ULVER 'Themes From William
Blake's The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell' Dbl CD (Jester / Voices
Of Wonder)
The fourth album from Norway's Ulver is so massive it covers
two CDs and in true Ulver style they've reinvented themselves.
Gone is the pure black metal of 'Madrigal' and the folk of 'Kveldsanger'.
This time they're playing music that transcends the normal boundaries
of extreme music, using Arcturus' latest effort as a blueprint
but expanding on their ideas tenfold. Ulver are now a mesmerising
mix of trip hop, electronica, metal and rock which defies anything
produced before. Few bands would even attempt a project so audacious.
[Simon Fairfax] 10/10
UNCURBED '...Keeps The
Banner High' CD (Sound Pollution) $12
Uncurbed are you archetypical Swedish anarcho punk band... just
like Wolfpack. They play what most zine reviewers would simplify
as "ragin' Dis-core punk". So expect the twenty songs
to fly by at breakneck speed leaving just the stench of anger
in the air. But try listening to this a bit more seriously and
you'll find that Uncurbed have some great melodies underneath
all the chaos which would set any mosh pit on fire without boring
the fans with a monotonous barrage. Of course, Uncurbed are about
a call to arms so just go with the flow.
7/10
UNDERULE 'Misfortune Comes
By Means Of The Mouth' CD (Blackfish)
The title refers to the way people get themselves into trouble
by speaking before thinking. We've all done it. It happens on
all levels. For Underule, it is the cause of misery on a worldwide
level. Underule have a lot to say about it and do it with uncompromising
vehemence. That could be why this CD is so brutal and angry.
Even if you don't agree with everything the band say, you have
to give them credit for caring. The anger is conveyed musically
through brutal metallic hardcore which at this point is a little
too similar to Stampin Ground but thankfully just as effective.
There is scope for the band to develop their own style just as
SG had since their ep days, so don't take that observation as
a negative criticism. This band is way too good to dis right
now.
8/10
UNHOLY GRAVE 'Kill 'Em
All For One?' 7"ep (Crucial Blast)
Depending on what you expect from your grindcore, this could
be the shittest thing on earth or a blastingly intense example
of what true grind should be. The sound recording is what you'd
get from a mono Sony walkman held up at the back of a live gig,
so the destructive power has been laid flat. But, this is punk
and there's no denying that Unholy Grave, from Japan, are delivering
some severe aural violence. They've been described as Napalm
Death meets Melt Banana. I wouldn't go that far, but this ep
has qualities that will leave you lost for words.
6/10
UNHOLY GRAVE/ CAPITALIST
CASUALTIES split 7"ep ((Deaf American) $5
Five songs from Unholy Grave? Too few man, too few. Blistering,
screaming, guts spilling grindcore that is as impatient as their
tolerance towards society's assholes. But they're pretty compassionate
too, so don't expect cliches or preaching. Heart stopping. Capitalist
Casualties can certainly be accused of cliches and preaching,
but we still love 'em. Probably the only band that can get way
with it, because whatever they say is valid and from the heart.
Musically they still play fastcore but more and more bars of
music seem to be devoted to melodies and metallic riffing. Essential
as ever.
8/10
U.S. BOMBS 'Back At The
Laundromat' CD (Hellcat)
These erstwhile streetpunkers continue their own carpet bombing
exercise upon the American hordes inflicting damage upon a nation's
pride and conceit. And they don't seem like they've got anything
to apologise for. 'Back At The Laundromat' is a heartfelt collection
of songs that not only strike home with incisive power, but between
the lines there's a hankering for the day's when punk mattered.
On 'Die Alone' vocalist Duane Peters ponders the legacy of '77
punk through all that was London and the Sex Pistols, while 'Yer
Country' is about a nation allowed to fall into ruin. At times,
the songs reveal strong 'rose tinted' romanticism of 'us against
them' but most street punk is like that, relying on heartfelt
emotions as the rallying cries go out. I've got no problem with
that. But musically, this album is less successful. Despite it's
supposed rough and ready appeal, it's still a slick production,
and U.S. Bombs have actually gone out to be a rockin' band. But
a little too rock and not enough punk. By the end, you feel you've
listened to a good collection of songs but ones suffering from
blandness. Maybe the band consciously approached street punk
away from the more obvious angle of Dropkick Murphys and Rancid,
but when compared to U.S Bombs' first album this is tame.
