Black Gaff

Black Gaff

Black Gaff

2020

(Artist Submission)

Review by Joey

Genre/s: Sludge, Death/Doom, Noise Rock

For Fans Of: Su19b, Agents Of Satan, Thug, Cianide

If you're looking for 3 minutes of chaos, this might just be the tape for you. Not every submission kicks my ass as much as it stumps me in terms of finding comparisons, but this one certainly did. In this essay, I will try to tell you why this is great, and attempt to make comparisons to other artists, even though those comparisons won't really do it justice. 

Some background first: Black Gaff was started by union stagehands who also happened to skate and are/have been in some other bands you may or may not like (but it's a secret), and when COVID19 hit, they were put out of work, and dedicated time to making this project happen. And goddamn, did they make it happen. While this is only 3 tracks (or 2 tracks and an interlude if you want to be that person), clocking in at under 3 minutes, it's a perfect display of savage fury and gives a really interesting spin on microbursts of sludge, death/doom, and even some odd NY no wave style structures. The whole thing sounds very informed by 90s west coast power violence, Japanese doom/sludge, and the Bovine Records catalog, which should sell you right away. There isn't much that sounds exactly like this that comes to mind, which is pretty exciting, and makes it incredibly difficult to pigeonhole. But it's fucking good, and it's relentless. 

All I can say is that if you like music that sounds like getting your teeth knocked out, don't sleep on this. Also, if you like skateboarding, you should probably get into this too. 

Tracklist:

1. Truss Failure

2. Deathride

3. Folded

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IT'S FINALLY HERE + I CAN FINALLY PUT THIS UP (DOUBLE POST): COLUMN OF HEAVEN / SUFFERING LUNA - SPLIT LP + COLUMN OF HEAVEN / WOLVES OF HEAVEN - PRECIPICE CS

'Column Of Heaven / Suffering Luna'
Column Of Heaven / Suffering Luna
2016

Review by Joey

Genre/s: Grindcore, Deathgrind, Blackened Death Metal, Sludge, Doom, Industrial Power Electronics, Death Industrial, Noise Rock, Noise
For Fans Of: Gasp, Knelt Rote, Dead Body Love, Man Is The Bastard/Noise

I have been waiting close to two years for this split to come out. While I wish it had come out earlier, it was so worth the wait. Holy fucking shit. I'd heard the demo version of Column Of Heaven's material on the Precipice tape (which I'm including in this post since Andrew Nolan said to hold off on putting it up here until the final split came out) and of course it was amazing on that version, and is still amazing in its revised form. Suffering Luna's material is all new to me, and I am so blown away by it, even more than I expected to be.

I don't want to just rehash my review of Precipice for Column Of Heaven's side, because it definitely is not the same. For example, the opening track, Nothing, has been changed from a 10 second burst of grind to a 35 second burst of pulsing power electronics that sounds like something you'd hear from Anenzaphalia. Another big difference is that the mix is much cleaner (not necessarily a bad thing, although it took a bit to adjust to, since I was used to the Precipice mix) and so everything that's going on is out in the open, actually giving this an ominous, overwhelming feeling equal to what they accomplished on the Mission From God LP (and really everything they've put out). And, since that LP, Column Of Heaven have been integrating black/death influences into their music; and its usage has gone from tinges to being the core of what they are doing here. The material on the Demonology tape (later on the split 7" with Radioactive Vomit) had heavy black/death leanings, but this material pushes it even further to the point that I'd risk saying they are primarily playing black/death. They are totally bestial here, and their bludgeoning assault isn't stopped by their integration of terrifying, intense power electronics tracks; it's made even more punishing. I'm so sad that this band is no more, they were truly one of the best and I seriously consider myself ridiculously lucky to have gotten to see them. I've heard that Andrew Nolan's new band is even filthier and possibly better than Column Of Heaven (how does he keep doing it?), but I have yet to hear it for myself. So here's to hoping a demo surfaces soon.

But don't forget this is a split LP. When I heard that there was going to be a split between Column Of Heaven and Suffering Luna, I was in disbelief. Two absolutely incredible, powerhouse, out-there as fuck bands on the same record? Sign me the fuck up. Suffering Luna's side holds its own against Column Of Heaven's, which should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with them. Their split with Dystopia is legendary, even though most people (wrongly) tend to only pay attention to Dystopia's side; their split with Gasp is truly deranged and weird in a way that hip glove wearing punks can only dream of touching (then again, I think listening to grind and noise isn't cool for them anymore). On this split, Suffering Luna goes all out (as they are wont to do), entwining filthy riffs with power electronics and samples, somewhat reminiscent of later era Man Is The Bastard (see: Thoughtless) but with less prog riffing and more jamming and their trademark heavy reliance on samples. Oh, and I guess I should mention that their side is only one track, and that the track is over 17 minutes long. Some people might be deterred by that, but trust me, this track is paced perfectly and when it's over you'll probably wish it wasn't (that's how I feel every time I hear it, anyway). This shit is totally fucked in the way that only a band like Suffering Luna could hope to achieve. Now hopefully they'll tour someday.

For those of you who saw this review and thought "tl;dr" here's a more concise version: fucking download this and listen to it because I can guarantee that it is without a doubt one of the best things 2016 has to offer. Official seal of approval from me, the internet's #1 punk bully and hater of fun. Also, I split the tracks since Nerve Altar's bandcamp has all of Column Of Heaven's side as a single track. Okay, I'm done, have at it.

