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Maschinenkrieger KR52 – Stroke Unit (2024)

Maschinenkrieger was the absolute highlight of the 2024 Wave Gotik Treffen. Half past four in the afternoon, first act of the Täubschental of that day, sunny outside, yet a well filled room with a varried audience as is usual with this type of music.

There is a lot of so-called “rhythmic noise”, especially on the Hands label that also released “Stroke Unit”, but seldom does the style get as noisy as Maschinenkrieger.

So I found myself in a dark room full of wildly dancing people to an energetic piece of ‘indancetrial’ as I used to call it.

Discogs makes it sound as if “Stoke Unit” is the first album under this name, while all previous seven album were made under the monicker “Maschinenkrieger KR52 vs. Disraptor”. Perhaps that means that the project went from being a duo, to a solo project. There was -indeed- but one guy on stage that sunny day.

Music-wise nothing much changed. Maschinenkrieger makes -I said it- a noisy form of “rhythmic noise”. As before, quite a few tracks are ‘mid tempo’, while only a few are more energetic. It is probably hard to tell this album apart from earlier releases, but, it is a descent album and more interesting than most “rhythmic noise” to my ears.

Links: Maschinenkrieger KR52, Hands

Kommando – Wage Of Wrath (2024)

It appears that nowadays Kommando is Dan Courtman’s solo project.

“Wage of Wrath” contains the familiar industrial approach to noise, but also more typical noise material like in the early days. I especially like the death industrial tracks “Death On Demand” and “Drifting In Echoes”, an industrial rhythm, highly distorted vocals, that is the side of Kommando that I like best.

The noise tracks are not bad, but I like the more industrial approach better. All in all 11 tracks, 39 minutes and -if you are fast- available on vinyl.

Link: Ant-Zen

Spur On To XS – Indulge In Primal Ecstasy (2024)

One of the Radar Men From The Moon members started a new and noisy solo project.

“Indulge In Primal Ecstasy” opens with a wall of noise track and continues with an excellent piece of ‘throbbing’ noise with vocals (perhaps think Anenzephalia). Then follow more minimalist tracks that I would call “ambient noise”, some are more ´noisescape´ in approach, other more industrial.

A descent album of 28 minutes, available on cd and as a Bandcamp digital release.

I think I heard of the label Dunkelheit Produktionen, but most of the projects on their roster are unfamiliar to me. I should perhaps try some other material to see what it all is.

Links: Spur On To XS, Dunkelheit Produktionen

Radar Men From The Moon – Vomitorium (2024)

Four years ago, a concert announcement for my hometown (that never took place due to the Covid pandemic) made me circle to a local band that I heard of, but did not really know. The previous album of Radar Men From The Moon had just been released and I decided to review it.

I had heard of the new album “Vomitorium” and I think I even listened to it, but them holidays came and I forgot about it until one of the members let me know that he has a new project.

“Vomitorium” is again a noise rock album that in sound goes from Swans-like heavy industrial rock to more a Ministry-type approach, to a direction that I would rather describe as ‘noisecore’, a noisy version of hardcore rock. Actually, the description about the label Fuzz Club Records is quite fitting for “Vomitorium” as well: “raw, experimental rock ‘n’ roll, influenced by psychedelia, shoegaze, noise, garage, blues, folk and experimentation”.

A nice album.

Links: Radar Men From The Moon, Fuzz Club Records

Uncodified – Erased People (2024)

Seven years ago I was looking at Unrest Productions and ran into “Maybe All Is Not Completed“, a pretty good noise album of a project I was unfamiliar with. Already then, I mentioned that Uncodified was an active project.

This time I was looking at the Dunkelheit Produktionen roster and noted a recent Uncodified release. Many releases have been made available between these two. Obviously I failed to follow the project.

Just as with the other album “Erased People” opens with a somewhat noisy ambient track and continues with a chaotic piece of noise. Then comes a more industrial track, an excellent death industrial track and some more noise, chaotic noise and death industrial. So again a varied album from which I prefer the death industrial side.

Not bad and currently the only Uncodified release available on Spotify.

Links: Uncodified, Dunkelheit Produktionen

Ozigiri – Floor Killer Death Machine (2024)

I have to take something back from my previous review. Ozigiri is not “constantly great”. I just got two emails from Bandcamp with two new Ozigiri releases, both released today.