6/10
VARIOUS ARTISTS '8, 8.5,
9. Remixes' comp CD (Fat Cat)
Various Artists is the name of two anonymous German producers
in the electronica field. Fat Cat released '8...' as a well recieved
12" and a further one featuring remixes. This CD collects
both plus an added mix by Arovane from Berlin. Not surprisingly
the shift of sounds from the Various Artist originals to the
remixes is obvious, but not to the point where the latter is
self indulgent or crass. I'm reminded of the effective remixes
done of Merzbow on 'Scumtron' (it would have been nice if VA
had thrown in some new tracks too as Merzbow had). The mixes
by Arovane, Pole and Monolake stick to the liquid textures of
VA's subtle neo ambient lines but emphasising the deeper bass
feel. Autechre and Funkstorung instead liven up things. If VA
are a bit to tedious for some of you then these two have added
the electronic equivalent of Worcestershire Sauce! And it works.
Maybe VA will get the hint. For the record, Autechre has updated
his mix for this CD. Overall, is this a positive contribution
to the electronica scene? Probably is to those who admire artistes
trying to be clever with their ideas. Hmmm...
7/10
VASTION 'Closed Eyes To
Nothing' CD (Retribute) £6/$12
If nothing else, Vastion (from Lawrenceville, GA.) will be remembered
by fans of brutal death metal for the incredible dual vocal delivery.
The mixture of Florida style growls and satanic grind wails makes
for potent and spooky listening, breaking forth with some power
from the indifferent production. It's almost taken as a formality
to expect underground death metal bands to have uneasy sound
quality so as the opener 'Closed Eyes To Nothing' kicks in there
is a muffled, confined atmosphere as if we're only experiencing
70% of the power. Only careful listening will reveal what the
band has to offer, which is tight as yer butt technical death
metal full of time changes, textures and moody intros. If it
sounds forced at times throughout the ten meaty tracks it's probably
because you can sense the band are trying to instil their music
with more than mind numbing brutality and one dimensional riffing.
That's a good way to be and this CD should provide a good introduction
to where this band can go if they're allowed to convey their
ideas through a clear, balanced sound. Very promising.
7/10
VELVET UNDERGROUND 'Bootleg
Series: Volume 1 The Quine Tapes' triple live CD (Polydor)
The Velvet Underground's reputation has now overtaken the appreciation
of their music so it's a timely gesture to release this fascinating
live CD just to place them within the context they should always
be remembered for. Forget all the pseudo intellectual posturing,
Andy Warhol, and seedy New York. Okay, all that informed their
music, but people tend to think of The VU as dark and dreary
art noise nihilists in a Romantic light. 'The Quine Tapes' documents
the VU as a fantastic garage punk cum acid rock band and were
made by Richard Quine who followed the band consistently. The
recordings are put down onto tape using the most basic of equipment
so the sound lacks the full on levels to fill loudspeakers, but
the mixing has allowed each musician to shine in ways they were
meant to. Any self importance is diminished by their renditions
of fan favourites that match anything you would want to hear
from a raw sixties garage punk band. The recordings were made
from shows in 1969 at the Matrix and Family Dog in San Francisco
plus Washington State University. The popularity of the VU in
SF attests to their accessibility. While many historians want
to build up the conflict between the hippy West Coast and the
urban, gritty East Coast, the VU were just at home with the acid
rock bands because they played guitar with the kind of biting
and hypnotic freedom they were used to.
Disc One is the more rock and roll of the collection with some
energised renditions of 'What Goes On' and 'I Can't Stand It',
finishing off with the first of three lengthy versions of 'Sister
Ray'. If acid rock bands were accused of self indulgence then
these songs, clocking in at between twenty four and thirty eight
minutes will certainly test your patience. Fortunately for us,
this is the VU, and the beauty lies in being able to immerse
yourself in dazzling yet abrasive guitar lines of Lou Reed and
Sterling Morrison. Maureen Tucker's drumming was always going
to suffer from this kind of sound quality but there's enough
of a beat being bashed to keep the songs primal and fresh- nothing
fancy or flash. Disc Two is the strongest of the three with the
band on blistering form with killer versions of 'Follow The Leader'
and 'White Light/ White Heat'. The interplay between Reed's unassuming
vocals and the dark musical tones is mesmerising. Disc Three
has its own qualities with a more melancholic edge. Once the
rather fun 'Rock And Roll' is finished, songs like 'Over You'
and 'Black Angel's Death Song' take over your soul with their
almost doom aura. As vital to experience as any Swans record.
