12/02/2018

Offerings - Black Master CS

Offerings - Black Master CS

A new collective duo in the scene of avant-garde meets power electronics, Graham Moore & Michael Ryon from Atlanta GA platform a new wave of electronics showcased in this nasty little piece of plastic, this 6 track double sided cassette is heavy, crude, and pure.
There is a nice range of electronics here of underlying abrasive pedal strikes and feedback tweaking, and an eerie smothering outcome of simple trippy beats and synth tones, Michael Ryons’ processed vocals completes this with different ranges and at times different accent and language I believe, but there is a noticeable difference in the first 3 tracks compared to the last 3. There is a nice balance of difference for my taste, but not so different to bore me to tears. The ending 3 tracks are harder, uneasy to listen to and uninviting at times, but a mind numbing industrial bludgeoning to say the least.
This sounds like nothing I have heard from the United States, and that is great! Finally a differentiation that will hopefully break America, and the south into a new realm and not be regarded against the Europeans deeply rooted sounds anymore. It is good to hear something new and interesting from the south, I am sick to rip my guts out of only hearing Macronympha getting praise in the genre.
All the tracks here are untitled but I can say that the first song captured my attention from first listen. I fancy the editing of the vocals, the sounds of the never ending, and the balance. The hierarchy of this track is amazing. Track 2 is also very note worthy and playlist keeper for years to come. I feel an Argento creepiness here that is unsettling and the roots of industrial with the buzzing. These are professionals to say the least.
Satans Din did a great job with this release, pro all the way from printing to dubbing.

Happy Birthday William S. Burroughs

William Seward Burroughs (February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997).

Novelist, spoken word performer, painter and avant-garde genius, William S. Burroughs shaped the landscape of modern multimedia art forms, constantly pushing the boundaries, testing the limits and remaining honest and fearless in his work (an example most of us should take in all of our daily activities).

Today Lost Sea Recordings would like to extend a Happy Birthday to the late great William S. Burroughs.

"Love? What is it? Most natural painkiller what there is."

Sick Seed - Guilty Pleasures CS

A1 – Praise the Children (Autopsy)
Written by Autopsy

A2 – Strange Fruit (Billie Holiday)
Written by Billie Holiday

A3 – Mutiny in Heaven (Birthday Party)
Written by Birthday Party

B1 – Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun (Pink Floyd)
Written by Pink Floyd

One of my favorite new projects in power electronics, Sick Seed, debut release “Guilty Pleasures” insures a throne atop the kingdom of hate. Unrest Productions done a first-rate job with this release, the sounds are dubbed nicely and the artwork looks good while matching the temper of this cassette. Popping this tape into my walkman I was weary at first because I actually listened to all compilation appearances and LP first. All tracks I have listened to from this project are top notched and I was timid this cassette would not match that force, but thankfully I was wrong. This is a cover release, every track on this cassette was remade in the image of Sick Seed and I have to say, I really like these newer versions better. The first track on side A “Praise the Children” is my personal favorite on the cassette because I love the power Pekka PT created with his vocals, he made this track better than the original. You can hear fragments of the Autopsy version processed through distortion and effects as Pekka annihilates the lyrics with swift and violent anger. I can’t get the phrase “PRAISE THE CHILDREN” out of my head now, this track is remarkable!
Track 2, a Billie Holiday cover is also a notable track, having source material from the original playing in the background at a normal listening speed; you feel a eerie sensation and disturbing sickness from the vocals over powering the beautiful classic sounds from years ago. This track is deranged and original in style. The 2 differences in love and hate are definitely met here. The Birthday Party cover is probably the most upbeat track on this recording because there is a rhythm to feel and react with as you’re being punished with raw thumping bass and screamed at by a drill sergeant. This track is intense and put me on edge. A harsh reality of being told what to do can really piss you off.
Side B to this cassette rings in at about 11:55 and is an instrumental version of Pink Floyd’s “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun”, this is a dark track, more dark ambient then power electronics or noise, but I do hear wreckage of scrap metal abuse in the mix making a cold desolate landscape. This side is calming to me compared to side A but shows a relationship with light and dark as noted above. I am in no way saying side 2 is light but compared to the other side of this cassette, side B is the sun.

Bergraven - Dodsvisioner CD

01 Döende
02 Av Saknad Släcker Jag Ljuset
03 Ondkall
04 Känsla Av Livets Nästa Skede
05 Den Svarta Angstens Essens
06 Det Man Med Själen...
07 Ekot Av Bikt
08 Döende (En Avslutning)

Like a cracked windshield Begraven’s music starts with just a chip and then spiders itself into a full blown web, very slow to vein from one branch to another is how this band sounds grow into each other. A very slow start, and then the explosion, you can call this black art metal? So many different genres can be considered when trying to find a home for this band. Highly technical in skill, this French output makes it very difficult to understand what you want the music to be. After a few listens you realize that you just got to leave this alone and let it be what it is. I feel this band has similarities with Blut Aus Nord in ways of riff work but then the vocals play their own role of the songs. I can hear Opeth within the realms of this album but there are no sung to growling coarse vocals to match the two together. This is a truly original release, I have heard nothing like this; it is so technical but not boring, you hardly see that today. If you are in the mindset to witness something new and have an open mind then I advise you to give this album a spin.

