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Somnambulant

When Joy Becomes Saddness * The Time Between Reason And Reality (cdr 2002 somnambulant corpse recordings)

A new black cdr in a dvd-box on the American Somnambulant Corpse label. Quite an active label it is for sure. This cdr is from Clint Listing who we all know from As All Die and Dragonflight Recordings and who has quite a couple of projects. When Joy is a soundscape project which is a bit too monotous for my liking. Here and there it is quite dark which are the better parts to me. There are three long tracs making a total runtime of 60 min. Not horrible, but also not the best SCR release so far.

v/a * XII Caesars (cd 2004 somnambulant records)

Somnambulant Corpse got rid off its corpse, but besides the name and internetaddress, everything remained the same. Here we have a compilation with 10 of the labels bands as some sort of record label teaser and first release in the new Somnambulant style. If you follow my music reviews, you will have some idea what to expect. I have reviewed most of the previous releases. “XII Ceasars” has ambient, dark ambient, more industrial ambient and one noise track. Most tracks are nice. Below average are Post Scriptvm, The Great Despisers and Önd, above average is the noise track of Survival Unit. Since Somnambulant releases are fairly cheap, I suggest you just order your own copy and find out. <26/2/04><2>

v/a * The Outsider (cdr 2002 somnambulant corpse recordings)

“An Aural Channelling Of H.P. Lovecraft” is the fourth SCR cdr and their first compilation. Almost 80 minutes of music with mostly fairly unknown bands, of which I knew (or at least heard off) most. Musically it is dark ambient soundscapes with here and there some noise influences and sometimes a bit more industrial. The most eye-catching name is that of Schloss Tegal. Further you get the three projects that earlier released cdrs on SCR, Tugend, Axone and Bestia Centauri. Then there is Murderous Vision that I knew from the “Live Bait Recording Foundation” compilation 2cassette, Post Scriptvm that I knew from mp3.com and three projects that I didn’t know before, When Joy Becomes Saddness, The Hollowing and Kuru.
However these ambient soundscapes are not really my kind of recordings, I surprisingly enough like most of the tracks on this black cdr. Most tracks are just dark and varried enough to keep my attention, only a few are too monotous for my taste.
So, you may want to get this nice compilation that comes in a DVD box from this young American label.

Tugend * Optimism Is For The Weak (cdr 2002 somnambulant corpse records)

Somnambulant Corpse is a brandnew label from the USA, founded just in februari 2002 but already having three releases out, a nice distro and a wonderfull internetpage. “Optimism Is For The Weak” is the first release of SC. Looking at the celtic cross and the ruins on the cover, the tribalish swastica on the disc and the Ernst Jünger quote on the back of the cover, it seems that also America has discovered the WWII-inspired industrial trend with a new-right edge. Putting the disc in the player you may expect Der Blutharsch-like bombastic industrial with WWII samples. This is where prejudice goes down. Tugend makes soundscapes and soft industrial, but not the bombastic sound of the more popular projects in this vein. There are war- and German speaking samples and orchestral tones though, but Tugend doesn’t really sound like any band that I know. Overall this debut cd is quite nice, not groundbreaking, but pretty nice to listen to.

Post Scriptvm * Gauze (cdr 2002 somnambulant corpse recordings)

I got to know this US band from mp3.com and later I saw that they got a deal on SCR so they ended up on the “The Outsider” compilation (see elsewhere) and here is the first cdr. Rather short (36 min), but in a nice DVD box like other SCR releases. Post Scriptvm makes pretty dark ambient with extremely low frequencies. The music is quite monotous, but just not too monotous to become boring there are industrial and noise elemenets to be heard as well. Some tracks are really dark and wonderfull, others are a bit too monotous.
So, get in contact with the young and interesting SCR recordings, visit their wonderfull page and learn about the music they release. So far they have been worth it, so who knows what the future will bring?

Önd * For Influence Blooms Of The Subtle Wing (cdr 2003 somnambulant corpse recordings)

Hm, is this the same Ond that I know from mp3.com? Also pretty damn dark ambient, so possibly maybe. Anyway, a cdr on Somnambulant Corpse released together with the 2cdr of Ellende. This one also contains pretty monotous and strange soundscapes, but the very low distorted sounds that keep coming back, make this more interesting, pretty dark as well. For the rest simple melodies and a few sounds. A bit more variating would make this project more interesting, so I will be looking forward to see what future releases bring.

Murderous Vision / Kuru * Blood-Brain Barrier (cdr 2003 somnambulant corpse recordings)

As you may expect from the bandnames and title, this is a noise cd. Finally a total noise cd on Somnambulant Corpse. I know Murderous Vision from the Live Bait 2mc compilation (1999) and of course the Somnambulant 2002 compilation “The Outsider”. Also Kuru can be found on “The Outsider”. Both bands present something far more extreme on this violent split-cdr though. MV opens with chaotic noise with screeching and rambling. After a relatively tranquil track all hell breaks loose and you get a smack in the face with three extremely violent tracks which I find highly enjoyable. Slightly rhythmical, low frequences and with distorted sounds and vocals. I especially like the fifth and sixth track which remind a bit of Propergol (first cd).
Then on to Kuru. Very ‘noisescapish’ on “The Outsider” and also here this is a description that I could use. The first three tracks go over in chaotic noise though. Not as good as MV, but still interesting.
Not bad for a noise cd actually. Not bad at all! Keep expanding your limits Somnambulant!

Axone & kNOw * Night Of Deliverance (cdr 2002 somnambulant corpse recordings)

SCR keeps putting out releases at high speed. In the usual DVD-box comes the usual black disc with the (usual?) dark ambient/ industrial/ noise soundscapes. Axone we know from earlier releases. They contributed two long tracks go from tranquil soundscapes via tranquil to harder industrial and noise. kNOw is a new act to me. They contributed four tracks, which start with strange soundscapes and extreme rhythmical noise. The other two tracks are more ambient soundscapes, quite monotous, but dark. Again quite a nice release on SCR, but I hope the next releases will have a bit more variety in style. The noise tracks of kNOw are for example something that I would like to hear more of.

Axone * Casus Belli (mcdr 2002 somnambulant corpse records)

When I had ‘discovered’ Somnambulant Corpse I thought I had something, only to find out that my colleague of Funprox.com already had a review of the Tugend cd. I don’t think there is already a review of Axone on Funprox.com yet though, so at least once I have been a little faster…!
“Casus Belli” is a 3″ cd that comes in a very nice small and sealed package. Three tracks making a length of about 20 minutes. The opening track is a strange soundscape with vague sounds and samples and is not too great. The second track is an even stranger soundscape and already a bit better. Then comes a brilliant third track which lasts for only 5 minutes and which I would have expected on the Tugend cd. It is a soft industrial soundscape with some warlike samples and sounds, noise-influences and deep drones. Really a great track which makes up a lot for the first two.