All in all a very satisfying and complete document.
9/10
VIM PATIOR 'Magni Nominis
Umbra' CD (Blackend)
Symphonic black metal is arguably over-rated as a whole with
few bands actually doing it well. Poland's Vim Patior do do it
well, even though they possibly listen to Emperor too much for
their own good. This is everything good synth driven black metal
should be- atmospheric, bombastic and very heavy. And in VP there
is also a band in which use of a drum machine is not derogatory
to the rest of the band's sound. Admittedly, some parts are a
bit cliched and the absence of lyrics for the final two songs,
for reason that look to pacify the PC hordes, doesn't really
affect the overall quality.
[Simon Fairfax] 8/10
VISIONS OF DISORDER 'From
Bliss To Devastation' CD (Music For Nations)
Paradoxically, Visions Of Disorder are immediately accessible
and sufficiently brutal. Most bands that take on heavy, complex
themes in their music require repeated listens before we can
really understand their gist. Is it due to exceptional songwriting
and melodies that makes 'From Bliss To Devastation' such a ridiculously
catchy listen? Whatever the band have done in the past, this
new album has an almost stoner edge to it and are closer to Queen
Of The Stone Age than most are willing to accept. And we know
how good QOTSA are as songwriters. Yep, V.O.D. are the ones most
likely to take quality metal to the masses. At fucking last!
8/10
Christian VOGEL 'Rescate
137' CD (Novamute)
It's an interesting propostion that Super_Collider's Christian
Vogel would take Chilean music and reconstruct it into something
electronically funky. After all, we who are ignorant usually
associate South American music with partying, dancing and generally
getting down. Which makes 'Rescate 137' a severe disappointment.
The first few tracks we can accept because they work well but
we also expect vareity as it progresses. Unfortunately, Christian
Vogel has applied very little imagination, and the whole thing
just fizzles out without making an impact. The beats are lame,
the energy drained and technical wizardry non existent. This
is truly wallpaper music- bland and wishy washy. Created by someone
who should know better.
5/10
VOID 'Designer Disease'
CD-R (demo)
Void's post black metal cum digital hardcore is an interesting
debut full of atmosphere and menace. The clear sound and precise
production is impressive. But, by their own admission, Void's
sound needs to be massive and their present hardware and sound
processing doesn't allow them that. As a result, this is very
clearly a demo quality product, but it shouldn't deter you from
what the band's potential is. They are definitely ones to spearhead
the post apocalyptic metal movement, unifying the many strands
of extreme metal, industrial and dark wave. If they don't do
it, some else will.
6/10
VOORHEES '13' mCD (Armed
With Anger) £5/ $12
I don't know. It's been a long time coming, and 'Spilling Blood...'
is still leaving a nasty but welcome taste in the mouth. '13'
isn't really a progression at all, and in truth is a severe disappointment.
There's a lot of anger in the hardcore thrash vocals of Ian Leck,
but the rhythm section is pedestrian and the production muddy.
Anyway, the thirteen numbers across eighteen minutes just whizzes
past you so be thankful that you've got Rupture's 'Cunt Of God'
handy as a reminder of what vicious hardcore thrash should be.
The CD has some unlisted bonus tracks. A band who are much better
live.
5/10
V/VM
Birmingham Medicine Bar 30th March
V/VM, taken at the common denominator, are musical terrorists.
They take other people's music and destroy them as only noise
artistes can. What they do is not so much a smack in the mouth
to copyright laws as a kick in the teeth. Unfortunately, such
raping of our beloved pop idols is a little too much for most
people, leaving V/VM somewhat under appreciated on the live circuit.
They proudly state that they gave Barcelona the worst gig it's
ever seen.
Thus, this Birmingham gig put on by Capsule (http://www.capsule.org.uk)
was the last they vowed to ever play in this country. "Yeaaahhh"
most people might shout in return. But most people did not witness
the mayhem at The Medicine Bar. Introducing themselves with a
short noise burst, the V/VM duo came onto stage, one dressed
as a valentine lady in red from hell and the other as a chicken,
both donning pig masks. After all, most V/VM material has an
obsession with meat- what they call aural offal waffle. They
are Fred Elliott's worst nightmare!
