blast of two opposing tracks represented well with the artwork using inverted white/black art on the cover.
Side A is all lo-fi noise destruction relentless in it’s attack. Not exactly harsh but more hypnotic and mesmerizing. Side B features echoing smooth layers of harmonic sounds forming a droning din of pulsating trails.
At …