Hello again my friends, here’s the new batch of reviews,
Hopefully as always I promise that some will be post sooner than between the
last post and this one, but here’s the last batch, enjoy and rock on since
there’s more rock than usually here!!!
ITFOR’s Current
Playlist :
Death –
Scream Bloody Gore (Century Media)
Masada –
Live in Seville 2000 (Tzadik)
Ennio
Morricone – The Mission ; The Good, The Bad And The Ugly ; Once Upon a Time in
The West (different labels)
Vincent Vallière – Chacun Dans Son Espace (BYC)
Tool –
Lateralus (BMG)
Lockweld/
Japanese Torture Comedy Hour –split (Heartplug)
Ulver –
Kveldsfanger (Head Not Found)
Reviews
:
V/a An End To Masterpiece
(Primate Electronics; 2x c-90
tapes(limited to 100); 42 tracks; 180 minutes)
(File
under : A noise comp masterpiece)
Okay,
here’s what will be my most incompetent review ever : This is maybe the most
gigantic compilation I ever heard about. This comp assembled around 2001 by
mister Pat Beck (of Malpa’s fame) is a very very big adventurous project. And
the result is really crazy, it contains most of the underground noise that was
around in these days, from big names of the scenes like Chaos As Shelter,
Navicon Torture Technologies and Prurient to amazing underground (read personal
favourites) acts like Noiseman433, DCLXVI, Never Presence Forever and GM
Electronics to long lost and forgotten projects like Âmes Sanglantes (yeah I
know the project is still around but in my sight it’s not as good as it was)
and Season Of Discontent. So there’s 42 project on this, so you’re sure to find
something interesting. But here’s my main problem, after few minutes I don’t
know who does what so this comp become a roller coaster of noise. Then it’s a
very diverse exhibition of diverse noise style. In my sense it never gets
boring and the top notch mastering production of mister Thomas Garrisson helps.
You’ll know what is the first track (by the way the Âmes Sanglantes track is
amazing, it make me listen to my old tapes…), maybe the second one and then I
fell into unknown. Maybe for example on the first side of the first tape you
can recognize the Chaos As Shelter track, but I gave up trying to figure who plays.
Sorry to every project if I don’t care about who did what and in the opposite
side congratulation for making this comp a very amazing global thing. Every
track I guess is necessary I guess. This comes with a 44 pages booklet with
artwork from every projects, a sheet with tracklist and a small inlay with
production credits. That’s a very very impressive comp and make sure to get
your own copies in your collection. Act fast because it’s limited to 100 copies
that means if every projects get one copy and I got one, that means it was
limited to 57 copies… This is few for a such great chef-d’oeuvre!
Seriously get this amazing piece of archive of the 2001-era noise scene!
The Dillinger Escape Plan Miss
Machine
(Relapse; 11 tracks; 40 minutes
00 seconds)
(File
under : Brutal Mathalcore)
You
really can’t know for how long I wait for this one. And when I catch the band
live last winter and saw the awesome performance of DEP‘s new singer Greg
Puciato, I was very curious about what’s coming with this fabulous band… It’s
very crazy, it’s been nearly five years since their last full length and it
seems that it was yesterday. “Calculating Infinity” is so much a classic that I
still listen to this one five years later and I still shit in my pants every
time. The small EP with Mike Patton signing was also a great record that it
seems to me that a very interesting path was investigated by the band. And when
I saw that Greg Puciato can easily fit in Patton’s shoes live performing tracks
from this EP, I knew DEP found a great singer. This new record worth the five
year wait since it’s a great record from this band that set rules and never follow any other ones. After
touching something close in term of perfection of aggressiveness on Calculating
Infinity, it seems that their sounds got in a more melodic path with some very
firm melodic vocals. I guess the aggressiveness is still there (that’s The
Dillinger Escape Plan dudes…) but it’s maybe for a better. Here we got a strong
band that follow the path explored on the collaboration with Mike Patton with
their very distinctive sound. At the first track, Panasonic Youth, you know
that the Dillinger Escape Plan is still their best. That’s a very great way to
start a record fans wait for so long about. When I reach track number eight
called Setting Fire to Sleeping Giant, it seems to me that the Faith No More
influence is there with something of the DEP aggressiveness. That was the most
fabulous surprise of the record. The vocals sounds exactly like Patton’s own,
the Faith No More fan in me smiled… The complexity of the style is something
that grows with continuous listen but fans of really aggressive music can’t
pass over this one because in my sight this band is one of the strongest I
heard in years and I guess those I like are their copycats… So go with the
original, the strongest and the most originals… The only problem I got with
this record is the cover art. That’s one of the most ugly I saw in my life.