Tracklisting:
1. Column Of Heaven - Nothing
2. Column Of Heaven - Hopeless
3. Column Of Heaven - Joyless
4. Column Of Heaven - Loveless
5. Column Of Heaven - Worthless
6. Column Of Heaven - Faithless
7. Column Of Heaven - Everything Is Fine
8. Suffering Luna - Near Death (Can't Put Down The Pipe)

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'Precipice'
Column Of Heaven / Wolves Of Heaven
2014

Review (mostly rehashed) by Joey

Genre/s: Grindcore, Deathgrind, Blackened Death Metal, Industrial, Power Electronics, Death Industrial
For Fans Of: Knelt Rote, Blood, Skin Crime, Skullflower

Andrew Nolan made me take this down (not really, he actually asked very nicely) until the final versions of these tracks were released on the split with Suffering Luna. So, since nobody has uploaded another rip anywhere (to my knowledge), I am again taking matters into my own hands. I managed to get a copy of this tape when I saw Column Of Heaven with Full Of Hell (fucking finally, I had wanted to see Column Of Heaven for quite some time and they did not disappoint; plus Full Of Hell are always great and it's nice to see them), but from what I've heard it sold out pretty quickly.  I assume one of the big reasons that there aren't any rips of this out there (besides the band not wanting it out) is because the tracks all bleed together, making it harder to split them (this does have split tracks, don't worry).

Precipice was meant to be a promo for Column Of Heaven's split with Suffering Luna, which (I think) was supposed to come out in June of 2014. And, after almost two years, it's out. However, this tape has a B-side with material which is exclusive; Column Of Heaven covers black/death band Ride For Revenge, and Wolves Of Heaven deliver two horrifying tracks, one of which is reminiscent of bands like Skullflower, who combine instrumentals with power electronics; and the other being horrifying ambient, similar to something you might hear from Cicciolina Holocaust. So what about the A-side? It's basically a rough demo of the material on the Suffering Luna split LP. There are a few differences, in both production and content, so you can decide for yourselves which version of the material you like more. I can assure you, however, that both are fantastic and worth listening to.

This tape -- like everything else the people behind this band have put out -- will knock you on your ass. You should have already expected that, though.

Tracklisting:
01. Column Of Heaven -- Nothing
02. Column Of Heaven -- Hopeless
03. Column Of Heaven -- Joyless
04. Column Of Heaven -- Loveless
05. Column Of Heaven -- Worthless
06. Column Of Heaven -- Faithless
07. Column Of Heaven -- Everything Is Fine
08. Column Of Heaven -- Eternal Woman (Hell Of Your Love) [Ride For Revenge]
09. Wolves Of Heaven -- Love Is A God From Hell
10. Wolves Of Heaven -- Hell Is A Love From God

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FUCKED BY NOISE'S BEST OF 2015 - Brayden's Picks (LPs)

It's that time of year where I feel comfortable organising the music I enjoyed in the previous twelve months into some kind of list and share my opinions on them with the general public. What follows are ten LPs I found to be rather enjoyable, and while it was pretty gosh darn difficult sorting through the multitude of excellent releases from 2015, I think I've got a pretty solid selection.
Stay tuned for a second post of my favourite demos and EPs of the year, and make sure to check out the links I've included for each release.


'As A Four Piece Band' Cured Pink
Cured Pink are a wickedly inventive and odd hybrid of post-punk, industrial, no wave and noise channeled into a jarring and unique collage of sound. Tracks like 'I'm Swimming' will see you bopping around like an idiot with it's infectiously catchy groove; whereas tracks like 'Live in Sydney' or 'Rosetta' will have you scratching your head and going back to understand what exactly it was you just listened to. I'm always hesitant to have an actual AOTY, but 'As A For Piece Band' is more than deserving of this title. Please, oh please, check it out if you haven't already.

Choice track: 'I'm Swimming'


'I Am A Problem: Mind In Pieces' Wolf Eyes
October saw everyone's favourite 'trip metal' band, Wolf Eyes, unleash this particularly desolate and hallucinogenic collection of sounds onto the general populace. Drones, clicks, squelching synths, sputters, guitar freakouts and saxophone all make a very welcome appearance on these 6 tracks culminating in what sounds like the soundtrack to a dying man crawling across a desert in search of peyote. Hopelessly bleak but with Wolf Eye's trademark catchiness running beneath the doom and gloom.

Choice track: 'Catching The Rich Train'



'Force The Zone' Cuntz
Once the tinny, distorted guitar kicks in on opening track 'Cooked', 'Force The Zone' bludgeons its way through a wonderfully sardonic assortment of punk jammers. Existing as both an ode to middle class Australiana and an outright piss take, Cuntz take the pummeling repetition and grunt from the likes of Cosmic Psychos, and turn it into a much more apathetic and uglier monster with the addition of noisier and slower instrumentation and gruff, yelped vocals.

Choice Track: 'Tanning'

'Excluded' Total Abuse
One of my most anticipated releases of this year was Total Abuse's 'Excluded', and boy oh boy the wait was worth it. A veritable ode to all things transgressive, this album packs its scummy subject matter into dirty, frenzied bursts of hardcore and leaves you to mop up the suspicious stains it left on the floor. As always Total Abuse aren't afraid to show off their more noisy, free-form tendencies (see 'Watching The Paint Dry' for your delirious, noise rock fix) and when combined with the pure grunt of their faster tracks it makes for a excellent time indeed.