And so it began to the much amusement of the audience- Queen,
Van Halen, Robbie Williams, Coldplay, that guy who did 'Lady
In Red' et al were torn to pieces and made to be the ridiculous
songs they really are. Most of the music seemed preprogrammed
but utilised when needed so the visual stimulation was the V/VM
stage act- metal posturing, rocking out on a toy guitar and children's
Casio keyboards, roses thrown to all the lovers in the audience
and lap tops smashed to pieces. All exhilarating stuff that overwhelmed
the senses when taken in the loud neo industrial barrage. Rather
than being an awful gig, by the end I believe the audience would
have wanted more.
My only reservation is that it's a joke that could wear thin
when predictability takes over from innovation. Especially since
people may think this is all V/VM are about. There's a lot more
to them as their Machines 7"s have proved and it was disappointing
not to have been shown their broader spectrum but I suppose you
have to give to people what they want- mad karaoke, not electronic
noise. RIP.
V/VM 'Masters Of The Absurd'
12"ep (V/VM Test)
V/Vm continue their campaign of subversion and terrorism with
this purple/ black vinyl which marks the "first in a series
of colour coded distressed audio". I like that term "distressed
audio". Across ten pieces, all titled around pig themes
(that's V/Vm for you) you get a myriad of sound explosions ranging
from harsh noise to Kid 606/Disc type cut ups to good old vandalism
(in this case George Michael's 'Careless Whisper'). In truth
it's all pretty indescribable except to say this is electronica
pushed to the limits. They're soundscapes created for a world
that is more disturbed than we would care admit to.
8/10
V/VM 'AuralOffalWaffleTenPintsOfBitterAndA
BagOfPorkScratchings' comp Dbl CD (V/VM)
Once you've experienced V/Vm's 'music' it says on the sleeve
notes, "the line between acceptable and unacceptable becomes
blurred", and "and soon you begin to question everything
musically you have been taught". Hell, we've been trying
to promote the morally and culturally unacceptable for years
and now we have found an ally. V/Vm aka James Kirby is the High
Lord of Noise, Bad Taste and another kind of Power Violence.
V/Vm's simple raison d'etre is to rework music in as destructive
way as possible including blatant copyright infringements. Thus
prepare for the worst as Black Lace, Russ Abbot, nostalgic music
hall and the theme from Steptoe And Son are aurally raped via
electronics, tape loops, harsh noise, and scratching. Bedlam
starts here, but it's a joy to suffer. Fans of Merzbow will not
go away disappointed. This exhausting compilation spans his broad
output from the beginnings in '91 while including other noise
artistes like Kid 606 and Jansky Noise as well as Kirby's other
infamous and horrendously named pseudonyms. Guaranteed to change
your life for ever. It's punk, It's rocknroll. It's essential.
9/10
V/VM 'Machines' 4 x 7"eps
(V/Vm Test) £2.50 each
V/Vm celebrate the lot of the factory worker with this incredible
set of four noise 7"eps: identically packaged and with no
track listings, except with a note saying that each track can
be seen as a component to create your own machine. All wannabee
engineers out there are going to have their work cut out, because
they've first got to survive the harsh, but hypnotic noise barrages,
that we've all come to love from the work of Merzbow. In an engineering
sense then, you've got to marvel at the construction and design
that makes this release such an essential purchase for fans of
true extreme music.
8/10
V/VM 'Turkey' and 'Stuffing'
2 x 7"eps (V/Vm Test)
Besides noise, V/Vm also specialise in the deconstruction and
rape of music. They take samples (fuck copyright!) of all that
is bad and cheesy and fuck with them to create avant garde pieces
that ridicule as well as add new aspects to the by now defamed
artistes. In this case, all those bad Christmas singles and heretic
pop songs are given the once over from which few will recover.
Will you ever listen to the likes of Russ Abbott and Arthur Daley
singing about crimbo in the same light? I don't think so. Hilarious
as well as painful, and probably true to what today's Christian
mentality is really about.
7/10
V/VM / THIRD EYE FOUNDATION
split 12"ep (Fat Cat)
"Lumberjack WLTM/ Female Pighearder/ Look Important/ Poss
Romance/ Will Travel Northwest". No, it's not me on the
lookout, but the four titles of the V/VM tracks. After you've
heard it, the classified angle is saner. Harsh electronica raped
by hard techno. Relative sanity returns with 3rd IF. 'There's
No End In Sight' is cut and paste drum and bass masquerading
as avant garde and sneakily getting away with it. It's a KS Kollective
remix, in case those of you in the know were wondering. The sleeve
comes with a deluxe bullethole. Hellfire!