This is a collage of machine part and women bodies with pale green square
background. Too much 80’s like, they should have continued with the kind of
cover art they did within their pas releases it should have been better. I also
suggest you the version with a DVD part, Relapse seems to like to releases
their records with DVD parts. This one feature some live performance including
a very cool one with a performance of flame throwing and drum arson… There’s
also some footage of the band in studio. Pretty much of a great bonus for a
great record. This is a mandatory release for people into extreme music… Crazy
shitte!!!
E Yard/The Cherry Point split
3”
(Samsa; 3” CDR (limited to 27);
2 tracks (one each); 19 minutes 20 seconds)
(File
under : Heavy heavy heavy heavy noise!)
Another
really cool split from the project that give us more and more splits, Phil
Blankenship’s The Cherry Point. This time he teams up with another Californian
project which is E Yard, formerly known as APT 213 (that changed their name due
the constant “Oh I thought it was the clevo hardcore band” remarks). This is
actually the first time I heard E Yard which begins this split with a very
direct noise track, mainly the one that makes your ears bleed. It features very
disastrous electronics with what seems to be thin metal manipulation. Whatever
it is it seems to achieve the works at being very annoying sounds. I guess
people who likestheir noise earsplitting that’s for you. Not to be an ass with
E Yard, but his tracks look like an introduction for The Cherry Point one. Not
that the opening track sucks, but that The Cherry Point one is too much
awesome. I don’t know but the more I listen to Phil Blankeship’s projects, the
more I’m impressed. And this is possibly the best recording I actually heard
from this project. The recent split with Ahlzagailzeguh and Luasa Raelon as
with Samsa Records’ Cloudburst tape were amazing but this one I guess is the
best track I heard from the project. What you should expect here is nine
minutes and a half of what may seems to be one of the best noise recording I
heard since LHD’s Curtain, that means I’m psyched about Phil’s works. I don’t
know but the sound of The Cherry Point here is soulful I guess. It seems to be
improvised, recorded one take and to have an intelligent sense of noise construction.
That’s what makes a difference here, that’s truly direct, loud and sharp. Sadly
this goes in the way The Cherry Point releases seems to be oriented for, I mean
this should is a very very short ran release, only 27 copies were available. I
hope soon there will be a kind of comp with the best releases from The Cherry
Point split recordings, because it’s criminal that these recordings are that
limited. Maybe it will be a Ebay favourite soon!!! You should check out most of
the Samsa releases because most of them are very limited and contains a high
level of quality if you’re a fan of heavy noise. Their limited release run this
label for a kind of cult status and most of them are incredible!
http://www.geocities.com/samsarecords/ Samsa Records
The Goslings Spaceheater
(Asaurus; CDR; 4 tracks; 26
minutes 39 seconds)
(File
under : Melodic ambient experimental)
Damn!
I love to do reviews when I discover records like this one. I never ever heard about
this husband-wife project before, neither of the label that put this out and I
must say that I had no deception on this discovery. The sound of this duo is
very nice, it sound like it was recorded on rehearsal with some background
noise (feedback + hiss) that give all the atmosphere of the records. The sound
goes between some very minimal distortion feedback to some louder manipulation
with some metal (I guess it’s gong) and synth. It kind of reminds me sometimes
of a more dirty and ambient Sigur Ros when there’s some humming vocals. But it
remains very awesome. The whole result is a very enjoyable release with very
deep ambience and melodic overtones. I guess this is a very promising band
because the only complaint I got is that the record is only 26 minutes long. I
really want more because it’s a really impressive record from a project that
seems to be a very cool project that brings very well constructed music…
http://www.asaurus.org Asaurus
Lysergic Scum Combat
Strenght
(Voltagestress*R; CDR; 1
tracks; 46 minutes 25 seconds)
(File
under : Melodic ambient experimental)
Oh!