Choice Track: 'DNA Evidence'

'The Body & Thou' You Whom I've Always Hated
I'm not gonna lie, I slept on this for aaaaaaaaages and was only roused into listening it upon finding out about the Nine Inch Nails cover on it.
I learned that, a) Terrible Lie works excellently as a sludge metal song, and b) this was in fact an amazing collaboration between two of heavy music's best bands right now.Absolutely earth shaking and soul destroying music with a very healthy amount of experimentation, noise and distortion cranked into the mix. I will not complain at all if these two bands collab again.

Choice Track: 'Terrible Lie'

'Circular Time'Ramleh
A fairly late entry into this year's list, but after thrashing the preview track released earlier this year (album closer 'Never Returner') and hyping myself up for this release and had to include it. 'Circular Time' is Ramleh in extremely heavy psychedelic rock mode, with plenty of noise rock, drone, prog and krautrock influences. Running at roughly two hours this a gargantuan collection of crushingly nihilistic, yet soaring music. If you can set aside a sizeable block of your time to devour this in its entirety, you will not be let down.

Choice Track: 'Never Returner'

'Self Titled' No Form
Good news! If you ever wanted a hardcore band that sounded like an actual descent into madness and/or oblivion, No Form exist to fulfill this niche desire. Sounding like a collision between Siege and a noisy free jazz ensemble (some marvelously skronky trumpet playing makes a very welcome appearance on 'Side B'), No Form are a band that can pull off frenzied hyper-speed hardcore as well as sludgy, atonal goop. Catch me waiting feverishly for more music from these guys.

Choice Track: 'Side B'

'Negative Feedback Resistor' Destruction Unit
The musical equivalent of the sunglasses emoji, aka Destruction Unit, are frighteningly adept at molding walls of fuzzed out guitar and psychedelic noise into ridiculously catchy music, and 'Negative Feedback Resistor' is affirmation of this.  If you like your riffs smothered in at least three layers of delay pedals and your amp stacks blown to smithereens I'd wager that you'd probably enjoy this album. Hey, I know I did.

Choice Track: 'Chemical Reaction/Chemical Delight'

'High' Royal Headache
'High' is something of an anomaly on this list, in that I could use words like 'bright' and 'happy' to describe the music contained within. Uncharacteristically positive connotations aside, this album is absolutely brimming with energy and has excellently written garage rock tunes to boot. Tracks such as 'My Own Fantasy' and 'Another World' show of Royal Headache's punchy punk side perfectly, while 'Carolina' and 'Wouldn't You Know' slow things right down and provide some much welcome, soulful relief. Oh, and the organ. So good.

Choice Track: 'Another World'

'Behold. Total. Rejection' Revenge
I'll close this list on a much more nihilistic and brutal note with Revenge's latest LP. The Canadian band have never really been ones for subtlety or finesse, choosing the much more noble path of beating your ears senseless with their concoction of death metal, grindcore and black metal. 'Behold. Total. Rejection.' begins immediately with pummeling blast beats, inhuman grunts and growls and plenty of Kerry King-esque divebomb solos and does not let up. At all. I worry sometimes about the toll this kind of music must have on the musicians playing it - but at the same time I'm so glad there are people out their plumbing the depths of the musical abyss and producing this kind of filth.

Choice Track: 'Silent Enemy'


Honorable Mentions:
The Body & Krieg - Self Titled
Koufar - Lebanon For Lebanese
Lightning Bolt - Fantasy Empire
Ghastly Spats - Spinozism Excorcism
Helta Skelta - Beyond The Black Stump
Soma Coma - Dust
Blanck Mass - Dumb Flesh
Follakzoid - III
Oneohtrix Point Never - Garden of Delete
Broken Prayer - Misanthropocentric AKA Droid's Blood
L.O.T.I.O.N -  Digital Control And Man's Obsolescence
Kitchen's Floor - Battle Of Brisbane
Prurient - Frozen Niagra Falls
Sunn - Kannon
Health - Death Magic
Battles - La Di Da Di
Thee Oh Sees - Mutilator Defeated At Last
White Walls - Afterthoughts In Limbo
Pissgrave - Suicide Euphoria
Special mention also goes to No Zodiac's 'Eternal Misery' for being the guiltiest pleasure of 2015.

Soldat Hans - Dress Rehearsal

'Dress Rehearsal'
Soldat Hans
2014

(Band Submission)

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Ambient, Drone, Doom Jazz, Post Metal, Doom, Post Rock
For Fans Of: Bohren & Der Club Of Gore, Heroin And Your Veins, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, Earth, Suffocate For Fucks Sake, Cult Of Luna, Kayo Dot

Imagine if you will, the downtrodden, mellow sounds of dark jazz. Now imagine those sounds building up until they become a monolithic crescendo of sludgy guitar drones and screamed vocals. Sounds like Bohren & Der Club Of Gore just met your favourite post metal band doesn't it?
Swiss band Soldat Hans are just this, an equally beautiful and soul destroying mixture of dark, ambient jazz and gigantic doom riffs. While both ends of this spectrum couldn't be further apart musically, the band transitions the two flawlessly - utilizing the lengthy track times to build the instruments up to dizzying highs before sending them crashing back down in a suitably apocalyptic manner. Dress Rehearsal strikes the perfect balance between quiet reflection and full blown emotional catharsis, albeit in the form of music.
I'm honestly blown away by the sheer size and scope of this band's music -not to mention thankful that someone's taken 'doom jazz' to it's literal extreme.  I strongly recommend clicking that link below and checking it out for yourself.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Meine Liebste; Sie zerbricht sich
2. Esthère (im bronzefarbenen Licht)
3. Zikueth! Zikueth!
4. Liefdesgrot

Bandcamp

!FUCKED BY NOISE'S BEST OF 2014! - Joe's Picks (Part 3: LPs)

This list was even harder to narrow down than the others but I did my best.  So, without anymore delays or any further ado...