7/10
WARHORSE 'As Heaven Turns
To Ash...' CD (Southern Lord)
Burning Witch's lethargy has left a gaping hole in the doom scene.
Most bands in this genre seem content to pummell the Sabbath
inspired riffs of stoner rock up to a point that the dark terror
that made doom what it was has been almost eradicated. Only Burning
Witch were so hellbent committed to punishing the listener with
slow motion doom that reeked of evil intention and alienation.
That is until Warhorse turned up (not before a miraculous transformation
from a minor league death metal band, and losing their original
vocalist to Cryptopsy). While still high on the stench left by
Burning Witch, Warhorse committed themselves to laying down this
lengthy, overbearing nine track album. In truth, very little
needs to be said about it. It's one of those albums that seem
naive and simplistic, where the concept dictates the aesthetic.
Hatefilled, forlorn lyrics from minds bedazzled by a lysergic
haze. So the music is likewise created. Songs like 'Dooms Bride',
'Lysergic Communion' and the mighty 'Scrape' don't hide their
Electric Wizard influences while the eastern tinged instrumental
'Amber Vial' shows an unashamed committment to the heady days
of 70s rock- all trance like solos and looser than loose vibes.
It's as close to stoner as they get, before returning to the
molasses sludge of doom. It's a very heavy album, no doubt about
it. Jerry Orne's vocals are rasping but versatile matched only
by his rumbling basslines, Mike Hubbard not only beats the march
to apocalyse, his gentler side finds time for a final, desolate
piano fade out; and Todd Laskowski just makes sure we rock while
perfecting our air guitar in unison. Few albums have elements
that are so tied together in a satisfying bondage as this has,
so we can say this album is almost perfection. But it is a debut
therefore I'm inclined to hold back the praise until we see how
they can build on this magnificence. What? I've already praised
'em too high?
9/10
WARRIOR SOUL 'Classics'
CD (Dreamcatcher)
Warrior Soul were pretty big in the eighties. Or was it the early
nineties. Either way, this is my first encounter with them at
close quarters and I don't think I've missed much. Given the
title I thought initially that this was a greatest hits album.
Closer inspection suggests that it's a new record. I don't know
if it's representative of their previous output but there's little
to get excited about on Classics. It's an uneasy mix of punkish
attitude and bog standard US sleaze rock. The punk elements are
in Kory Clarke's cresote gargle vocals, Johnny Ricco's heavy
guitar sound and the half hearted nods to social conscience in
songs like Super Power Dreamland, The Losers and Blown Away.
There's a song called Punk and Belligerent as well just to emphasise
the point but it's pretty embarrassing and it's not punk either.
It's more in the sleaze vein which forms the majority of the
album; cliched stuff about boozing, getting high, rocking hard,
not giving a shit and so on. You know, the sort of thing Motley
Crue, Guns n Roses et al used to do. I always thought it sounded
pretty stale, even back then. Guess what? It hasn't got any fresher.
[Linden Dunham]
5/10
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? 'Ahora
Mas Que Nunca' 7"ep (Lengua Armada)
In a scene that's supposed to be devoid of fashion, paradoxically
WHN are the ones to exploit it most. With their "we're not
bandana-core" pleadings (they say it enough times so you're
inclined to be believe they actually are) and their obvious retro
leanings WHN have raised the corpse of 80s 'skatethrash' which
if this is anything to go by should have been left to rot in
peace. This ep is nowhere near as exciting or as powerful as
the band think it is. I guess it 'sabout personal taste. I prefer
retro 60s garage punk. Now that's powerful!
5/10
John WIESE/ Bob MARINELLI
split 7"ep (Gameboy)
All I can say about these two artistes is that John Wiese is
now a member of Bastard Noise, so his track, 'Xyloceritops' should
indicate at the future ingredients of that esteemed sound unit.
It's a chaotic work that could be called noise barrage Japanese
stylee. I like it a lot. Marinelli employs what sound like tools
or a raped motor on 'Electric Love' and processes the sounds.
If you, like me, enjoy the noise of factories then you'll get
a lot out of this. It's times like these when you wish you could
get hold of full length releases by these guys. On well.
