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Chthonic Streams

v/a – Besides You In Strength (2021)

  • noise

When Thomas Garrison was diagnosed cancer facing an expensive near future, a whole group of fellow noise artists teamed up to create this 28 track compilation go gather financial support.

Released by Chthonic Streams through Bandcamp, I found a variety of known and new (to me) projects. Sistrenatus, Gnawed, Theologian, Gruntsplatter, Murderous Vision, but also names such as Lkerr, Vitriol Gauge, Thoabath and Straight Panic.

Most tracks are not as extreme as Control can get, but you will hear a lot of ‘wall of noise’ type of noise. Also more ambient approaches and industrial tunes.

The contributions are usually fine to good with a few tracks are are less of my liking. All in all not a bad compilation. Let us hope it will also help Garrison in some way.

Link: Chthonic Streams

Dream Into Dust – Fragments Of Legacy (2020)

“So Beautiful And So Dangerous” was the first album in nine years. Now we are again almost nine years further, but “Fragments Of Legacy” is not a new album, rather a compilation.

Here we have contributions to different compilation that we released between 1998 and 2001. Four new tracks have been added. Yes this project is that old. I am too. Derek always refers to the pre-2007 name of this website when he addresses me.

In 1998 / 2001 I still must have followed DID closely, but I only recognise two tracks from this album. Unfortunately I cannot yet see which track is from which compilation so I can fresh up my memory.

“Fragments Of Legacy” does not contain the rock tracks of “So Beautiful”. Most tracks are quiet, ambient, soundscapish with only here and there a guitar or Derek’s vocals (or those of someone else). Coming with the times, some tracks have a bit of a “martial” touch.

Not a new album, not your ‘typical’ DID music either, but mostly dark(ish) ambient music.

Links: Dream Into Dust, Chthonic Streams

Murderous Vision – Abscission (2020)

How me and this project go back, I described four years ago in my review of the “Hidden Histories” tape.

The activity of this project goes back well into the previous millennium. As a matter of fact, the initial release of “Abscission” marked 25 years! First released on tape, now three tracks are added and the same label has made the release available on cd.

As on most releases of the project, the sound is varied. the album opens with dark ambient, continues with slightly ritualistic dark ambient with some rhythm and chanting bringing a faint reminiscence of early Coph Nia. The next two tracks are more dark soundscapes and with “Autumn Black” we slowly work towards more of a ‘noisescape’. This erupts into a death industrial track called “Open The Night Sky” with the extreme vocals that you hear in Murderous Vision tracks every once in a while. A quieter track closes the 50 minute album.

The dark ambient tracks are pretty dark. Not the kind of music that I listen to a lot, but not bad at all. I prefer the rougher side of this project so I am treated with one track.

An album for people who like the dark rumbling border between ambient, industrial and noise.

Links: Murderous Vision, Chthonic Streams

Dream Into Dust ‎* So Beautiful And So Dangerous (cd 2012)

Nine years after “The Lathe Of Heaven” I had never expected another album by Dream Into Dust. Then a while ago I ran into the band’s Facebook page and there was an announcement for “So Beautiful And So Dangerous”. Exited I sent some money to Derek Rush and yesterday the cd fell in the mailbox. The new album opens unexpectedly with a technoish rhythm going over in some kind of industrial rock (or actually drum’n’bass rock). That is not how I remember DID! Would the sound changed that much? The next tracks are more like earlier material. Soft, somewhat poppy rock music with a lot of electronics in the background, dreamy atmospheres and a complex set of layers to the music. There seems to be more IDM this time and there even are elements of synthpop and other (too) catchy sounds. The larger part is either dark or darkly melancholic. Dark ambient soundscapes alternating with shoegaze songs and whatever you (did not) expect from DID. The album certainly is mature and well-structured, but it does not grip me like its predecessor does. Still a very interesting album not following any of the scene’s trends. Dream Into Dust keep doing their own thing and they do it well.
Link: Dream Into Dust, Chthonic Streams

Dream Into Dust * The Lathe Of Heaven (cd 2003 chthonic streams)

At last there is a new DID cd. It was a long wait since the masterpiece “The World We Have Lost”. A less interesting (but still nice) 7″ and compilation contributions in the meantime and now a new fulllength. Derek Rush released it himself and did the wonderfull artwork himself as well. Musically DID has evolved but is still obviously DID. A strange but magnificent mix between tranquil electronic music, industrial, rock, acoustic guitars and the vocals of Rush and time also a violin. The cd is fairly melancholic and tranquil, but not without some harscher industrial sounds. 52 Minutes of great music of one of the best and most original bands from the scene.

v/a * On The Brink Of Infinity (cd 1999 chthonic streams)

Here we have a very descent compilation cd from the label of Derek Rush. You will find known and unknown bands, but all in an mysterious and/or neo-folkish style. The bands featured are Howden/Wakeford (neo-classical folky music), Empyrium (dark orchestal), Arcane Art (orchestal), Anima In Fiamme (classical), Funerary Call (dark ambient/ industrial), Nothvs Filivs Mortis (dark ambient), Kerovnian (dark ambient), Gruntsplatter (noise), 15 Delights Of Dionysius (“soundsourcing bones”), 4th Sign Of The Apocalypse (dark industrial), Dream Into Dust (dark industrial) and Backworld (neo-folk). Most tracks are really good and there sure is some original stuff on this compilation. It is deffinately a lot better than most compilations that I have!