Part 3: LPs

'Molestador'
Sesso Violento

On this one-sided 12", Sesso Violento deliver 8 tracks of disgusting, mosh inducing raw black metal/punk with nods to industrial/noise and neofolk. If you like dirty, yet catchy riffs, sinister vocals, and layers of fuzz, then this bad boy is for you. If you don't like at least one of those things, then I'm not entirely sure why you're on this blog.





'Precipice'
Column Of Heaven

This band (and the people involved with it) is (are) always pushing boundaries in extreme music and this tape is no different. Column Of Heaven has moved away from powerviolence and into much stranger territory, combining grindcore, black/death, and industrial/noise to create something truly horrifying. Please stop making the lazy comparison to The Endless Blockade just because the bands share members, this is something entirely different.








'Cigarette Burns'
White Wards

I'd been waiting for this LP for quite some time since White Wards set a high bar with their 2011 7". Despite that, 'Cigarette Burns' still surpassed my expectations. White Wards is everything I want in a hardcore punk band; ripping fast parts, stompy parts, noisy and weird parts, it's all here. If you're looking for some freaky, fucked up, raging hardcore punk, you're in luck.

'Labyrinth Constellation'
Artificial Brain

I know I say "spaced out" a lot on here, but I don't think that describes anything better than this release.  Imagine if Demilich and Arizmenda joined forces to create some of the most ridiculous scifi inspired death metal you've ever heard. Well, you don't have to imagine anymore. To use a corny cliche, this album is out of this world (I'm so sorry).

'Norymberga'

Norymberga

This is some truly fucked up shit. Norymberga (which translates to "Nuremberg") dished out some absurdly disturbing and distorted noise rock filtered through a raw black metal/punk lens. I guess it could be compared to something like Sexdrome or Garrotte, but it feels far more menacing than those bands. Oh, and there's a seven minute track that's a field recording of zebras.  

'Death'

Teitanblood

Do you want raging black/death that never lets up? Here you go. Teitanblood are relentless and no amount of preparation will make you ready for this LP. This thing is flawless. 

'Simulacrum'

Xothist

Xothist's brand of spacey, ambient black metal really caught my attention with their 2011 demo (which I didn't hear until 2012) and when I found they'd dropped a new LP, I was pretty excited. This album makes their demo look weak. Its atmosphere is haunting and truly horrifying; lovecraftian might even work here. And that doesn't even cover the terrifying, dissonant riffs and tortured screams which tie everything together. 

'Mental Hygiene'

Internal Rot

This release is a little more straightforward than the others on this list, but it still packs quite a punch. I'd recommend this to anyone who is a fan of killer riffs, groovy grooves, and raging blast beats. Please keep your arms and legs inside at all times, because this album is going to take you on a wild ride. 

'Privacy'

Raspberry Bulbs

When this album dropped, I listened to it over and over for a couple days because of how much I loved it. It's Raspberry Bulbs' most fully realized release to date; it combines their trademark dark, noise rock and deathrock influenced, black metal tinged punk with industrial/noise interludes, resulting in something totally twisted. Imagine if Rudimentary Peni, Coil, and Drunks With Guns collaborated and you'd have a pretty good idea of how this album sounds. 

'Full Of Hell & Merzbow / Sister Fawn'

Full Of Hell & Merzbow

Okay, so this has been on just about every list this year and there's a good reason why: it's fucking amazing in the literal sense of the word. However, that being said, I don't think most people fully appreciate what this album is doing, nor do they understand just how important it is. I cannot remember a time I've seen a grindcore/noise album get this much attention from such a diverse group of people -- grind fans, noise nerds, hardcore jocks, twinkle emo kids, tumblr hypecore dorks -- everyone is all about this collaboration. It's weird because I doubt many of these people (tumblrcore, emo, and hxc crowds in particular) really get what's going on here and where this album sits in regards to grindcore and noise; it's kind of like people who listen to modern hardcore punk, but have little to no knowledge of the late 70s/early 80s bands who shaped the genre. This album hits me so hard because I recognize the artists who have influenced this material and hearing those artists put together in such a beautifully devastating way makes me feel excited beyond belief. I've watched Full Of Hell grow and change since I first saw them in the summer of 2011 in a tiny basement in Newark, DE, and I'm in awe at how they continually top themselves by building on their previous work and drawing from under-appreciated, yet seminal artists such as Gasp and countless others. On this release, Full Of Hell have honed their vicious sound even further than before, delivering some of the most destructive and well written grindcore I've heard in a while. The Merzbow dominated part of this collaboration is also fantastic in its own way, playing on haunting soundscapes which match the intensity of the Full Of Hell dominated part even though the two parts play on totally different types of intensity. This album is a grindcore/noise masterpiece and I could gush about it for days. 

