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dark industrial

Funerary Call * Beckoning At The Black (mcdr 2004 fossil dungeon)

A Canadian project that I have known since the very beginning. Demos in 94/95, a few 7″s and for a long time there has been talk about a mcd. After many years Funerary Call has alligned with the Riddick twins (of the Fossil Dungeon label, *The Soil Bleeds Black, etc., etc., etc.) who have the same background of electronic music in the early black metal scene. The result is a 22 minute mcd with dark industrial/ambient tracks with a sound that was almost lost. Six tracks of which some are more industrial, others more soundscapish, but all with a nice dark tone. After a contribution to the “On The Brink Of Infinity” compilation (1999) FC is finally again available for the masses.

Ex.Order * Corporate Control (cd 2007 power and steel)

Long ago when I was still a newbee in the industrial world, I got most of my stuff from Loki. In that time they also had the ‘sublabels’ (?) Nature and Organisation and Power and Steel. Apparently at least the latter still exists. For a very long time I couldn’t listen to noise, but the darker sounds of Söldnergeist or Ex.Order appealled to me. Yet I haven’t really followed these projects. I do have some releases of both and now with this new Ex.Order album (the first real album since 1999) I decided to get myself a copy. “Corporate Control” opens with impressive and very dark low-frequency noise tracks, the way I like it! This dark tone remains present, but not all the tracks are as noisy as the first. There are also more ambient-like tracks, but also they are nice. Slow, low frequencies, distorted voices and samples and here and there a noisy outburst. I think the lovers of power electronics need nothing more to be said, get this great new album! For those who are not too familiar with this kind of music, Ex.Order is a noise act that you may start with listening to noise. It is extreme in style, but not too extreme in sound, so your ears may get used to this kind of tonal anarchism.

Deadwood * 8 19 (cd 2005 cold spring)

Cold Spring noise. When I put on “8 19” (unfortunately I haven’t been able to find out what the title refers to, 19 august of some year?) and heard the uncompromising and unstructured extreme noise opening track, I feared that this would be a cd with a kind of noise that I can’t stand. But after 11 minutes we go to track two and things get a lot better, very dark ambient, a little monotous, but nice. Almost 15 minutes later we go on to a better kind of noise, low frequencies, an industrial background, but still pretty damn loud. This goes on for 11 minutes after which a track opens with dark ambient, but going over in very dark noise, a really great track. The last two tracks are shorter, 10 minutes and 4 minutes. The fifth track has some kind of rhythm, but very slow and the last track is more like a dark industrial ambient piece. Accept for the first one, I really like “8 19”. All track have the highly distorted vocals, but that is okay when the music is distorted too. It seems that nowadays noise tends to have the nice, dark sound that I enjoy and not as much making ‘noise for the sake of noise’. Deadwood is also a good example of a noise act that doesn’t stick to one kind of noise, bringing variety and innovation to the genre. That is nice, because I find myself enjoying noise more often than a couple of years ago!

Cyclotimia * New Death Order (mcd 2000 stateart)

After some nice tunes and a sample that was already used by Morthond 8 or 9 years ago, this mcd displays some nice dark ambient and then a brilliant dark industrial second track with ambient interludes and strange sounds and samples. After this the tracks are best described as strange soundscapes with a lot of samples and weird sounds and almost no ‘industrial’ influences anymore.
I like the first two tracks and the rest sounds… alright.

Cruelty Campaign * Distressed Signals (cd 2001 tesco)

A new duo from the USA makes it’s debut (I think) on the German Tesco Organisation. This cd opens very noisy, but pretty soon it becomes clear that CC is not just another American noise-act.”Distressed Signals” mixes strange soundscapes/recordings with various kinds of industrial music, samples and a great dark atmosphere. The result is something that I would describe as dark- ambient-industrial-noise. It is not very violent and there are no beats. There are deep drones, great low frequencies, well-placed samples (sometimes a bit too many though) and overall this is surprisingly original and good! A great release from our friends of Tesco! And it comes in a very nice three-fold digipack too.

