Murderous Vision – Voided Landscapes

Murderous Vision – Voided Landscapes CD Live Bait Recording Foundation 2018

Voided Landscapes is the latest full length from American industrial underground stalwart Stephen Petrus who has been recording under this moniker for well over 20 years now, and whose output to date has broadly been categorized by the blurring of the lines between death industrial and dark ambient. Although not being quite sure as to exactly what number album this is, the project has issued in excess of 30 releases during the lengthy period of activity, so this album will certainly be somewhere into double figures.

Musically speaking the abstract industrial rumble and moody minimalist piano of album opening Purity Burns bodes extremely well, while also featuring nature-based field recordings of calm waves lapping at a shoreline and a chorus of seagull cries, which differentiates it from much of the material which has previously been issued under the Murderous Vision banner. The following track Radiate is the categorized by a static buzzing and blast furnace churn and features the first vocals which are heavily processed and agonized in their delivery, and certainly blood boiling and fist pumping overall. Again in a slightly different style, the instrumental Shifting Ash is low key and moody, featuring subtle bass addled drones, random industrial debris and sporadic rhythmic loops which elevate in prominence through the late section. The most deviating track of the entire album is Stale Earth Slumber given its minimalist martial industrial frame of reference, being structure around stoic kit percussion, deep orchestral melody and main spoken vocal, although truth be told it slightly jars the flow of the album given how stylistically different it is. After the quite musically varied first third, the album opts to settle down to a solid display of Murderous Vision’s take on a ‘mid-point’ sound between seething dark ambient and ominous death industrial. The pairing of Concussion and Empty Language both illustrate this strongly, while as the title might suggest Moss and Bone features source material of a more organic sound palate. Voided functions as a heavily layered swirling vortex of mechanized textures, while the final album track Corrosive Materials chooses to go out with heavy impact given its use of a fast paced, massively pounding industrial structures.

Nine tracks over 43 minutes displays a varied stylistic approach and composition, which is clearly rooted in the classic 1990’s era of dark ambient and death industrial, and this feeling is strongly on display, but also without being purposefully ‘retro’ in sonic expression. A 6 panel fold out digi-sleeve on matt card stock and with suitable imagery of urban decay rounds out the presentation of a very enjoyable, sonically varied underground post-industrial release.

Presidiomodelo ‎– Внутренняя Империя

Presidiomodelo ‎– Внутренняя Империя MC NKT 2018

Since 2016 the UK based NKT label has been the outlet for a small clutch of cassette releases from the aligned project Nokuit, where I personally became aware of both label and project via a 2017 release (reviewed here). Now the label has branched out to issue a new project Presidiomodelo which is a Siberian ritual ambient trio where the title of the tape Внутренняя Империя is then noted to translate to “Inner Empire”.

Being ancient and archaic in expression and execution, the single composition spans around 31 minutes of music in total, which is split across the two sides of the tape. Covering a wide variety of interlinked sonic moods and themes, the patter of rain provides a naturalistic setting from the outset, before droning mid-toned synths sweep into sonic frame, undercut with low key metallic scraping textures and other field recording elements, before settling down into a muted looped industrial rumble. Soon enough things evolve again with deep percussive thuds, ritual signing bowls, metallic chimes and atonal wailing of woodwind instruments, while heavily echoed treated vocals evoke a choir like effect and offset with more naturalistic elements grounds the mood in an earthbound perspective. While the mid-section it is categorized by animated and forceful cyclic drones, just a quickly the tone shifts off into varied segments of: fast paced ritual percussion; minimalist ritual chimes; sparse woodwind instrumentation; widescreen droning synths; churning bass toned thrum; while the pattering rain returns at the very end to close the loop.

On more than a few occasions I was reminded of the obscure French project Chöd and given the ritual ambient context of this release it is perhaps inevitable that a comparison to the Aural Hypnox Collective could also be made. Yet these comparisons should be read as a mark of quality, as this in no way feels to be copyist or derivative, given its own distinct compositional approach, and with at times a more muted industrial churn. Fold out multi-panel J-card with suitable archaic and ritualistic imagery rounds out the physical presentation, with a digital download also provided for good measure.