Honorable Mentions:

-Thou 'Heathen' (sludge/doom)

-Impetuous Ritual 'Unholy Congregation Of Hypocritical Ambivalence' (atmospheric black/death)

-Dogmatist 'Worn Out Welcome' (raging, crust influenced hardcore punk)

-Volahn 'Aq'ab'al' (black metal)

-Arizmenda 'Stillbirth In The Temple Of Venus' (spacey atmospheric black metal)

-P.L.F. 'Ultimate Whirlwind Of Incineration' (grindcore)

-Zom 'Flesh Assimilation' (black/death)

-Idylls 'Prayer For Terrene' (noisy/mathy grindcore with a Venom P. Stinger cover)

-Perspex Flesh 'Perspex Flesh' (off kilter, weird hardcore punk)

-The Lowest Form (noisy, blown out chaotic hardcore punk)

Dishonorable Mentions:

-Young And In The Way

-those bands Whirr and Nothing (are they the same band I can't tell)

-Boston Strangler

-Water Torture

-OFF!

-Iceage

-Cult Leader

-ACxDC 

-Punch

-Code Orange [Kids]

!FUCKED BY NOISE'S BEST OF 2014! - Brayden's Picks (Part 2: LPs)

This is part two of my 2K14 round up and it's all about the LPs. Again I've just been flooded with awesome music, and I guarantee there's stuff I've missed. Otherwise the rest is here -with youtube/bandcamp links to help you catch up on what you've missed. Before I start though I'd like to mention a few albums that might've been on here:

Swans - To Be Kind: Yeah it was good. Yeah it was kinda AOTY. But everyone else has it on their list so shhhh
Endon - Mama: I'm absolutely sure this would've made top 10 - had I been able to find a copy and listen to it
Trap Them - Blissfucker: A very good chance this would've been on the list too - had it not been a huge fucking let down and arguably the most disappointing album of the year
Triac - Full Length: This would've had a guaranteed spot on the list - but it hasn't been released, and doesn't look like it will be for some time. Alas

All that out of the way, here's the stuff that did make the cut:

LPs:

'Prayer For Terrene'
Idylls

Idylls had been one of my favourite Australian bands ever since I first saw them live opening for Punch on their Australian tour. Their debut album, Farewell All Joy was math-y hardcore done right but FUCK after listening to this it can't even hold a candle to this. Prayers For Terrene saw Idylls pushing every element of their sound to the breaking point. The grindcore influence is much more prominent, but so is the noise rock elements. There's more nods to classic Australian punk (see the Venom P. Stinger cover), there's a saxophone and there's just layers upon layers of sound to wade through. Idylls were pretty hard to classify before, but now they've reached dizzying new heights of ambiguity and dissonance. All I can say is that Australia hasn't had a band this intense, loud or crazy before - and I doubt it ever will again. Actual AOTY for sure. Hands down. No competition. Nup. None whatsoever.

'Primitive And Deadly'
Earth

Considering it was an album I wasn't excited about at all, Earth's Primitive And Deadly was probably the most pleasant surprise of 2014. Having barely listened to their previous releases, I was still surprised by the inclusion of vocals and a much more psychedelic rock driven sound. That's not to say that Earth aren't as bone shatteringly loud or heavy as the days of yore - because there's plenty of that too.  Each of the five tracks on this are repetitive, trance inducing journeys into luscious guitar tones and spaced out riffs. In fact I can safely say that 'From The Zodiacal Light' was my favourite track of 2K14, and Rabia Shaheen Qazi's hazy, chilled out vocal delivery has been stuck in my head for a fair portion of this year. They've been around for years, but Primitive And Deadly proves that Earth are still one of stoner/drone metal's biggest players.

'Estuary English'
Consumer Electronics

Estuary English has the distinction of being the most venomous, vile collection of recordings I heard all year. Consumer Electronicss (Phillip Best especially) have only gotten angrier and more focused as they've aged, both musically (term used VERY loosely here) and lyrically. Phillip Best's vocals drip with malice, sarcasm and wit as he forces every last syllable out his foam covered mouth. He spits, sputters and screams every known expletive in the English language over broken synth pulses, drum machine beats and shrill blasts of feedback. All this ferocity is channeled into vulgar attacks at modern culture and politics. It's spoken word meets Throbbing Gristle on amphetamine - and it's super good.

'Celestite'
Wolves In The Throne Room

Go figure, it takes Wolves In The Throne Room to stop playing black metal for me too reeeeeally enjoy them. Like, don't get me wrong - their black metal stuff is great - but Celestite just takes their, uh, celestial soundscapes to brand new highs. How? Well by ditching the metal, the instruments (for the most part) and milking the nicest, spaciest sounds out of synths as possible. Celestite sits somewhere between Sunn's more quiet output and Tangerine Dream - transcendental ambient music that's as lush as it is melodramatic. If you ever wanted to hear a black metal band scoring a sci-fi film without any blast beats, screaming or tremolo riffs this would be your best bet.



'Privacy'
Raspberry Bulbs

 I slept on Raspberry Bulbs previous LP, Deformed Worship in 2013. It promptly became one of my most played albums in 2014.
Then this album was announced.
Unsurprisingly, RB have continued to flesh out their unique combination of post-punk, noise rock and blackened punk - with longer more complex songs and many more ideas present within this album. Privacy has the band moving further away from their 'blackened' influences, and instead sees a much more refined, thought out direction. The inclusion of eerie, weird industrial tracks between every other track on the album is a pleasant surprise too - showing that the band can not only write brilliant punk songs but showcase a diversity of musical styles and their influences.