C.O.T.A. * Marches And Meditations (cd 2002 sonick sorcery/tesco)

Our friends from Tesco again prove to have a good ear for what you could call “livingroom industrial”. Or maybe I should call it “industrial soundscapes” or “industrial hearplay”? I don’t know what to call this kind of music, but I think that those who are familiar with it, will know what I am talking about. This is the kind of industrial to put in your player and grab a book or maybe better listen intensively. Not the dancefloor-oriented stuff for sure, or the popular bombastic sound. “Marches And Meditations” has five tracks but lasts as long as 64 minutes. Musically it contains what I would call soundscapes. Not the monotous ambient kind of sound- scapes but more a collection of sounds backup by slow industrial rhythms or more tribalish drumming. It is hard to explain because I don’t know what to compare it with to give you a better idea. But, if you like the Cruelty Campaign cd from Tesco (see review below), I think that you will also like this one.

Clophill * Salve Vio (demo 2000)

This is the first demo to be reviewed in these pages. For some reason I don’t run into many demos in the gothic scene. “Salve Vio” isn’t the first demo of the Belgian Clophill, but the first one I have.
The tape starts with some dark industrial with ritual and triballic influences and this sounds pretty nice. After a while it’s time for a more tranquil track, which is a lot less interesting. After some more more or less atmospheric tunes, we go to face B. More atmospheric music here and again not really good. Fortunately, somewhere halfway face B, the tunes darken again and we can listen to some descent ritualistic industrial.
The cover is simple and doesn’t look too good. The tape should best be played without dolby noise-repression, otherwise the sound is too flat.
All in all actually just a mediocre demo with some good moments.

Karjalan Sissit * Karjalasta Kajahtaa (cd 2004 cyclic law)

In a luxery package comes the third cd of this Finnish project. Karjalan Sissit already made bombastic industrial with orchestral influences, but on this cd mr. Pesonen exceeded himself. This new cd will maybe even more appeal to people who like Sophia than the previous. The tracks with opera vocals remind of Predella Avant, others are in the Sophia-style. Also like Sophia, you get dark ambient/industrial tracks and very bombastic tracks. Because this of course is a Karjalan Sissit cd, also some schlager(-like) music. Also again noisy influences, which is fine with me! <29/7/04><3>

Maruta Kommand * Holocaust Rites (cd 2000 kokampf records)

A Brittish duo made a 70 minute cd (their first if I am right) with nice dark industrial and terrible electro/industrial. There are a few nice tracks here, but this electro/industrial really isn’t my kind of music and this is actually the largest part of this cd.
Sorry guys, maybe I should have gone for the MZ offer… But I liked the festival!

v/a * Codreanu – Eine Erinnerung An Den Kampf (cd 2001 oktagön/neue europäische kultur)

After many problems and long delays finally the compilation dedicated to Corneliu Zelea Codreanu (1899-1938) and the Iron Guard is available. The first edition has 100 copies and comes in an A5 52 page booklet and further with two small books, two posters and a load of cards.
You will find a lot of texts about Codreanu and the Iron Guard of course (the Guard of today also contributed to this release). The articles are from Martin Schwarz, Kadmon, Josef Klump, Michael Moynihan among others and in English and German.
There are two cds with Von Thronstahl, Entr’aide Nationale feat. Karceral Flesh, Belborn, Tribe of Circle, Warcom, Dawn & Dusk Entwined, Ain Soph, Scivias, Blood Axis (old track!), The Days Of The Trumpet Call, Londinium Spqr, Book & Sword, Changes/Soul of Steel, Egoades/Natural Faith Project, Socrates Wounded, Marienburg Jugend, Invisible Empire, Foresta Di Ferro, Argine, Wutanes Heer, Sotto Fascia Semplice and my personal favourites Darkwood, Novo Homo, Dernière Volonté, Spiritual Front and Republik Awake. As you can see both industrial and neo-folk and some other music and well-known and less-known projects. Most tracks are (or at least were) exclusive.
Definately the compilation highlight of recent times! Be sure to get a copy of the second version which is limited to 400 copies.