Thursday, April 2, 2020

Harsh Noise London #23 - The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist (Harsh Noise London, 2020)

This Harsh Noise London release brings two new names to me on table. First one is Fuck Your Dogma and the other one is Tab In/Tab Out. Both sides are equally split 22 minutes of one project then 22 minutes of other project on side A, and same goes for side B as well. So we start off with Fuck Your Dogma. Track is called Verge of Insanity I, and it sounds like noise that is stuck in a moment-same as if you had some noise track  from an external drive, play it in winamp and suddenly plug out your drive. Residue sound that repeats in infinity or in this case 22 minutes... Next 22 minutes belongs to Tab In/Tab Out and their muddy/gurgling sound. It is a bit more dynamic than first track but still has a sort of static quality. You feel trapped and choked by the massive sound-almost like underwater swimming feeling when all sounds you hear distorted through water and you gasp for air every now and then. I really like the style of this project and will surely search for more from them! And thats it for a battery in my walkman-i have to go to supermarket so i can continue.
So side B i leave as surprise for you ..
Meanwhile find Harsh Noise London on Facebook-dont be shy to contact them for joining this spectacular series!


Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Raven - No Light At The End Of The Tunnel (Eerie Noise Records, 2018)

Here is another release from Raven and he delivers what we expect from him - dark, aggressive, pessimistic (or better said-realistic) message and sound. He never disappoints when sound is concerned-always loudest possible, always active. One thing you can always be sure when you get Raven's tape-you won't get bored halfway like with many noise records, and you will always get just brutal noise-no shit, no compromise. But why i decided to review this one from a pile of 50 Raven tapes-it is because this one sounds especially depressive and weird. Raven is always dark - but imagine now darker side of that darkness and you will get this record. It is a perfect harsh noise in my opinion - if there is a right way to do it - this is it!

So now go and get it https://hiroyukichiba.bandcamp.com/album/no-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel
or write directly to Raven
raven.raven.raven.raven.raven@gmail.com


Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Hadals - The Dog (Nailbat Tapes, 2018)


So this album starts totally different than anything i reviewed before. Starts with some distorted guitar melody with some muffled vocals and rhythm. It kinda sounds like some distorted and sowed down sludge track mixed with noise (which is not necessarily bad-just very hard for me to like since guitars are not my cup of tea). I admit it is pretty noisy-not harsh noise level but I could even recommend this kind of music to anyone who like listening to guitar music and to anyone who listens to noise as well.  Second track is some deep drone that i found more close to my taste. It still has some vocals and rhythm but it's much more noisier and much weirder. To be fully sincere, I could see myself buying an album from a band that sounds like this more than from a band that sounds like the first track. Side B starts with a some pure noise. Throughout the whole side there is some whirling winds sounds and some bangs in distance and it's really brings some really noisy storm to us. I'm very surprised with this band because they made so many different styles on just one album and I am maybe not a great fan of that but i want to wait for another album from them to see with which sound they settled down in the end.

Grab it at 
https://hadals.bandcamp.com/album/the-dog


Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Luxury Mollusc - Osseous Labyrinth Vestibule (Cursed Monk Records,2018)

After one very old and mysterious tape from LORDxGONZO we are back in present, here is the CD i received just a few days ago, and discogs says it is from 2018 so it is hot off the press. I already saw Luxury Mollusc few years ago at ZNFI festival so i know i can expect some fine harsh noise. Six track ahead of us, a little bit under 40 minutes total, While i am writing this we are few minutes into first track, very nice atmospheric and a bit rhythmic harsh noise filling the air around me. Some beats, like banging metal pipes are coming from all around me, making me feel like i am in some sort of submarine where every bolt and part scream under pressure. Also some high pitched screams and squeals are coming closer and closer while all rhythm already disappeared leaving us with just harsh noise covering the screams more and more until everything die out with just one silent scream is heard fading away. Second track leads us deeper into this horror underwater story. Sorry if i am missing the point here, i don't know if it was the idea, but i still cannot shake off the thoughts of some catastrophe under water. So here we have some deeper harsh sounds and a feeling like everything is crushing down, no more metal, no more intense screams, just here and there you think you heard the voice but quickly it is drowned in noise. Suddenly everything slows down, almost all noise disappear, and just some machine hum is left with loud blasts here and there. Everything stops. We are left in silence with some distant drone far far away. Third track welcome us with some noise that comes out of the silence, run past us and is lost again somewhere in the distance. Like dozen of trains just coming and going. We are in silence again for a moment, and some ritual begins, tons of bells all around us and a whispering voice speaking in tongues, choking, screaming... It made me lost a track of time, just to realize new track already is starting... but like always second half of album i will leave a secret, so head to a bandcamp at least to check rest of it...
I must say this is one serious piece of harsh noise, it is obvious that a lot of work is put into this, and as much as i am a fan of shit sound, it is really great to hear something with a high quality also. I would dare to say this album can be played side by side with any of big harsh noise names and you wouldn't be able to say it is inferior in any aspect, in many it even surpasses them. Also i have to mention lovely digipack cover, simply every part of this is a masterpiece. Surely one album that you shouldn't miss, it is made in 50 copies so act fast! And now i have to track as many of old albums that is possible!
You can preview and buy on Cursed Monk Records website