'Bestial Burden'
Pharmakon

Abandon featured in last year's top 10 list, and unsurprisingly Pharmakons' 2014 LP, Bestial Burden, is in this one.
New York death industrial musician, Margaret Chardiet, used a near death experience and operation as the inspiration to create the six tracks on this album. Utilizing stark synthesizer textures, samples and apocalyptic percussion, Chardiet's lyrics tackle the fragility of the human body and her health issues - in the noisiest way possible. The meticulous structure and presentation of Pharmakon's previous work remains - more so than before - and incorporates a wider range of vocal styles, samples and sounds. Bestial Burden is a much more diverse collection of tracks than Abandon, but still retains the harsh, uncompromising ethos of the project.



'Full Of Hell And Merzbow'
Full Of Hell/Merzbow

Full Of Hell have come along way since the breakdowns and hardcore riffs on Roots Of Earth..., veering almost directly into grindcore territory. From the very start of their collaboration, the potent combination of Masami Akita's volatile harsh noise and Full Of Hell's salvo of blast beats, riffs and savage vocals grip you by the throat and do not let go. The second disc features Merzbow's contributions in much more detail, with Full Of Hell providing wonderfully unhinged instrumental support - akin to one of their live performances - making for one hell of an uncomfortable, yet hypnotising experience.  This is a band who've gone from wearing their influences very heavily on their sleaves to craving their own niche into the genre AND collaborating with arguably the most important contemporary harsh noise artist in the process.

'Mental Hygiene'
Internal Rot

Internal Rot are a three piece grindcore band from Melbourne Australia, consisting of members from Roskopp, Agents Of Abhorrence and Super Fun Happy Slide. Now if that pedigree hasn't got you salivating all over your keyboard, the music will. Imagine shameless Excruciating Terror worship, but played with the speed and intensity of Insect Warfare - but with more groove. It's primitive grind cobbled together with an unhealthy amount of catchy thrashy riffs, more mosh parts than you can shake a fist too and absolutely filthy, raw vocals. Mental Hygiene is the best grind release to come from Australia since Earth.Water.Sun by AoA. Easily.

'Negative Ecstasy'
The Lowest Form

I've sung praises for this band on two occasions on this blog, and I'll be damned if I don't make it three. Negative Ecstasy is rabid, aggressive hardcore taken to its most illogical extreme. This album's a deadly duel between guitar feedback and buzzsaw riffs, with a madman barking over the top and the drums demolishing anything that happens to be in the path. No did it well last year, but the award for UKHC's craziest, gnarliest release definitely goes to The Lowest Form this year.



'Totem'
White Suns

Since 2008, New York band White Suns have been one of the most obtuse hardcore bands - splitting their time between freeform noise rock, sludgy dirges and experimental, avant-garde tracks. On Totem, they seem to be channeling the frantic, desperate energy of Drive Like Jehu coupled with the intensity of Drunkdriver. Wailing guitars are broken up by crackling oscillators and droning feedback, with sporadic drumming and unpredictable twists and turns. It's the most straightforward and accomplished album the band has released thus far,  but it retains the same impact and brunt of previous releases.



Honorable Mentions:
Fejhed - Self Titled
Vomir​/​Poète Maudit - Split
Ben Frost - A U R O R A
Gridlink - Longhena
Six Brew Bantha - Intravenously Commodified 
Rort - Warpath
Perspex Flesh - Self Titled
Mob Rules - Nothing Left
Thou - Heathen
Indian - From All Purity
The Body - I Shall Die Here
Scott Walker + Sunn O))) - Soused
Conan - Blood Eagle
Sesso Violento - Molestador
Arizmenda - Stillborn In The Temple Of Venus
Shellac - Dude Incredible
Ted Danson With Wolves - WWTDWWD

Dishonorable Mentions
Code Orange - I Am Kids King
Code Orange - I Am Kids King

Code Orange - I Am Kids King

Code Orange - I Am Kids King

Code Orange - I Am Kids King

Reality Compilation....Compilation

'Reality, Reality #2, #3 and #4'
Various Artists
1996 - 2002

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Powerviolence, Grindcore, Hardcore, Fastcore, Doom, Sludge, Noise Rock
For Fans Of Comps Such As: Bllleeeeaaauuurrrrgghhh!, Possessed To Skate, This Comp Kills Fascists, Cry Now Cry Later

We've all seen it before: some kid's finally put the mosh shorts and Terror shirts to rest, and has begun poking around the darker, danker fringes of hardcore and punk only to arrive at this vital question 'can anyone recommend me any PV bands?'. Cue the barrage of suggestions that include ACxDC, Weekend Nachos and Ceremony's first few albums and you have all the ingredients for internet-music-nerd-rage and what I  can only assume would be a a broken heart - if I had one. Merely the thought of this brings a tear to my eye, so in a fit of manic uploading and cataloging I've sought to address this problem for anyone dipping their toes into the gnarly world of 90s powerviolence, and its various other offshoots.
Here we have four compilations put out by Deep Six, starting in the mid 90s. The Reality comps brought together some of the biggest names in powerviolence, grindcore, sludge and hardcore that were doing the rounds in LA at the time, as well as some forgotten and rarely mentioned gems (looking at you Unruh and Peter Mangalore). Part 3 sees the roster expanding to Chicago (Los Crudos) and San Diego (The Locust) and Part 4 even includes non US acts such as 324, Dudman and uh, Haymaker. I guess.
All in all, you're unlikely to find a better collection of classic PV bands in one place - an ideal starting point for you newbs out there or a excellent addition to any self respecting fan of the genre. All four comps - that's three 12"s and a 7" are here for your listening pleasure.

