End of 2015.

Here are a few things created this year that I liked more than I liked other things.
No order of preference implied, though bias for the artists featured certainly is.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

-DEMO-
Nycterent – Imprisoned By Reflection, Last Mercy
I asked myself whether or not I could separate the compelling backstory behind the artist (which I’ll keep to myself) from the release itself since this tape is so sparsely adorned (it is a tour tape after all). Upon re-listening, it is evident that this is a powerful demo tape which stands on …

Two day tour on starting at 10/9 @ Deep Thoughts and ending 10/10 @ AS220 click for details!

Offering 1_1: Noise As An Appliance
“Tank Killer” by Man Is The Bastard…I first heard this song in high school through borrowing a couple of Man Is The Bastard CDs from a friend. It’s a 30 or so second juggernaut from the Sum Of the Brutality Of Men album released in 1991 that combines short, fast and loud hardcore punk with warped oscillations and high end filth. While not the first to combine noise with aggressive music like hardcore and metal, they were the first band I …

Teeth Engraved With The Names Of The Dead has been around for a while. It’s only recently they have gotten some much deserved shine with their masterful full-length on Malignant Records called “Starving the Fires”.

The two are without a doubt some of the hardest working artists in death industrial. Avoiding the typical tropes and sounds, Teeth Engraved continues to evolve sculpting impenetrable walls of noise pummeled by scrap metal “bovine whirlwind” percussion and vicious vocals.
Please introduce yourselves and how long you’ve been operating as Teeth Engraved.
-Hey dude, …

Caldera Lakes – Caldera Lakes CDR
Sentient Recognition Archive
This is a turn towards the unexpected. On their self-titled CDR (debut?) Caldera Lakes delivers about 30 minutes of fuzzed out drone, psychedelic vocals performances and loops, mixed with experimental digital noise, and some raging harsh noise here and there. The major aspects of this release that I think really work are the vocal drones, which seem like they are performed by the outfit and not sampled, as well as the harsh noise moments. Modestly packaged in a simple slip case, the material …

*purchase this from the shop*

Existence Establishment helps usher in the Canadian invasion with this brutal masterpiece of wall-noise drone. BT.HN (The Rita & Sick Buildings) and Sistrenatus (formerly Funerary Call) present one long harrowing track of pure depravity. Droning overblown synths, unrelenting spasms of crunchy distortion, and subtle atmosphere form a hopeless barrage of industrial waste.

[ Excerpt 1 ] [ Excerpt 2 ] [ Excerpt 3 ]

Metallic …

Torso/GACK/Sandy Saunders – The Human Disease Zine+CDR
Divorce Records
The Human Disease is a collaboration between two artists I am not familiar with (it seems like they just keep popping up) Torso and Gack. Immediately apparent is the care in the concepts with the accompanying “zine” style packaging. A booklet filled with an insert which the CD is mounted on, and several pages of propaganda style art which appears to have little-to-no agenda but exemplifying death, disease, and hopelessness. More or less right up my alley.
Clocking in …

Bitchneck – The Best I Can Do C20
Self Released
Perfect, here is quick cassette of raw heartfelt power electronics from just around the corner! Bitchneck presents 4 new tracks on this C20 (I’m guessing at the length here). Armed with a cavalclade of pedals Bitchneck creates layered compositions of pulsating, grinding, abrasive power electronics with distorted vocals blasts and call-and-response feedback squeals.
Side A consists of three shorter tracks the first two “What do I know” and “Death Ought to Be” probably clocking in around 2-3 minutes each with the third “The …