Sunday, May 27, 2018

LORDxGONZO - fuck you generation Y, fuck you (BRUITxMERDE,?)

I dont know much about this tape since there are just titles on small piece of paper, no label, no year, but i know enough-it is a LORDxGONZO! And that should be enough for any harsh noise fan..  I love this minimal approach since it puts more focus on sound, and noise from Lord Gonzo always deserve our full attention. Here he like always goes straight to the point - high pitched squeel opens the tape just to be followed by very dynamic harsh noise. It is very fast and loud start, here and there interrupted with short pauses after which noise blasts back stronger! Best thing in this one is that Lord Gonzo doesn't repeat himself, he use some effect or sound, blast the shit out of it and move forward to next one. In the stretch of few minutes he takes you through various styles of harsh noise, and in some brief moments he even introduces to us his slower side. Please dont expect some fancy artsy drone here, it is still everything very harsh just on slower pace. But thats just for a moment, he is pushing pedal to the metal again, everything is speeding up, wave after wave of noise is hitting us just to stop all of a sudden. End already? I will give it another spin right away, and you should do it too. Check online-if you are lucky, someone is maybe selling his copy(by the way, while i am writing this, there is one on discogs. . .).


Thursday, May 24, 2018

Grinder Bueno - Demo #2 (Underground Pollution Records, 2017)

Just got this tape in mail and immediately I put it in walkman - anything noisy from France always promise some nice ears destruction especially if it is released by Underground Pollution Records, so no time to lose - let's get straight to business! Tracks are untitled 69-91, so we have 22 of them in front of us, around 10 minutes of pure filth!  Grinder Bueno doesn't disappoint anywhere during those 22 - right from the start blasts and walls of noise started to pour all over me! Its a noisecore at its finest -yes there are instruments and band but it is all so well integrated in one uniform noise shit - just here and there you hear voice or drums or guitar winning its fight over the others but it never goes into music fields - its just pure raw and filthy noise from beginning to the end! But what I like most is the fact that listening to this tape gives you a feeling of attending their gig - it is something that shows they are firmly standing behind their sound - they don't need stage or crowd in front of them to bring their best shit out! (Also every UPR tape is recycled one so you will be able to listen some of the finest french pop or random shit after the noise ends - so you get more than you bought)
I believe you wont find this in digital form, so just head to Underground Pollution Records  and get your tape!

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Anonymous Masturbaudioum - Exquisit Nylon (Craneal Fracture Records, 2016)


New day, new review. I just picked up a tape from a pile of tapes ready for review and drop it in my backpack without checking what I took. And here I am, nylon fetish cover in front of me, so I guess HNW is waiting inside. To be honest I am really rarely in mood for HNW nowadays. I think that this subgenre became too sterile and hermetic, they made up more rules than people do in music. This release does it all by the book, cover is in line with what HNW listener wants to see, and sound is pure HNW... It started with brighter sounding crackles for a few minutes, just to drop into low, deep, muddy sounding static noise. Sound is in fact pretty good because it is very minimal and not pushing the loudness in red. This is a good soundtrack for a rainy day or a cold cellar room where I work and listen to this. Freezed to the bone with wet air coming into lungs and hnw in ears - sounds like a great combo! So since we will stay in these wet, deep sounds until the end of side A, I'll stop writing and continue drowning myself into both sound and surroundings. Just to conclude, even if I was sceptical before i started review, it turned out to be pretty pleasant experience even for me as a non-fan of static noise...
Get your tape at Craneal Fracture Records page