TRACKLISTING:

Reality (1996)
1. Excruciating Terror - In Control
2. Lack Of Interest - Impeached
3. Despise You - Copied Demise
4. Spazz - Gnome Servant
5. Crom - Hungry?
6. Man Is The Bastard - Tomb Ride
Download

Reality #2 (1997)
1. Asshole Parade - Soldiers
2. Excruciating Terror - Without Mercy
3. Dystopia - Backstabber
4. Infest - Cold Inside
5. Despise You - Memories Of Tomorrow
6. Lack Of Interest - No Sweat
7. Gasp - Planet Of The Apes
8. Suppression - Gangland Bodystak'em (C.I.A./Mafia Murder Conspiracy) / Human Fear
9. Noothgrush - Encasing
10. No Comply - The Empire Kids
11. Spazz  - Animal Liberation Now
12. Purgatoria - Infamous Deception
13. Man Is The Bastard - Untitled
14. Capitalist Casualties - Sentenced
15. Stapled Shut - Chavala
16. Enemy Soil - Common Ground
17. Evolved To Obliteration - Fucked Up Asshole
18. Bad Acid Trip - Plate Of Shrimp
19. C:###  - Skidmark
Download

Reality #3 (1999)
1. Crudos  - Sin Titulo
2. The Locust - Dog Without A Collar
3. Su19b - Bullshit Propaganda
4. Infest - Dead At Birth
5. Ruido - You're Not Human
6. Jenny Piccolo - Heavy Metal Weekend / Suicide Cliche
7. Halo Epidemic - Bench Warmer
8. MK Ultra - 52 Fluid Ounces
9. Black Army Jacket - 222 Part II 1998
10. Visual Discrimination - Solutions
11. Charles Bronson - Rich Crusties Shall Pay
12. Peter Mangalore - Gerwalk
13. Dropdead - Us And Them
14. Corrupted - Reference
15. Phobia - Stink Head / State And Enemy
16. Benumb - Liberation
17. Hellnation - Fight With No Fear
18. Bred On Deception - Slave To Convenience
Download

Reality #4 (2002)
1. 324 - Garden
2. Haymaker - Stressed Out
3. Hawgjaw - Embrace The Absence
4. Low Threat Profile - Untitled
5. In Spite - Back Fat Removed With Pickax
6. Manchurian Candidates - In Good Faith
7. Progeria - Either Way / Neglected / Empty Words
8. Toshiro Mifune - Throw Me The Idol, I'll Throw You The Whip.
9. Overpowering - El Feo / Enemigo De Mis Sueños
10. Overpowering - El Que Acecha Desde La Esquina
11. Ruido  - Soledad Cortada / Snuffed Soul
12. Unruh - Fear And Loathing Among The Working Class
13. I Found God - Running Out Of Time
14. Lack Of Interest - Untitled
15. Su19b - Shortage Of Oxygen
16. Damad - Mindmatic
18. Sepsism - Festering Within
19. Stress - The System
20. Self Inflicted- Beware Of The Water
21. Pretty Little Flower- Victorious Insurgence
22. Dudman - Fight Or Flight
23. Lana Dagales - Metamorphosis / Conjuncture
24. Lana Dagales - Extending Capitalist Ladder/The Great Division
25. Bred On Deception - The Gingrich Who Stole Congress
26. H.Pylori - Cycle / In Deep
27. Haloepidemic - 40 Hour Decent
Download

Swinging Balls - Swinging Balls

'Swinging Balls'
Swinging Balls
2014

(Band Submission)

Genre/s: Noise Rock, Sludge, Doom
For Fans Of: Flipper, Cherubs, Harvey Milk, Swans, Sleep, Melvins

Remember the first time you listened to 'Lysol' by Melvins, or 'Dopesmoker' by Sleep? Those looooooooooong, continuous droney riffs pouding away at your skull until the bass and drums kick in, essentially resulting in what the experts are calling an 'eargasm'?
You're in luck, as this self titled debut from Swinging Balls opens with exactly that kind of formula, and from there on in explores the full range of downtrodden sounds offered by down tuned guitars and oppressively slow tempos.
Hailing from Coventry, England, the four piece's off kilter style of music borrows from doom metal and sludge, adds some angular noise rock and the nihilistic, repetitious tendencies  of early 80s Swans. Top the plodding bass and guitar riffs of with a gruff vocal performance that sounds like a cross between Cherub's Kevin Whitley and Harvey Milk's Creston Spiers, you've got a winning combination that's as sonically hefty as it is diverse.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Riff
2. Sabbath
3. Sleepbombs (Ripped to Pieces)
4. Last Song, Last Set
Download

AUDITOR REVIEW AND INTERVIEW.

FBN:First off, who are you and what do you do?

Brandon Elkins, known variously as B., Auditor, Iron Forest, or A Crown of Amaranth.  Professionally I’m a pixel pusher and musically I do a little bit of everything that mostly involves staring at a monitor with headphones on.

FBN:Thoughts on the underground music scene as of right now?