This is a noise project from UK and guess who’s in this project? Yeah the
underground noise legend Eeyow Karoom with another guy named Baz. This guy is a
noise scene in one person. This one is not that far from the main project of
Eeyow, Filthy Turd. This record is a behemoth track of 46 minutes of pure dirty
noise! The difference with Filthy Turd is the presence of the other guy making
very very discordant vocals. So this is a nice mix that make a very enjoyable
recording. I guess fans of very painful and direct noise should really like.
Nothing really new, nothing original, but it’s a very nice records. I guess I’m
a fan of Eeyow Karoom’s releases, especially those under the name Eeyow Karoom
and his infamous Aggro Stations, if you can check out these, go a ahead. This
recording is not as great but is nice with the addition of very very crazy vocals. The records come in
a plastic sleeve with a Xeroxed cover art with a kind of soldier on the front
and the kind of acid skull on the back with a small inlay with the info. So if
you want to got your ears bleeding, you can’t go wrong with this DIY veteran on
this pretty intense recording…
Outermost/Guttural Strap-On/Gelsomina-Perkust
collaboration 3-way split
(M.I.R.; CDR; 2 tracks (one
each); 19 minutes 20 seconds)
(File under :Outermost/Dark Ambient/Noise manipulation)
A
3-way split that seems strange to me because it contains old tracks from
Outermost, a collaboration between 2 projects and another project. Anyway,
that’s the result that matter in my sight. First, there’s one of my all-time
favourite, the too much underrated Outermost. This consist as the Hallo Gallo
release and the one I put out on my own label (Brise-Cul) in material recorded
around 1998. I don’t know, I think his gear is off for a while and he offer
unreleased old school material to label that ask for release. Whatever it is
the reason behind this, these recordings are always great. This is the usual
lo-fi harshness of the project. My main complain is that the sound is a little
bit too low. True fan of the Japanese project should like this one. Although
when I checked at their website they seems to have tons of releases, this is
the first time I heard of Sweden’s Guttural Strap-On. This is truly a nice
discovery! The sound of GSO is something maybe we can tag under the name of
death industrial or something like that. There’s some ambient sounds with
pretty heavy vocals. I guess it’s a very cool result, possibly my favourite
part of the split. I hope to hear more of their ton of releases soon. The
labels says it sounds like a CMI project but I’m not a big fan of these but
it’s a very great part. One bonus point with the name strap-on on the name of
the project as I’m a big fan of strap-on on lesbian movies (that’s the personal
revelation)… The rest is a collaboration between two Finish project. I guess I
give less attention to these since I guess after the two awesome first parts of
these this split are so great. This part is like a kind of very un-innovative
noise. This is noises with few very
interesting aspects. The package is beautifull, there’s a collage with
different image from Marilyn to Godzilla and medieval weapons. It’s kinda very
cool. So I guess this is a record you should check if you’re a big Outermost
fan like me and I really suggest you to listen to Guttural Strap-On, the other
part of the split is just making these 2 better… I guess it’s a very interesting
release from a young Finnish label…
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/musically_incorrect M.I.R.
Pygmy Love Circus The
Power Of Beef
(Go-Kart; 11 tracks; 43 minutes
30 seconds)
(File
under : Outdated metal-core)
I
guess I felt in the trick most people will fall with this release when I found
that album in my mailbox. See as a big fan of Tool I figured that a band
supposedly the former punk band of drummer Dan Carey should be an interesting
thing. And the fact that it was on a label that rarely disappoints, Go-Kart
Records, raised my interest. Sadly, I guess it’s not that my piece of pie.
Pygmy Love Circus, which as the bio said are a cult punk band from the
late-80/early-90’s Californian scene seems to be one of the most boring release
I heard in years. When the country acoustic intro ends and the cheap distortion
stated and the vocals followed I knew that I won’t have nice time with this
one. At least I was waiting for a faster part but forget about that. It sounds
like fat groovy hardcore with some louder attitude. Imagine a badly dosed mix
of Biohazard, Tad, Gwar and Madball. Well if you can imagine that think that
it’s worse than what you think. It also reminds me of that album from M.O.D.
called Dictated Aggression. Well, I guess it’s not that important to know that
this band made a comeback. I guess it’s metal-core that belongs to the mid 90’s
and I guess it’s a style that grew badly. So I don’t think you should check
this one. As I never heard about this band before I went on the net to try to
find old tracks and I heard some of their old stuff and wasn’t that impressed.
