KAOSKONTROL -273,15
ALCHEMY OF THE 20TH CENTURY "Birth of a Lifeform" C30

"First release ever on Kaos Kontrol (at that time as a collaboration with Freak Animal), this small tape shows well the musical style of this finnish label. The four tracks on this "Birth of a new lifeform" are dark, slow and brooding, mixing solemn moments and organic sounds. Totally in the vein of the Scandinavian kind of death industrial, Alchemy of the 20th Century use slow and deep percussions, drones of light noises and ambient samples (think of the first Ordo Equilibrio CD) to create dark atmospheres. Isolationist and introspect, this music fits very well dark rooms and empty nature at night, and is definitely not for the light hearted. Not much else to say about this, except that this tape is too short, and that I would like to hear more from this band. Well done and well recorded, this tape feature subtle tracks that never get boring and are rather varied, ranging from drones-oriented music to a solemn passages based on percussions to other, noisier pieces. I don't know what Alchemy of the 20th Century are up to lately, but I would be sure to check their further releases, as this feeds very well my appettite for dark and cold industrial music."
(Recycle Your Ears)

back to releases

K\K 003
TEMPLE OF TIERMES "Psychotropic Substances" LP

"Temple of Tiermes is a duo from Finland, presenting here their first (I think) full length album on a thick vinyl 12" released by Kaos Kontrol and coming with a booklet containing several black and white photos made to illustrate these three tracks. Temple of Tiermes' music is an arhythmic, dark and noisy version of industrial. This is very soundscape-based, but is too heavy to be ambient. Distorted "wind" blows over several waves of drones and soft noise, as very distant beats can be heard. The result is an interesting atmosphere of death industrial, more or less typical from such a music coming from Scandinavia (everybody will think of some of the early Cold Meat Industry releases here). The three tracks are rather similar ("Cauac", the only track on the first side, is a bit more rhythmic, though) but I've been well impressed by the whole thing, that sounds coherent and well done. Not totally electronic minded, "Psychotropic Substances" seem to have been played with other, accoustic, sources, and has some nice sonorities. The main problem of this LP might be the lack of change in the tracks themselves, but the range of sonorities used is interesting, and you don't get bored by Temple of Tiermes. Overall, and even though the production and recording might not be perfect, here is an good surprise that should please fans of dark industrial soundscape, Scandinavian style."
(Recycle Your Ears)

"Pitkästä aikaa tuotos joka on julkaistu vain ja ainoastaan vinyyli LP:nä. Kotimainen TOT on erikoistunut enemmän tai vähemmän pääkopan sisäisien maailmojen tutkiskeluun ja tämä heijastuu myös laajalti heidän musiikistaan. Tyyliksi on valittu tai ehkäpä oikeammin sanoen muotoutunut ambientin ja voimaelektroniikan välimaastoon sijoittuva maalailu. Levyltä löytyy vain 3 kappaletta, mutta kokonaispituus on silti kolmen (45) vartin luokkaa. A-puolen täyttää yksinään piisi "Cauac" joka tarjoilee varsin kylmiä ja kolkkoja äänimaailmoja. Eikä juurikaan väläyttele auringonvaloa kuulijoilleen. Levyn mukana tuleva infovihko sisältää tunnelmaan sopivia mustavalkoisia (taide) valokuvia. Kääntöpuolen aloittava 12 minuuttinen "Lamat" jatkaa siitä mihin lyhyt hengähdystauko puolenvaihdon aikana eli lisää ahdistuneita tunteita painostavasti etenevällä tahdilla. Kiireet on unohdettava tätä levyä kuunnellessa tai kyllästyminen iskee jo alkuvaiheessa. Ei joka mielentilan levy vaan 'musiikkia' pimenevien iltojen seuraksi. Loppusuora häämöttää. Levyn päättävä "Ahau Kines" (Mistä nuo nimet on oikein revitty?) omaa eniten psykedeelisiä vaikutteita ja on samalla levyn pirtein kappale, mikäli moinen ilmaus on tässä tapauksessa mahdollinen. "Psychotropic Substances" ei siis pyri piristämään kuuntelijaa iloisten sävelkulkujen kera, vaan päinvastoin vaikutus saattaakin olla aivan toisenlainen. Levyä on sitten painettu rajoitettu määrä, joten suositeltavaa tiedustella saatavuutta ennen tilausta."
(Sue)