Depends on which “underground” we’re talking about.  I spend a lot of time digging through BandCamp looking for new projects.  There are tons of great ideas coming out of some very “underground” black metal and noise projects like Emanation and Venowl but the more I’m involved with actually talking about either the metal or noise scenes, the more I see a sort of puritanical, closed-off kind of thinking.  The “holier-than-though” attitudes and self-serving ego stroking are what will end up choking off and invalidating any sense of experimentation the underground might have.  That’s sad to me.

Having said that, there are still a lot of really great people that I’ve met that are doing solid work in creating, writing about, or releasing what I think will go down as a sort of revival in truly experimental music.

FBN:What bands or projects are you listening to?

At any given time I’m all over the map with what I’m listening to.  I get to sit at a desk all day with headphones on so I get 40+ hours of time to listen to music each week.  In the last few days I’ve been listening to Emanation, Brobdingnagian, Phobonoid, Cara Neir, Axis of Advance, REVENGE, the new Earth and YOB albums, new Pallbearer, INVDRS, A Pregnant Light, Dead Congregation, Cyanotic, the new Venowl/Highgate split, and (believe it or not) a lot of Chief Keef, Young Thug, 2 Chainz, Migos, and A$AP Ferg.

FBN:How did you come up with the sound for Auditor?

I pull pretty equally from heavy industrial like Frontline Assembly, Skinny Puppy, Bile, and Author and Punisher along with harsh noise and wall noise, death industrial (SHP, Theologian, Navicon, Gruntsplatter), doom (Khanate, Sunn0))), MOSS), and black metal.  Anything that fits that punishing, bleak mold gets thrown in the pot and stirred around.

 FBN:What are your musical influences?

I’m influenced by everything I hear.  Complete willingness to be open to new sounds is my only rule.

 FBN:Do you draw any influences from movie scores?

 I don’t, but I do envy people that can work like that.  I do try to lend a bit of “cinematic” or narrative flow to not only individual pieces but whole albums.

  FBN:What is your favorite ice cream flavor, if any?

The last truly amazing ice cream I had was at the Green Goddess in New Orleans and it was a Bacon Sundae.  Yeah, you read that right.  Coffee pecan brittle ice cream, bacon caramel sauce, Himalayan pink and black salts, bits of applewood smoked bacon, topped with whipped cream.

I think I achieve official “Fat Kid” status by saying I think about it far more often than I should.

FBN: Any future plans for Auditor, or for you in general?

I’m working on a couple different collaboration projects that I won’t reveal too early but, suffice to say, they should be pretty cool.  I’m also digging into a remix for Jason Walton’s (Agalloch) Self Spiller project, so that’s exciting.

In addition to that, Danvers State Recordings will be doing a tape release of the collaboration that I did with Crowhurst last earlier this year.  I’m also working on an album that will see vinyl release on Die Song probably early to middle of 2015 that I’m really excited about.  Early in 2015 I’ll also be hitting the road providing live ambience/noise for the absolutely insane ÆVANGELIST and maybe playing an Auditor set here and there.  I always stay busy.

FBN:Any shout outs or last words you would like to say?

I’d like to give big love to Leech from Theologian/Annihilvs Power Electronics, Derek Rush, Andy Grant, James from Die Song, ][ // and :: from Venowl, Ryan from IxDx/TTADA, and my lovely wife.  All of them have helped push me forward.

FBN:Thank you for your time.

Thanks for having me, it was a pleasure typing

Auditor is the brainchild of the ambient-industrial project of Brendon Elkins, who is based in Chicago, Ill. Brendon was very kind and sent me a copy of “Form Destroyer”.

The depression started off with the opening track “Protocol 1”.  From the opening of the track I was thrown down into a pit and buried alive from the oppressive nature of the audio that was filling my ears with ambient waves of dirt. I felt as if I was dying, the sample, or what I think was a sample, “I am not sorry for what I did” mixed with background screams of agony further dug my grave of audio suicide.

            The second track politely titled “And Vomit As You Devour Them”, this track features a very solid drum track that hits you in the chest like a rubber bullet from ignorant cop.  The shortest track on the album, it is hard hitting and keeps your attention long enough to cum on your face.  Id say this industrial sludge fest is my favorite on the record. 

            Next up is “Flea On A Dead Dog”, like the track before, it features a very industrial beat that is reminiscent of Godflesh in the best of ways. When I first listened to this, I instantly was taken to a boiler room. The oppressive nature of the ambient sounds mixed with the paranoia that something bad is going to happen crushed me. This track is slow, mind numbing. It will consume you.

            “Betrayer Of Sleep”, is death. Pure death. ThIs track made me feel helpless. The slow droning experience drowns you in its massive riff. Taking everything you have and making it, and you obsolete. This song is heroine. This song is a slow hypodermic needle injecting nothing but black slime into your veins.  Some serious SunnO))) worship on this track.

            The final track on this record is “I Can Never Be Far Enough From You”, reminds me of the project “Stalaggh” with its ambient overtones and creepy haunting chanting vocals in the background. This track is the longest on the record at over 14 minutes. This track will leave your mind in pain, and aching for some sort of relieve. But there is none. Only mind numbing ambient brutality.

            Overall this record is nothing shy of a religious experience and needs to be listened to at high volumes to get the full effect of what Brendon is doing here. The abrasive and dark nature of each song leaves the mind in a warped sense of detachment from what is healthy and good for you.

Zack

Links!!

http://theauditor.bandcamp.com/