7/10
John WIESE 'Collected
Tracks' CD (Helicopter) $13
John Wiese will probably soon be better known as the other half
of the Bastard Noise duo, but before hooking up with Mr. Wood,
he was very active in the Californian noise/electronic scene
putting out records on his own Helicopter label and collaborating
with many an artiste. This CD is all unreleased material mixing
solo stuff and collaborations, and is effectively split into
two parts. The first half of the CD is two tracks, 'Floating
Ship' a solo work and 'Lunar Chapperal' with Eric Wood. These
two pieces are very delicate and impressionistic expressing the
concepts of the song titles ('Floating Ship' even features foghorns
and whirring machinery) . Listen to 'Lunar Chapperal' in the
dark and you will indeed be transported. Very Bastard Noise,
man. As soon as that finishes turn the volume down quick because
the second part of the CD features live material and the sound
level shoots up! Make sure yer granny ain't sitting near the
speakers or she's liable to give birth, cuz this is harsh shit
a la Masonna. And so it goes. John Wiese utilises many an electronic
apparatus to create wierd and wonderful sounds, but with a consistency
that suggests as much thoughtfulness as inventiveness, especially
on 'Corpse Of Nulenarchenal' (a collaboration with Sissy Spacek's
Cory Ronnau) which features some diabolical device called a Nulenarchenal.
Scary yet enigmatic. Only the last track might dissappoint since
the ferocity suddenly gives way to large expanses of silence
broken by randomly generated noise glitches. Like flares lighting
up the night sky. But it's all done with adventure in mind so
accept it for what it is. After 65mins. a bit of silence is a
fine way to come back down to earth. Now that things are looking
up for Bastard Noise, the inclusion of John Wiese should enliven
an already mesmerising unit.
8/10
WIGAN ALLDAYER, SHAPIROS DECEMBER 2nd 2000
Grindcore alldayers over
this way are few and far between, seldom in the U.K and virtually
never 'oop north' (depending how you define 'Grindcore' ,to me
it's a harsh barrage of unrelenting aggression and today was
certainly that).So the Grind freaks in this undersupported hole
that is Wigan got something of a treat.
First up were Wigan's MECHAGODZILLA. Whilst I love the quirkiness
of bands such as MELT BANANA and MR BUNGLE.The problem is they
just aren't heavy enough. So Mechagodzilla have hit the nail
on the head with their blend of Japanese style noise and grind.
Comprising clean and gruff vocal they are utilised to full effect,
respect goes to the guitarist and the rest of the band for some
very original and weird riffing and completely mental time changes.(S.D)
Next we had Bolton outfit SUBVEXATION.Launching straight into a set
of Grind/Death/Metalcore with screamed vocals and a technical
approach that was a convincing as it was brutal, even the muddy
sound couldn't stop this bulldozer , I'm sure the stage was a
hotplate, they just could'nt keep still!!!
Following this impressive barrage were London's MOROSE who were similar stylistically taking on board
a peddle to the metal approach and combining that with heavy
sludge a'la EYEHATEGOD, noisy!
Leeds surly swines TANGAROA were next on the terrorism bill.Taking
up where CANVAS left off.Their nightmarish soundscapes of harsh
rhythms and screamed vocals produced a jagged wall of sound engulfing
the stunned audience,excellent!
The MOROSE boys were back again for the second instalment of
noise this time as the grind/h.c assault that is VEHEMENCE, the link being that both band share the same
drummer and singer.What was delivered was a battery of arse-splitting
short songs and an aggressive performance from the 3 piece.Tight
and straight to the point with something interesting to say (i.e
fuck Smith Kline & Beecham!)
After anticipating NARCOSIS I knew I wasn't going to be let
down but nothing prepared me for the fucken brain bashing of
the next 30 minutes. These guys have composed a truly fresh original
sound, all played with the aggression of a pitbull, this is the
only band I have seen whereafter I wanted to go out and kill
someone. ONLY ONE THING TO SAY CHECK THIS BAND OUT NOW.(S. D)
For those 'in the know about' grind/noise/power electronics Sheffield's
KOREISH have risen again and mutated into KERVORKIANSOLUTION. Like an out of control crossover of DISCORDANCE
AXIS and SPAZZ they hammered out (as it were!) half an hour of
short harsh music topped of with crazy deep/shriek vocals by
a chap who looked like the bullied kid at school and the drummer
pulled some excellent faces, spazz/grind/rock,and extra points
for the LACK OF INTEREST cover, the funniest band in the world!!