"Tumma särö. Siinä teille Temple of Tiermesin soundi. Kolme pitkää kappaletta, toistoa, toistoa, toistoa ja toistoa. Ei silmitöntä särömyrskyä, vaan maltillista tunnelmointia, tosin erittäin raa'oilla soundeilla. Valitkaa seinästä suosikkipisteenne herkeämätöntä tuijotusta varten, sammuttakaa valot ja ottakaa ääni vastaan. Ennen pitkää musiikki luo oman tilansa, ja alkaa elää. Kuuntelusta tulee asteittain yhä syvemmälle ulottuva sukellus erilaisiin äänikerroksiin; leijuvia särökaaria, matalia äänimattoja, teollista rytmiä, huminoita. Tasaisen äänivyörytyksen keskellä kappaleet kehittyvät verkkaisesti koko ajan, vaikka etenemistä ei huomaisikaan, huomaat lopulta kappaleen päättyneen eri paikassa kuin mistä se oli alkanut. Ehdoton yölevy."
(Toinen Vaihtoehto)

back to releases

K\K 004
STROM.ec "Glass Cage" 7"

"The ep of red heavy vinyl featured 3 tracks from this newcomer, belonging to the new Finnish power electronics generation. Their mechanical loops construct the basis of their assaults, covered by usual distorted vocals. Compare to their excellent CD on Freak Animal I was a bit deceived, especially by vocal effects. But I think this is older material, so nothing to really worried about."
(Noiseist)

"Strom.ec are back after their furious debut "Dogs of Total Order" and before the upcoming full length album on Malignant / Black Plagve, with a red vinyl 7" released on the Finnish Kaos Kontrol label. The first track, "In a Glass Cage" is pretty much what I would call the typical sound of the band: dense walls of noises are stomped over by very noisy repetitive patterns, as an aggressive violent voice spits its hate towards the listener. Having its roots in power electronics, this is still more rhythmic than the usual suspects of the genre (Genocide Organ, Sutcliffe Jugend & co.), and fits more with bands like Institut or Eisengrau, on the most violent and confrontational fringe of rhythmic stuff. The second track, "Hypnoosi" is surprising, with its much clearer beat and his "calm" mood, in comparison to the previous song. It still carries some noise, but is more laid back, and feature a voice samples that calmly replace the anger of Strom.ec's vocalist. Finally, "You or Them", on the b side, is a less rhythmic track that builds slowly. It contains deep percussions and a grunting mix of noises, as well as a "I wanna kill somebody" sample. It's maybe the most complex track of the 7", taking the heaviness of "In a Glass Cage", but not the rhythmic aspect. "Glass Cage" is a short but nice 7" that will probably sell out quite quick, since "Dogs of Total Order" has been well received. It's for sure an interesting record, that will even increase the expectations towards the next Strom.ec album."
(Recycle Your Ears)

"Highly acclaimed Finnish project Strom.ec return after their successful debut CD with a vinyl offering of 3 live tracks recorded either in August 1998 or July 2000. With massively chugging power electronic looped rhythms with spiteful and fully distorted vocals bleed into the mix, "In a Glass Cage" is a fantastically punishing and aggressive in manner. Second track "Hypnoosi" sees a diversion away from the pure death industrial/power electronics with a programmed almost techno styled rhythm, however underlying noise and spoken/echoed vocals retain a heavy and intense flavour. Side B contains a lengthy single track "You or Them" is a brooding offering of mid ranged static and distortion. Things do solidify for a minute or two in via looped noise of flame-thrower like intensity. Radio voices are detectable sporadically in-between the looping framework of loud noise (or even louder noise) and for this reason alone this sounds most like it would have been a partly improvised live recording. A worthy item if the CD was to your liking."
(Spectrum Magazine)

"Aiemmin Freak Animalille CD:n tehnyt duo nyt toisella kotimaisella lafkalla, ja taas mennään. "In a Glass Cage", raastavaa ja hienosti rytmitettyä elektronoisea vihaisilla vokaaleilla. Paha pala. "Hypnoosi" voisi olla oma suosikkini levyllä, pumppaava konebiitti, puhesample (?) ja paljon ilmaa leikkaavia säröviiltoja. Yksinkertaisesti helvetin hieno kappale, joka on aika paljon velkaa Throbbing Gristlelle. Pituudesta narinaa: kyllähän tätä kuuntelisi kauemmin kuin 7":n yhdellä puoliskolla on tilaa. Kääntöpuolen "You or Them" ei sitten yllä ihan samanlaisiin korkeuksiin, toki mielenkiintoista ja paikoittain aika painajaismaista, mutta a-puolen kahden iskusävelmän jälkeen hivenen liian staattista. Jatkoa odotellaan ainakin täälläpäin innolla. Levy itsessään ei hirveästi naurattanut, onneksi sitä teki flaijerissa ollut maininta vinyylin väristä; "blood red vinyl". Tota noi, sori Jukka, mutta minusta se on lähempänä sellaista söpöä vaahtokarkin punaista, eh."
(Toinen Vaihtoehto)

