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ambient noise

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

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

Consumer Electronics – Surge (2024)

Just as with “Airless Space” (2019), the new Consumer Electronics leaves aside the extreme power electronics of old and instead focuses on minimalist industrial sounds and spoken word. That still does not exactly make this easy listening though. The opening track, for example, first has Philip Best in a very calm voice describe the workings of a serial killer, while in the second half he -in the same tone- instructs “Michael” how to make a snow angel. Indeed, CE remains an extreme project even when the sound became less so.

The following tracks are usually odd noisy or industrial soundscapes with Best sounding like he is reading from a children’s book. Most tracks are quite ‘enjoyable’, ‘ambient noise’ perhaps. Towards the end comes a somewhat more extreme “contaminent” and a more noise title track, but nothing compared to a track such as “Come Clean”.

All in a descent album.

Links: Consumer Electronics, Dirter Promotions

Post Scriptvm – Eisstoß (2024)

Both the discography and the time that I know this Russian/American outfit go back 25+ years. But, the first release that I got of him was from 2002. Post Scriptvm is back on Tesco for the fifth (if I am correct) collaboration.

“Eisstroß” comes as a luxury vinyl and -of course- as a digital release. It opens with a somewhat noisy ambient piece with highly distorted ‘power electronics’ vocals. What follows are mostly the weird industrial ambient soundscapes that we know Post Scriptvm for, but often quite noisy again (fortunately!). The third track is a superb death industrial track, some of the best noise I heard in a while.

Overall the album contains perhaps a bit too much soundscapish material with too many high frequencies for my liking. The often used vocals give a bit of a ‘Gnawed feeling’ which is a plus.

Weird as I know him, dark as I like him and one sublime outburst. Overall a descent album.

Links: Post Scriptvm, Tesco

Xal – Spirit Breaking (2024)

Tamon “Am Not” Miyakita has a new project. According to Cloister Recordings created together with (the unknown to me artist) Mollusk King: “this tape explores tendency cinematic/dystopian-electronic/ rhythmic industrial to convey the harowing experiences and processes described in the text”.

The opening track is a rumbling piece of noise that shows the hand of Tamon. Then follows a more atmospheric (yet still industrial) track. What comes after indeed reminds a bit of Propergol at times. The tracks are more of a ‘noisescape’ type with samples giving that ‘cinematic feel’. Even though some sounds are known from Am Not, the overall sound and atmosphere here is different. Not as extreme, yet still dark. There is also a reference to the “Auto” 7″ with a track called “Bioluminesence II”.

“Spirit Breaking” is a nice ‘ambient noise’ release.

Link: Cloister Recordings

Sutekh Hexen & Funerary Call – P:R:I:S:M (2023)

The long running Canadian Funerary Call teamed up with the relatively new American band Sutekh Hexen. In three decades, Funerary Call went from “ritual music” to dark / ritual ambient to more noisy material and soundscapes. Sutekh Hexen goes from experimental doom to blasting black metal and also an occasional soundscape. What would the combination bring?

The opening track is a soundscape with a noisy start. Other tracks can also be described as “soundscapes” or sometimes perhaps “noisescapes”. Some tracks are dark and tranquil. At other times the tracks are more noisy. Mostly, there are stretched sounds and vocals giving the material a bit of a ‘ritual feel’. Here and there there is a blast. There are not many metal elements. In the opening track there is some guitar and in “Towards The Eastern Gate” screeching guitars set in about half way, but I would not have mind if that happened more often.

The album is descent, but not the best material of either project in my opinion.

“P:R:I:S:M” has eight tracks and almost 54 minutes running time. The album comes on cd, double lp (red or black vinyl) and through digital means.

Links: Sutekh Hexen, Funerary Call, Cyclic Law

Ausströmen – Intersection (2023)

The debut of this UK noise project from 2018 was launched through Soundcloud, had a few physical releases and ended up on Bandcamp. The second album is now made available on Bandcamp and I have not heard of upcoming physical releases yet.

“Intersection” is quite like “Immobilise”. The noise is not too extreme, there are the typical ‘nagging’ vocals (but not in a negative way) and most tracks have some sort of rhythm, either in beats or pounding industrial. Ausströmen has a distinctive style, so it is not easy to throw in another project name to give you an idea of the sound. But, since both albums are on Bandcamp, you can just listen to them and decide if you want to buy them.

What may be somewhat different this time, is that “Intersection” has more ‘noisescape’ type tracks, which are alright. I prefer to wall of noise type tracks better and they are once again excellent. Also the more industrial tracks are again great.

Five years after a smashing debut (I still play it frequently) there now is a great follow up. Hopefully there will be a physical release again this time.

Link: Ausströmen (Bandcamp)

Gruntsplatter & Underneath The Deadlight – Predation Monoliths (2022)

Gruntsplatter I have known for a couple of decades. Underneath The Deadlight is a new project to me, and (I think) a new project in general. Discogs has only one release listed which is also from 2022 (and released on Gruntsplatter’s label Crionic Mind!). The project’s Bandcamp has six. Discogs has them listed as “dark ambient, industrial”.

A quick scan shows that UTD makes guitar based drone noise, so I guess that explains the amount of guitar on “Predation Monoliths”. The guitar wall of noise with stretched sounds and highly distorted vocals is actually pretty damn good. Perhaps this release is should be more lined with bands such as Khost, Sutekh Hexen or Gnaw Their Tongues than with the ambient death industrial of (early) Gruntsplatter.

There are several platforms where you can listen to the album before deciding whether or not to buy it. I may need to listen to the other releases of UTD as well.

Links: Gruntsplatter, Underneath The Deadlight, Annihilvs

Dødsmaskin – Herremoral | Slavemoral (2022)

I noticed an announcement of a new Dødsmaskin and just as before I thought ‘right, that’s that project that made a very descent ambient noise album’. Well, no ‘ambient noise’ on the new album!

The new album starts with a very rough piece of noisy industrial. Loud blasts, metal clanging, distorted sounds. The second track leans a bit towards death industrial and then we go to some sort of technoish rhythmic noise that ends ‘ambiently’. More tough industrial, ambient that goes over into ‘wall of noise’, downright noise, this is mostly pretty damn good too!

Industrial noise lovers beware, you may have to check out the latest Dødsmaskin.

Links: Dødsmaskin, Ant-Zen, Malignant

Sutcliffe Jugend – The Deluge (2020)

I do not remember having heard (registered) that Jugend is no more. It seems that as a final blast, they had a few releases. There is a 4 cd box called “Relentless” (2019 Death Continues) and two releases on the Singaporean label 4iB. A double cd called “Slaves No More” (2020) and “The Deluge”.

“Slaves No More” seems to be a compilation of material that has been available before, but not combined. The other two releases are newly recorded. Judging the description of “Relentless” this is an extremely brutal release. This certainly cannot be said of “The Deluge”.

“The Deluge” spans 65 minutes, about half of which is taken by the excellent title track. The opening track is a bit of an instrumental soundscape, but in the title track you get threatening industrial noise, but not very extreme. There is much focus on the lengthy lyrics. The track hums and drones, here and there peaks in some noise, but nowhere gets anywhere near to the extremity that Jugend can reach. It is a great and moody track.

Then we get a much shorter and not very interesting soundscape again after which follows an almost atmospheric track with vocals which even include singing. The closing track is another soundscape type of track.

Basically “The Deluge” presents a very long and excellent track and four 3 to 14 minutes tracks which are a lot less interesting.

The three panel digipack looks great and the booklet contains the lyrics.

Link: 4iB