It sounds less like that but it’s not that great either. So now you understand
why the sticker “Featuring Dan Carrey of Tool” is that big… If “Fuck You”
resume their attitude as the bio says, mine toward them is “fuck Off” Avoid it
and keep on waiting for the next Tool album.
http://www.pigmylovecircus.com Pygmy Love Circus
http://www.gokartrecords.com Go-Kart Records
Richard Ramirez Infect
With Possibilities
(Samsa; tape (limited to 50); 1
tracks; 60 minutes)
(File
under : Pure improvised noise)
Here’s
another limited release from the very sympathetic label Samsa records. This
time, this is a tape from the veteran of the Texas noise scene, Richard
Ramirez. What I like in Ramirez solo stuff (for those who don’t know, he’s the
leader of the legendaries Black Leather Jesus) is that it seems to have a
natural dark vibe within an improvised noise. So you have to be very patient
with that releases since it’s a very huge 60 minutes tape. So I really don’t
know, but you should do something else when you listen to this one. Those who
say that noise is just un-constructed shit and want something kinda musical in
their noise should stay away. For myself I like this but I play that kind of
records while reading, but I don’t know. This one is a nice one but I preferred
the “Male” tape on Truculent. It’s not that it’s badly executed, that’s really
punishing noise with a lot of fast manipulations. I guess this stuff is for
those who like heir noise deconstructed and improvised. I guess it’s a very
nice stuff to own as all Richard Ramirez releases are but in the case of this
very long release you should do something while listening. As most of the Samsa
releases are, this one is limited and apparently sold out, so watch on Ebay for
some copies soon…
http://www.geocities.com/samsarecords Samsa Records
http://www.geocities.com/rene.r@sbcglobal.net/RichardRamirez.html Richard Ramirez
http://www.3peace.com/deadlinerecordings.htm Deadline
Records (Ramirez own label, there’s still copies of this tape on the distro)
Stiff Little Fingers Guitar
And Drums
(Harsh Noise; Pro screened CDR;
09 tracks; 41 minutes 44 seconds)
(File
under : Pure Stout Rawk’n’roll)
The
Stiff Little Fingers are maybe one of the most underrated band in the history
of post-punk rock (I mean rock since the punk invasion). They always managed to
release very strong releases and seems to be forgotten in the history of punk
rock. So fuck punk theorist and feel the power of the fine art of punk rock at
it’s best. And this records is truly one of the best I heard in years in the
genre. Even young projects should take notes. The opening title track is truly
a manifesto for true rockers. On the chorus line “I Still Believe in The Power
Of Guitar And Drum” there’s a battle cry about what music is all about nowadays
and that pisses the Irish rockers. It really encourage you to grab a bottle of
beer and feel the rock’n’roll. I’m really into music without “guitar and drum”
but I could never get sad with that kind of sound. The second track is also a
fucking kicker that will convince you of the high energy and sincerity of the
record. As the Stiff Little Fingers always were called the Irish Clash, this
one is a track dedicated to the great Joe Strummer, Strummerville. And then the
records go on and on. There’s a slower track Dead Man Walking in the middle of
the album but it’s just a step for more rocking tracks. A very fine mark on the
album is the eightieth track called “Be True To Yourself” which is a kind of
distorted reggae track which the vocals sounds like Geddy Lee’s vocals. This is
truly the track that marked me the most. This is very weird like a mix of
reggae, prog rock and Rawk! The rest are fine melodic and very energetic
rawk’n’roll. In these days where most of the popular bands are weak punk rock,
I guess these very dull emo bands should learn old school rocker that you can
play melodic shit without sounding like a bunch of crying metrosexuals… This
album is truly one of the strongest rock album of the year and I’m so fucking
pissed that they didn’t hit Montreal on their U.S. supporting that because
their energy is contagious and addictive. So grab a six pack and play this
album, great times guaranteed. It’s on my CD player every time I got back from
drinking with friends!
