Fall of Nature’s recent batch of tapes reveals four projects working within the spheres spanning dank and minimalist death ambient, to abrasive and harsh death industrial. With each project demonstrating their own twist and personalised take on these styles, following below is a brief overview of each of the four releases.
N. – Hospital Murders MC Fall of Nature 2017
With this long standing Italian project, their approach is of a sustained and minimalist death industrial type. Twelve tracks span both sides and with the recordings themselves deriving from 2003 this is a reissue of a tape from 2004 (but also issued on CDr in 2016). After a lengthy intro (based on a dialogue/ soundtrack sample), things get down to the business of issuing tracks based on moribund and loosely wavering oscillations. Despite the material being relatively simplistic, an all-important morbid atmosphere sits front and centre, regardless of whether the tracks are slowly plodding; or bass tone rhythmic; or minimal and soundscape based (Side B also contains a couple of tracks which use some prominent samples). Overall N. very much embodies an Italian underground minimalist death industrial sound (think Atrax Morgue for good measure), and this alone will give an idea of the quality to expect.
Subklinik – Monothestic Entrance of Seclusion MC Fall of Nature 2017
Subklinik is the solo project of Chad Davis, and on for this release it is a physical edition of a previously a digital only release from 2015. Taking its sonic reference from a grim death industrial sound, this has been distilled down into a minimalist death ambient/ dark ambient hybrid. With muted sub-orchestral elements (i.e. treated elongated vocal chants) and dank catacombal droning ambience, the sound is equally widescreen as it is enveloping. A general mood of muted stasis vs catatonic drift features across the 3 lengthy compositions. It also reminds of Lustmord’s heralded classic Heresy on more the a few moments, particularly as the sound and tone is not in any way clean or digital (more like choking grey to black toned). An excellently minimalist and deathly atmospheric tape.
Vitriol Guage – Gone Septic MC Fall of Nature 2017
Vitriol Guage are an American solo project of Anthony S. Kuchta III (operating since 2012), who incidentally recently joined another American project United Front as their permanent vocalist. As for his solo works, on Gone Septic the sound is a murky but extremely heavy, and is delivered in a direct and pounding death industrial style. Generally the sound is based on heavy and slow bass driven layers which are mixed with muted minor keyed synth loops, but on occasion it pushes towards harder power electronics intensity. Likewise, when vocals are used they are either a blurred mass of distortion (fierce in their tone and delivery), or otherwise presented in a drawling spoken chant. Nine tracks are spread over the two sides of the tape, and while the tracks are each relatively short and to the point, they hit hard in the time they hang around. Being very much aligned with other current American projects such as Gnawed and The Vomit Arsonist, this is a very strong tape and a great introduction to this project.
Kadaver – Hypothermiasma MC Fall of Nature 2017
With Hypothermiasma the long standing and prolific Israeli solo project Kadaver delivers a sonically fierce tape . From the outset the sound is multifaceted and shredding, and stepping beyond a strict death industrial sound, given the sound features a swirling sonic maelstrom of loose noise and intense feedback. In the most part the tape is an exercise in the abrasive over the atmospheric. On Side A two of the four tracks are effectively straight noise workouts, while the other two are based on a variety of forceful loops that intersect and intertwine (and fall in out of sync based on some being slow and others fast and chaotic). The humorously titled 23 Shades Of Decomposition (first track on Side B), bring some respite given its ritual tone, sampled chants and minimalist soundscape, but this is short lived given the later introduction of an invasive needling tone. Likewise the following track Maruta reverts to obliterating overdrive, while the final track Pink Sabbath is of a muted death industrial type. Perhaps more chaotic in tone than what I would usually choose to listen to, this is still an expertly executed tape.
As noted in the introduction, there is clear diversity in approach to be found on these four tapes, but based on my own sonic preferences, Vitriol Gauge is my pick of the bunch and followed closely by Subklinik.
noise receptor 
“Hospital Murders” was my introduction to N. I got a download of it from the late, lamented “Mutant Sounds” blog (one of the best blogs from the golden age of downloading free music at the start of the century). A bit different from other N. releases, more considered and structured (to a degree). He’s put out some fair-to-middling stuff, but I commend anyone with the backbone to call what they do “Boring Noise” and to stick with hit.
Subklinik are also a great minor project. There’s a noticeable difference between the more blatant Death Industrial releases like the ones that use “k” a lot (“Musik for Dekomposition” and “Korperation”) and the release reviewed here, but it’s still pretty great for the Dark/Death Ambient it goes for. Does have a bit of that Lustmord touch now I think of it, I suppose.
Don’t know the other two projects mentioned here but they look interesting as well. The world needs a lot more Death Industrial. It needs a lot more Death, actually.
A lot more.
A LOT more.