Eidulon – Combustioni

Eidulon – Combustioni CD Malignant Records 2018

For background context Eidulon issued their debut CD Idolatriae on Malignant Records back in 2007, but then receded into the shadows for over a decade before returning to issue this second album. Although perhaps in truth there was not complete silence from the group following the debut, as in the intervening 11 year period contributions were made to a number of the respected Malignant Records/ Kalpamantra compilations between 2009 and 2018.

With reference to the first album, it was a quite minimalist and abstract take and experimental and industrial tinged dark ambient, Combustioni is an altogether different beast. Being a solid blend of sub-orchestral dark ambient, martial tinged industrial and apocalyptic neo-classical expression, Combustioni is varied in its sonic execution, which is perhaps partly explained by guest contributions on various tracks including: Nordvargr, Kammarheit, Naxal Protcol, Caul and Luca Soi. Specifically speaking, the guest vocals of Henrik Nordvargr Björkk are unmistakable on A Shimmer In The Void and The Hierarchy Of The Inner Planes, but perhaps coincidentally the backing music is not too dissimilar to Nordvargr’s last storming full length Metempsychosis, albeit more doomy and orchestral in execution here. Luca Soi also provides guest vocals on two tracks, with the first being on Grande Rosso which are in a croaked rasp more resembles an underground metal style, while the musical backing features towering orchestral brass horns and slow booming martial drums. Yet in a complete opposite form of vocal expression Luca’s vocals on Immanence are presented as clean sung and chanted, which is a standout element of the album and highlights yet further stylistic variation. Late album track Averni Flammas Transivi features contributions of Kammarheit which results in a droning soundscape which elevates to moments of shrill orchestral strings, while Stratificazione Settima concludes the album as an instrumental dark ambient offering containing muted sustained melodies and floating/ droning textures.

Not an overly long album at 42 minutes, it still packs a multitude of strong ideas in that run time. While the first CD was minimalistic in scope and sound, Combustioni is anything but, where the music is memorable with strong and rousing impact. To round out the physical presentation, the slick graphic design of the high gloss digi-pack includes stunning grey-toned imagery and full lyrics, which has been formatted to fold out into a Maltese Cross. A worthy release.

Coil Presents Black Light District ‎– A Thousand Lights In A Darkened Room

Coil Presents Black Light District ‎– A Thousand Lights In A Darkened Room CD Infinite Fog 2018

Originally issued on CD and vinyl in 1996, a few unofficial versions have been issued over the years, with this new version containing original tracks and an additional two bonus tracks for good measure. But personally speaking while I more than familiar with Coil, at the same time I am far from an obsessive Coil fan, which means that I have dipped in and out of their catalogue over the years, but have not heard this particular release before now. However, of note I am aware that this album marked an important transitional period for the group, where their working methods moved towards involving new external collaborators, with this album including inputs of Drew McDowall and Danny Hyde (with a collection of others). It also seems there is an ongoing spat about the validity of this version, particularly in light of the untimely deaths of John Balance and Peter ‘Sleazy’ Christopherson and the apparent lack of clarity around who officially owns and can administer the ongoing music rights (note: this release has been sanctioned by Danny Hyde).

But to speak specifically of the music, as an album A Thousand Lights In A Darkened Room can be described as being within an experimental ambient style, where one constant Coil thematic hallmark is present, being that particular wonky, surrealist and disorientating edge which shadows the majority of sonic proceedings. It is perhaps these slightly more playfully weird sonic elements which do not always gel with me, and explains why I am not a Coil obsessive, but equally, it is this quite unique sonic hallmark that Coil retained over their varied output that appeals to many.