V/A Nyrkki & Kyrpa Compilation CS

A1 Pain Nail - Loan Säkeet: 1) Merkitseminen 2) Kadotus
A2 Above Suspicion - Ympärileikatut
A3 Sick Seed - Delores Read
A4 Unaction - Within Human Touch
A5 sKKK - Tahtojen Taistelu
A6 Funeral Mongoloids - Vittu Soittakaa Nopeeta
B1 Manic/Depression - The Dead And The Dying
B2 Grunt - Daddy`s Little Sex Toy
B3 Grunt - Head In A Box
B4 Bizarre Uproar - Mustat Saappaat Murskaa
B5 Wertham - Nil By Mouth (Beat You Till You Are Blue Remix)

Translated into English, this compilation is called Fist & Cock

Side A

Starts with 3 tracks from Pain Nail, Loan Sakeet begins with echoed vocal samples and a background of pounding war drum and cymbals. The spoken word is in the Finnish language and I don’t understand what is being said but I can however say it works well together. The 2^nd of the 3 tracks from Pain Nail starts pounding percussion and rhythmic screeches with the same vox of spoken word behind it. I can’t really decipher when the 3^rd track starts and ends but track 2 from Above Suspicion is structured more with just noise frequency and processed vocals with metal trash clanging in back drop. This is fierce, a perfect mid range and low end here. Track 3 Delores Read from Sick Seed is my favorite tracks on side A because of the powerful vocals sprayed across the landscape. Sick Seed takes the European approach with a speech of some sort at the first of their track with a sample and begins the strength of the track, hissing tape frequencies, throbbing bass and shrieks of feedback feel the air. Pekka PT ‘s voice sounds fucking evil! Unaction takes track 4 with “within human touch”, this project is new to me but I feel this project could be as strong as the rest of the Finnish crowd here. Manic screaming vocals, pounding percussion and feedback are the key ingredients to this mixture. This is a strong track, forceful and filthy. Another project I am not familiar with is sKKK, their track Tahtojen Taistelu is different from the rest of the tracks on side A because the main focus here is just a soundscape with no vocals. This unit uses what sounds like a synth and many effects and minimal percussive instruments to fill their time slot. I’m not saying this track is bad but sounds just filler to the other notable tracks on this side of the cassette. The last track on this side of the tape is Funeral Mongoloids with Vittu Soittakaa Nopeeta, the sounds are lo-fi and demonic black metal structures, the recording is not that great, I can barely hear the instruments in the backdrop but do hear the yelling over the band that just seems like back masking and satanic slur. I am not too impressed with this outfit and feel this compilation got weak towards the end of side A.

Side B

Begins Manic / Depression with a track named “The Dead and the Dying”, this track sounds like an old VHS tape ran through distortion, nothing is spectacular about this track because there is nothing to it really but a couple of sounds that are muddy. Windy and rough is the way this track plays. Track 2 belongs to Grunt with a track called “Daddy’s Little Sex Toy –Head in Box”, this is really good, the track starts with a really good sample of a lady talking about being hung upside down and left. The noise starts with bass driven pulses and trademark vocals from Mikko Aspa. This is a notable track for the entire compilation because it is very strong and has that simple procedure that works every time you here a track from this project. Nasty distortion with shredding feedback gives this track a heart. Track 3 is Bizarre Uproar with “Saappaat Murskaa”, this is a very long track of good abrasive noise and walls of distortion. This sounds like old Bizarre Uproar, straight to the point and brutal. Within the past couple of years walls have become more popular with the likes of The Rita and The Cherry Point, but I can honestly say that BU can’t be touched when it comes to this type of fierce aggression. Vocals are present on this track late but they only add to the chaos and hate. This is definitely a notable track here.
Track 4 is Wertham with “Nil by Mouth” (Beat You To Your Blue Remix), I believe Wertham is only act on this entire cassette that is not Finnish but fits perfectly amongst the rest of these great acts. High pitched shrills, devastating distortion and balls feels the air ways here with a nice mix of sounds and effects. I don’t really get the remix part here but the track itself is good. I don’t really know what else to say but go get a copy of this because it is worth it even if it is deleted by now. This release is Pro duplicated tape in polycase with xerox insert.
Limited to 250 copies.