Next should have been URKO who couldn't make it due to unavoidable
transport problems shame and ARMOUR OF GOD split up a few days
before , double shame!!!
The penultimate attraction were Newcastle's SAWN OFF.A
crust super group you could say, featuring ex JOHN HOLMES, DOOM,
HEALTH HAZARD members.They immediatley tore into a powerful display
of crusty grind with melody and groove.But where was the SWEENEY
cover? and no copper helmet trampling!!all the good things I
have come to associate with Sawn off, excellent all the same.
Headlines VOORHEES gave us a short set, complaints
of bad sound seemed to piss the singer off no end, maybe that
was why? Good stuff all the same.
All in all an excellent day good to see a cross spectrum of the
whole scene audience wise from H.C kids to Death Metallers with
a reasonable (must try harder )turn out the day was pretty much
a success .A melting pot of all things extreme. Lets see more
of this!- [Spencer Davis]
WILT 'Amidst A Spacious
Fabric' CD (Ad Noiseam)
James Keeler, aka Wilt, is the Mr. Big in the dark ambient/ industrial
noise scene. His works encapsulate huge washes of drone, atmospheric
signals, and generally hypnotising soundscapes. This is trance
for the doom generation. For anyone who knows what a zither is
(someone tell me), well that's the only thing utilised to record
the sounds on the eleven tracks. It allows deep bass rumbles
and echoing tones. The closest band I've heard to Wilt is Megaptera.
Not surprisingly, 'Amidst...' is a hit and miss affair whose
success relies on the listener's frame of mind and environment.
6/10
WITCH MOUNTAIN 'Homegrown
Doom' CD (Rage Of Achilles)
This is pretty potent and unrelenting stoner doom from this Portland
OR trio but at the same time I feel it's only done half its job.
The opening riffs, the lumbering rhythms and the retro elements
recall Sleep, Melvins and St. Vitus (in that order) so the execution
is too derivative and self restrictive. The absence of bottom
end in the bass, so essential to this genre, also suggests a
job half done. It's as if we're listening to a demo transferred
to CD rather than a proper work in itself. But the band are working
on a full length so we'll give them the benefit of the doubt
in the hope they get it right.
5/10
XIII PFP 'Words Left Unsaid'
CDep (demo)
"Horns Screaming Carnage". That's how XIII PFP (pronounced
Thirteen PFP) describe this three track release. Can't argue
with that, having heard it. Anyone into Snapcase and Strife will
dig this, especially the way the guys have utilised the horns
and synthe giving an almost black metallish aura. Overall, everything
is done with over the top abandon. The third track 'Breathe You
Out' has touches of Slipknot, if only for a few seconds, but
I guess that can make all the difference. A fine release by this
PA. band that probably didn't need to be as over the top as it
is. http://move.to/XIIIPFP
6/10
Y 'Pseudo Youth... Human
Cesspool' comp CD (Sound Pollution)
Can't say much about Y except they're a very good crustcore band
from Germany. They enlightened lyrics, most of which I'm in empathy
with, while their music is forceful. This comp covers their output
from only a two year span but the stylistic changes are very
apparent. In '96 they played fast grindcore and by '97 had become
a fastcore band a la Health Hazard. It seems change in vocalist
accounted for that. Hopefully they've settled into a groove now
so expect to hear fine anarcho crust in the near future. This
collects their LP plus eps tracks.
7/10
'Year Of The Horse'
(film) Dir. Jim Jarmusch (US 1998)
Despite its title Jim Jarmusch 'rockumentary' actually combines
footage from three separate Crazy Horse tours, one from of each
of the last three decades. The whole enterprise has a hodge podge
feel to it with music clips alternating with offstage footage
and modern day interview segments. The latter are mostly uninteresting.
Crazy Horse are a pretty inarticulate bunch with nothing much
to say beyond it's great being in Crazy Horse and there's no
way the interviewer can understand that anyway. Jarmusch for
his part seems unwilling to challenge this and is content to
allow his subjects to ramble on in a self indulgent fashion.
In the end there's only so much of middle aged hippies being
smug a man can take. the remainder of the non performance footage
lacks structure and jumps between the 70s, 80s and 90s seemingly
at random. Someone tells a couple of good drummer jokes and there's
a hilarious discussion between Jarmusch and Neil Young on the
meaning of the Old Testament but they're the only scenes worth
watching.
