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v/a – Arise (2023)

14 July Cold Spring will present another label compilation. Two cds, 33 tracks, 2,5 hours of music. Most tracks are from earlier releases (unfortunately), a few are from forthcoming releases.

Since Cold Spring releases different kinds of music, “Arise” goes from the heavy industrial of Kollaps and Khost to the dark ambient sounds of Jagath and Sleep Research Facility, noise by the likes of of Himukalt and Satori to more folky sounds such as those of Coil and FM Einheit. There are scene classics. Coil as we already saw, but there are also Merzbow, SPK and Genesis P-Orridge. Also projects that were new to me.

A large part of “Arise” is dark ambient and soundscape, not entirely my cup of tea. The good tracks I already knew. I guess this compilation is mostly meant as an introduction to Cold Spring.

Link: Cold Spring

Haus Arafna – Dunkelheit Bleibt (7″ 2023)

After the heavy “Asche“, the title does not exactly suggest a happy release. Indeed, the title track is quite like the material on the last album. A great track, with the misanthrope of the “Asche”.

The other track is called “Welt Verzicht” (‘world renunciation’). It is a little lighter on the rhythm, but also more “angstpop”.

The first track is magnificent, the other one is great, but I would not mind some old school Arafna noise again some time.

Links: Haus Arafna, Galakthorrö

Mode In Gliany – Amer Armor (2023)

After a 7″ on Galakthorrö a couple of years ago, Mode In Gliany returns to the same label for an album, available on vinyl and cd. Contrary to most other Galakthorrö project, Mode In Gliany also releases material through other labels.

The focus of Galakthorrö seems to be more and more the darker end of minimal wave and less the industrial of days gone. I find this a pity. Even though most releases are alright, I seldom play anything safe Arafna, Növelet, Subliminal and sometimes Herz Jühning.

Anyway, Mode In Gliany has more of a melancholic style. Perhaps not as much as Sühne Mensch or the latest material of Haus Arafna, but more than for example Da-Sein. The album is nice though.

Links: Mode In Gliany, Galakthorrö

Da-Sein – Sore (2023)

The fourth release (third album) all on the same label.

“Sore” opens with an analogues humming with some ‘Arafnian’ sounds, fitting for the label. In “Hell Over You”, the sound is more the November Növelet type minimal wave that we got to know Da-Sein for. It does seem -though- that Da-Sein leaned more towards the darker end of the style on “Sore”.

Like before, the slightly rougher tracks are the more interesting. There are some other ‘Arafnian sounds’ to be found on “Sore” and this time there are also more ambient tracks.

Like the previous releases of Da-Sein, the new album is nice, but I do not expect to listen to it a lot.

Links: Da-Sein, Galakthorrö

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)

Temple Of Clear Light – Eosphoros (2023)

Dan Serbanescu’s best known project is probably Tanz Ohne Musik. He makes music under more monickers. On his Alone In The Hollow Garden Bandcamp, you can find (of course) A.I.T.H.G., but also MMXXIII, Amaterasu and Temple Of Clear Light. There usually are the typical and beautiful grey esoteric designs on black backgrounds. The sound is often the A.I.T.H.G. type experimental, slightly ritual industrial music which is alright, but not entirely my thing.

Also “Eosphoros” opens with a ritual industrial soundscape and an ambient track. Things get more interesting when a bit of rhythm appears in the third track. That tracks is perhaps a little (too much) “trance ambient” (to just name a phrase), but a little further, there is perhaps more IDM. The combination of esoteric, ritual, industrial ambient, could also go into the direction of an Oake type dark techno. Serbanescu could probably do that too.

In general I want to suggest you scanning the A.I.T.H.G. Bandcamp if you like ritualistic ambient and industrial music. The most interesting to me there are the T.P.C.L. releases. Perhaps not brilliant, but certainly interesting.

Link: T.O.C.L.

Abscheu – Creed (2023)

Contrary to some other noise projects, Abscheu has only released a handfull of albums since 2016. After some releases on Unrest, the project found its way to Tesco.

As on previous releases, “Creed” contains dark industrial noise with very extreme vocals. Some tracks are harsher than others. I again prefer the death industrial type tracks over the more ‘ambient’ and chaotic noise ones and especially the tracks that contain vocals.

Abscheu sound somewhat ‘typical’ for an Unrest project, but when it is good, that does not really matter. “Creed” is another good noise album.

Links: Tesco

Moral Order – Backlash (2023)

Moral Order is an active ‘new’ project. After the 2018 album on Tesco that I reviewed, there have been no less than five albums and as many ‘other releases’. The project released through labels such as Tesco, Malignant and Old Europa. Two of the shorter releases were made available by Cloister who now also release this vinyl full length.

The sound of Moral Order goes from dark ambient, to ambient noise, but often working towards more of a ‘wall of noise’ type of noise and death industrial. Extremely distorted vocals bring an extra layer to the fairly extreme sound. However this is my kind of sound, I cannot say that I listen to Moral Order a whole lot. Perhaps it is good, but does not really stand out or something. Also there are other kinds of tracks, more experimental soundscapish things which work less for me, so I would probably not just play an album from start to finish.

In any case, all I can say is that “Backlash” is a good new album in the noise type of music.

Links: Moral Order, Cloister Recordings

Slow Slow Loris – Solve Et Coagula (2023)

In spite the fact that this is not the first release of Slow Slow Loris and that earlier releases are made available by labels that I know, such as Zaetraom and (like the present title) Cloister, the odd band name did not ring a bell.

“Solve Et Coagula” is released today through Bandcamp and on tape. When I put on the album I thought ‘hm, some sort of experimental soundscape type of thing, not entirely my cup of tea’. The vocals reminded me a bit of Alzbeth of The Moon Lay Hidden and on closer listening, the project brings memories of the pre-TMLHBAC project L.A.A.

The music consists of sound experiments which go from soundscapes to more industrial and noise(y) parts. There seems to be guitars and then there are the almost constant vocals of Angela Nina Yeowell. The result is certainly uncommon compared to what I listen to more often, but the more I hear of the album, the more it grows on me. This is actually pretty interesting music. I will have to listen to the previous releases of this project.

You can listen to (and buy) this new album here.

Links: Slow Slow Loris, Cloister Recordings

Michael Idehall – Unending Crisis (mc 2022)

Apparently already out since March 2022, a tape of Idehall on a new label from Berlin, Kontralamakina. “Unending Crisis” is a tape of around half an hour. The sound is on the rhythmic side of Idehall’s spectrum, sometimes perhaps even going a bit further into an EBM-ish direction. There are also the ritual elements, here and there a flinch of IDM and of course Michael’s vocals. There are more ambient tracks and towards the end there is a somewhat noisy indutrial track

“Unending Crisis” makes another nice release.

Links: Michael Idehall, Kontralamakina