http://www.kungfurecords.com/ Kung
Fu Records
http://www.slf.com Stiff
Little Fingers
Taking Back Sunday Where
You Want To Be
(Victory; 11 tracks; 40 minutes
54 seconds)
(File
under : Commercial Pop Rock)
I
was really surprised to see a big poster of the record on the window of a 4
story record store downtown Montreal next to a poster of Celine Dion. Mmmm, I
guess this band is necessary for Victory records. It really helps to pay the
bills and can afford to the label to releases awesome bands like Between The Buried
And Me, A Perfect Murder, Dead To Fall, All Out War, Premonition Of War and
Darkest Hours. Wow, sincerely, they got too much nice bands and I guess Taking
Back Sunday is not part of them. I guess I stopped going at show and getting
interested in what’s going for years and didn’t saw the change in the
underground scene through the years. Punk rock that was trendy years ago like
Lagwagon, NOFX and Pennywise seems now to be very hard bands compared to what’s
popular now. It also influenced the way people looks, I hate to go to show
nowadays because I guess I’m among the few not looking like a metrosexual
(damn, I love this word). It’s more of a fashion show than what it used to be
and I guess Taking Back Sunday are the leaders of that genre. The problem with
this band is that I knew exactly how this album will sound like. So I guess the
few listen I did to this album were more than a deception. I guess the high
quality I can give to them is that they write tracks to be popular. Emo I guess
meant to be for emotion so in their definition of emotion, that possibly only
have one emotion to sing about. That makes very redundant bands and very
redundant songs… Taking Back Sunday are maybe what I can barely call a pop band
without any pejorative connotation. And they seems to do it well. I guess it’s
better to see bands that got success like this than Nickelback… The tracks are
not that long emotive, well recorded and nicely performed but with sometimes
very childish lyrics. I can give them this, they are solid in what they do.
Well I’m into that kind of shit. It could be really worst it could have sounded
like Dashboard Confessional which should be taken as a compliment for Taking
Back Sunday. Because it’s a kinda very energetic vibe that can hook people. So
this lame review will possibly get any far and this records will possibly sells
by thousands, so let’s be philosophical and say that it will help the label to
sing more crazy bands that will let the heavy music motherfucker in me happy…
http://www.takingbacksunday.com Taking
Back Sunday
http://www.victoryrecords.com Victory Records
T.E.F. Symptomatic
Harbringer
(Harsh Noise; Pro screened CDR;
09 tracks; 41 minutes 44 seconds)
(File
under : Harsh Fucking Noise!)
Here’s
a project that bring lesson in noise! You know my legendary laziness when
people told me to get this record or that records. This time I truly don’t regret
the experience. This record from one of Texas’ harshest is truly a masterpiece!
What you have to expect? Nothing but extreme harsh noise at it’s best. T.E.F.
(Transient Environmental Feedback) are in the rough and pure kind of noise, you
know that will truly make your ears bleed. This is pure harsh electronics with
very fast sound changes. The very very heavy sound production will put you on
the ass. The sound is truly what gives justice to the noise purity exposed
here. People searching for more “constructed” noise or with more ambient stuff,
stay away. But in the same time there’s a certain kind of melody in the noise,
maybe something only a project like Sickness can achieve. That puts T.E.F. in a
very big classe à part along maybe with the kind of Prurient and
Sickness. That T.E.F. album is what the label releasing this one should
be all about, Harsh Noise and I guess this label owned by Stimbox’ Tim Olivera
and Xome’s Bob Scott (which both are noise purists) release only harsh things…
Be sure to check out on their website to see what’s coming out on the label so
you’ll shit in your pant waiting… And I guess that when the label said it’s
destined to be a classic I guess it’s true. This is sincerely a very strong
album few project achieve to do in harsh noise. The biggest problem is that I
guess it’s limited to 100 copies and was released six month ago so jump on it.
It’s on a kind of pro CD which is a CDR, I hope know what I mean. I heard other
recent releases from this infamous Texan project are fucking awesome too! So I
guess most harsh noise dudes got this one at this moment, in case you don’t
check it out, it’s a total masterpiece of US noise!
http://www.harshnoise.com Harsh Noise