The short Unprepared Piano opens the album, which to my ear is an awkwardly jarring track and something akin to abstract jazz piano or a cat tapdancing on a piano. This is followed by the wonky and rhythmically throbbing track Red Skeletons, but it too is overtly distracted by the inclusion telephone conversation snippets. Yet the album really hits its stride on track three, which is the lengthy ten-minute Die Wölfe Kommen Zurück, which is a particular standout with its warm enveloping and intertwining drones and cyclic factory-esque rhythmic loops. Refusal Of Leave To Land is also noteworthy for its time shifting aquatic churn, which builds across its musical span and includes a short emotive vocal croon late track. After a further run of slithering and partly rhythmic experimental soundscape styled tracks, this changes with late album track Blue Rats which stands out based on its direct minimalist programmed song focused structure and whispered/ sung vocal line. Likewise, one of the bonus tracks is Lost Rivers of London (incorrectly listed on the cover as London’s Lost Rivers), is a moody song-based format with low croon and spoken vocals of John which foreshadowed the tone Coil would later explore on Musick To Play In The Dark 1 & 2 and Astral Disaster, and here is darkly moody and contains a creepy unnerving melancholia in a way only Coil can evoke.

Despite my own reservations of the more playful and purposefully weird aspects of this album (and Coil’s sound overall), equally those elements will specifically attract Coil devotes, so no doubt you will already know if this is a Coil reissue for you. A four-panel digi-pack with original artwork and 4 panel insert with new liner notes rounds out the presentation.

Found Remains tape batch 2018

…newly found remains…

Found Remains are a relatively new American label, launched in 2016 and having issued six cassettes in that time. Armed with a tag line of “An electronic label adhering to the shadows of thought and sound” it clearly alludes to stylistic diversity within their catalogue, where following below are reviews of two of the recent June 2018 batch.

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Kjostad – Environment Electronics MC Found Remains 2018

It should be apparent to long term readers of Noise Receptor Journal that harsh noise does not really feature in my listening preferences, and while the publication title includes the word ‘noise’ that functions more as a play on words (but the full explanation of that wordplay is not warranted here). Yet in this context I am aware that Kjostad is a project of Stefan Aune, who is also of the harsh noise project Breaking The Will, which for reasons outlined above I know by name only. However with Kjostad, it would seem that Stefan is intent on blurring the line between environmental derived sounds (aka field recordings) and man-made elements. In effect the title of Environment Electronics is a perfect synopsis of intent and approach. Track titles such as Granite Canyon Falls, Birdsong 1# and Amplified Forest gives a clear indication of originating sound sources detectable within the sonic tapestry, which are further manipulated through studio sonic treatments.

Granite Canyon Falls functions as a short opening cut, while the lengthy following piece Lake Day is an exercise in elongated and abstracted drone minimalism (is that perhaps the low hum of a boat engine?), while light washes of static merge and counterpoint singing birds, before a minimalist ‘crunch and rumble’ workout draws central focus. Boreal (Cutting into the Roots of the Timber) has a deft organic tone to the muddied sonic minimalism which gradually builds intensity with a series of scrabbling looped textures. Birdsong 1# functions blends the obvious bird calls with light metallic ‘clicking’ loops and minimalist static, while final track Amplified Forest spans close to 10 minutes, and is the most animated composition. Featuring bass rumble and mid spectrum static through which bird songs on occasional can be detected, there is a controlled choppiness to proceedings which at times verges towards the unhinged, but also stopping well short of a full noise attack.

From concept to execution this is extremely well-done tape, which carefully balances the organic and man-made tonal elements, and although clearly field recording derived Environment Electronics is far from an academic exercise, given the end result sits well towards an industrial noise approach.

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C.L. Lobbestael – Particle Dissolution MC Found Remains 2018

This is the first release I have heard from Cody (aka C.L. Lobbestael), where based on this EP the produced music is of an evocative and understated cinematic ambient type, which is effectively subtle synth exploration of melody and mood.

Like the cold and clinical nighttime image of a city skyscrapers which adorns the cover, a distant and forlorn melancholia permeates the tape, where abstracted orchestral toned and minor keyed melodies evoke late hours melancholia which comes from urban desolation. With a strongly filmic sonic aura of swelling grey tones bleeding off into the blackness of the murky horizon, the atmosphere across the 4 tracks and 28 minutes is consistently bleak, yet warmly enveloping. Likewise, the central melodic motifs provide a degree of consistency, but noting these equally shift and mutate across the four tracks.

Being subtle, moody and contemplative, personally I have found this tape an extremely enjoyable one, particularly as it functions to counter-point the bulk of harder, harsher and aggressive material covered by Noise Receptor Journal. In a word – recommended.

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