The music almost saves the day. Most of the songs given an airing
in the course of the film are excellent but they're nearly all
marred by Young and Co's penchant for climaxing a number with
a two minute orgy of guitar solos and feedback. what starts off
sounding fresh and exciting almost invariably ends in brain numbing
tedium. For all Neil Young's enduring hipness and reputation
as godfather of grunge it's plain from this film that his mindset
remains firmly in the 70s. Only worth seeing if you're a committed
fan.
[Linden Dunham]
'YODA' no.11
(Belgian fanzine + 'Hardcore Knockout II' Genet Records sampler
CD)
A5 64 pages printed
$5 (yoda@pyrrhus.be)
Interviews with MK Ultra, Locust, His Hero Is Gone, Saves The
Day, Assuck, Metroshifter, Botch
Lots of short but sweet interviews with some of the most formidable
fastcore bands around makes for a mouth watering effort, and
the review section is in the same vein. The usual articles on
personal politics keeps things flowing inbetween. Has that typical
sleek DTP layout so common with H/C zines. A mini Heartattack?
Kristof Mondy, Elfde Julilaan 114, 8500, Kortrijk, Belgium
8/10
'You're On Your Own' comp
CD (Flat Earth) £5/ $12
This noise compilation of 16 groups mainly centered around Yorkshire
raises questions about what noise actually is. Is it discordant
sounds without melody and reference to traditional structuring,
or is it about rhythm and acknowledging melodies? It has to be
the former because noise should represent a state of being before
Man's intervention in the quest for aesthetic beauty. The opener
by Bleb is not noise because it has a striking melody despite
the abrasive avant garde sounds used. Jalopaz are noise. Ugly,
harsh and intoxicating. Thus, this becomes a game of two halves
with 'bands' striving to attain a musical freedom that even punk
and hardcore rarely achieves. Highlights are from Soarthroat,
Charles Bascomb and Jerstice- the latter being the project of
Canvas' vocalist. His eleven minute piece sums up the stylistic
approaches across this CD: there's a strong influence of bigger
names like Merzbow, Main and Pan Sonic, but the construction
is makeshift utilising found objects and improvised sound sources.
That is what makes this compilation so important as inspiration.
Not so much the final quality, but the discarding of chains which
bind people to preconceived ideas of what music should be. It
also highlights the active noise scene that just isn't getting
its dues. 19 pieces across 70 minutes!
8/10
Zero no.6
(U.S. fanzine) A5 24 pages, $2 ppd.
Interviews with KungFu Rick, Hated Principles, Neo-Barbaric Zine,
Vaginal Discharge
Useful interviews and the odd review plus anti authority thoughts
buried in between makes for one of those zines that don't offer
anything too weighty. It's just one guy with modest means and
an interest in DIY underground music trying to spread the word.
Locally this is free, so the price is for postage. Also the home
of Nervecentre Recs. that puts out experimental and noise comp
tapes.
PO Box 40358, Redford, MI. 48240-0358, USA
6/10
ZYKLON 'World OV Worms'
CD (Candlelight)
Zyklon take their name from the poison gas used in Nazi extermination
camps. Their drummer brandishes a semi-automatic pistol in the
sleeve photo. Gosh, what naughty boys. Piss-taking aside it's
pretty obvious that this Norwegian trio aren't too bothered about
ingratiating themselves with the public at large. So what's the
music like? The press notes claim that it's "a hybrid of
extreme forms of music" with "anti-religious and apocalyptic"
themes well to the fore. My first impression was that it was
generic death metal with the usual crashing guitars and vomiting-blood
vocals. After a few more listens I began to think think that
I was being a bit unfair. Songs which originally sounded like
straightforward head crushers reveal themselves to have hidden
depths and the album does have a certain hybrid quality to it:
In amongst all the high speed crash bang wallop there's slow
Sabbath type grinding bits and some classic thrash style chuggy
riffing. As a respite from the roaring vocals we get the occaisional
high pitched screeching reminiscent of Kreator's Mille Petrozza
circa Terrible Certainty (Hammer Revelation and Terrordome ).
Several tracks (Chaos Deathcult, Zycloned and Transcendental
War) feature effects laden passages and/or voice overs. Ironically,
these quiet(ish) interludes are some of the best parts of the
record as they evoke a suitably sinister atmosphere. I'm not
big fan on death metal so World OV Worms wasn't really my cup
of tea but it might be a good buy for death fans with a yen for
the experimental.
(Linden Dunham)
5/10