First we have “Color Me Blood Pastel“. It does not come under the name “Ozigiri”, but under the name “わんぱくスレイヤー” (‘naughty slayer’). It could be another artist, but released on Ozigiri’s label. In any case, “Color Me Blood Pastel” is one of those annoying Japanese baby music breakcore albums. Not my cup of tea.

“Floor Killer Death Machine” on the other hand, is Ozigiri with almost no breaks. The album opens with a blast with the title track and the next 18 minutes is for a large part full speed Ozigiri. Great! Digital grindcore as it should sound.

Link: Ozigiri

A Place To Bury Strangers – Synthesizer (2024)

It is utterly incredible. APTBS is constantly on tour and yet they manage to not only change line-up, release a series of singles, but also work on a new album. What is more, the steady part of the band, Oliver Ackerman, also proves to be behind Death By Audio which used to be a concert hall, studio, guitar effects pedal factory and more. Death By Audio still exists in some form and Ackerman decided that the new release of his band would come as a synthesizer that you have to assemble yourself. Where does he find the time to come up with such ideas and to execute them? “Synthesizer” also seems to come available as 12″ in the near future.

The album opens with the great track “Disgust” which has been released as a single before. It sounds like the band sounds live: energetic and noisy. While concerts are always extremely noisy events, recorded, the band shows its softer side. Sometimes. “Synthesizer” contains the noise rock side that we love APTBS for, but also softer (‘shoegaze’?) side and more electropunk type experiments.

Not all tracks are brilliant, but a couple of them are. “Synthesizer” is yet another very nice album. And if you have not seen the band live yet, be sure to get out your earplugs and go and hear and see them when they are in your vicinity. With their touring schedule, that should not take too long.

Links: A Place To Bury Strangers, DedStrange

Michael Idehall – Apokryphos (2024)

Another luxury vinyl release on Ant-Zen. A nine track 33 RPM 7″ with a 52 page booklet. As always there are only a 100 copies.

“Apokryphos” has the rawer side of Idehall. Industrial, noisy, growling vocals; but still the recognisable ritualistic approach. It does seem that Idehall tried some new things. The sound is recognisably Idehall, but still somewhat different. Also it is not like all tracks are ‘harsh’. The esoteric avant-garde of the Ant-Zen blurp is a good description.

Idehall created another very enjoyable album of about 40 minutes.

The album is now available through Bandcamp. The physical releases will be shipped soon. I cannot wait for my copy.

Links: Michael Idehall, Ant-Zen

Khost – Many Things Afflict Us Few Things Console Us (2024)

Finally there will be a new Khost album, and an album it is! Unlike many releases nowadays, the band (and label) did not settle for a ‘vinyl length’ of 37 minutes. Or did they? There actually will be two different vinyl versions with 11 tracks (40 minutes), but also a cd version with 18 tracks (70 minutes)! The cd not only has more tracks, but the tracks are also in a different order.

The sound is largely what we know and love Khost for. Very slow and dark doom metal with deep grunting vocals. There appears to be less use of electronics, except on the somewhat technoish/poppy “Face”. Some of the tracks do sound very industrial.

Among the extra tracks there is a somewhat more ‘normal doom’ track called “Define the Edge of Someone” which is more moody and with normal vocals. Also among the extra tracks is one of the dark ambient tracks with film samples that the band makes more often and two remixes.

I particularly like the slow, dark tracks. Perhaps “Many Things…” is not really surprising, but I still do not know much music in this style, while I like it a lot. You will have to wait until 20 September though, or go over to the label’s website or Soundcloud to have a listen in advance.

Links: Khost, Cold Spring

Sophia – The Age Of The Narcissist (2024)

In 2016 I reviewed “Unclean“, the first Sophia release in 13 years at the time. After another 8 year gap, Cyclic Law announced another new Sophia album. Discogs also has two releases in 2017 and 2022 that I had not heard about, though, but these are not full lengths.

The blurb for the new album promises innovative rhythms, new kinds of vocals and experimentation with the Sophia sound, “a deliberate evolution in sound”.

The album is very recognisably Sophia. Pomp walls of orchestrations in the background, poundings rhythms and Peter’s vocals. The sound is not as bombastic as Sophia can be.

“The Age Of The Narcissist” is perhaps not the best Sophia material in my opinion, but a descent album. Out on 25 July. It comes as a cd and in two vinyl versions. The length is (thus) about 40 minutes.

Links: Sophia, Cyclic Law