back to releases

K\K 005
[minus] Compilation 2xC45

"The last Finnish release I'll review... honest. This is like a sampler, each side lasting twenty minutes and featuring four names from the Finnish "underground". Niko Skorpio kicks off with a piece called "Kali Sugar". A bass drone with eastern wind instruments... or a badly blown saxophone... can't make my mind up on this one. I was a bit apprehensive about the Skorpio chap. As Cold.Once.Turning.Dust. he put out a great 7" called "Gloom" but then went entirely pants with his first solo LP "Grey Bloom" . But this OK. The reverse side has Alchemy of the 20th Century playing "Leichenschrei" through some effects boxes. Not as cheap and ineffectual as it sounds... honest. Tape two has collaboration between Depther and Cloama. One of them had the effects boxes whilst the other had a copy of SPK's "Songs of Byzantine Flowers" LP. The final side has 2 pieces from Hinageshi Bondage. Not as abrasive as their "Diesel Fruit My Darling" 7" but by far the most accomplished on this release. A while back the Finnish label Some Place Else released a CD called "Nite Mare Slo Motion" where the concept for the bands was to produce somnambulistic soundscapes and quite frankly it failed. This is the compilation that realizes the concept. Nice to put on whilst reading or simply pottering about. As with all Kaos Kontrol releases this is fairly limited but well worth the coffers. Give Jukka M. a call or check out their website but please don't use the Dieter Müh photographs for masturbatory stimuli!"
(Just Glittering)

back to releases

K\K 006
MNEM "Sediment Thesis" 7"

"This is the first release I heard from this Finnish label Kaos Kontrol and the project Mnem. The label says it to be a little bit more academic than usual, but I'm not sure what they mean with that...however this 15 minutes 7" contains a nice and variated noise structure, more soundscape than noise in my opinion though harsh. Have a taste of this alien sound. Go to www.kaos-kontrol.org for more info. And order."
(Der Deutsch Nepalishe Generalstab)

"This is, to my knowledge, the second 7" by Mnem. Since I never heard "Engrama", the first one (also released on Kaos Kontrol). I discovered this Finnish act with the two "Sediment Thesis" tracks. The music on this 7" is hard to categorize. They are based on a repetition of slightly noisy sounds, tightly bound together with drones in a very soundscapish way. At the same time, this is dark and moody, bearing clearly the mark of Scandinavian industrial, with sounds evolving from machine-like to more organic, and a lot of effect being thrown into the mix. The tones are very cut off and deep, but never get really heavy. The overall impression I got from this 7" was one of a heavy soundscape music, not completely unlike Inade, but in a much lighter and less deep way. The heavy ambient, grinding soundscape music is here, but is treated in a more chaotic, repetitive and yet experimental way. This will take several listenings to grow on you, but Mnem has good chances to seduce a lot of fans of calm but definitely dark industrial. This is a fine drone based disc, whose music is "thick" and encompassing enough to become enjoyable."
(Recycle Your Ears)

"Kaos Kontrolin pienipainoksiset vinyylit osa jotain; Mnem menee hammaslääkäriin, pora pyörii suussa 33 rpm ja mieheen sattuu. Kahden kappaleen verran kuumehouredronea kirskuvalle ratikkamatkalle 7a:lla halki Pasilan kalseiden betonisokkeloiden. Jonkin verran kokeellista noisea, maistuu kuin tuore pulla, tosi hyvältä ja aika usein. Kannet ovat yhtä karheat kuin värittömät. Ja hienot."
(Toinen Vaihtoehto)

"Back to Finland, to a band that can do no wrong and from a label that can do no wrong. Mnem are certainly traditionalists, with an instrumentation that has yet to move in to the 1980's, never mind the 21st century. Stockhausen, Watermann, Bremner and Bertie Vogts; you can name check them all but it still won't mean a damn thing... except an interesting back four! Mnem used to sound like early Soviet France, which used to be a pleasure because the Soviet boys went pants... and now they've developed their own sound. I'm going to use the words sonic ambience again and essential. The Mnem releases are coming out on extremely limited runs at the moment so buy now or pay later. Contact Juri for details. He also runs his own tape/CDR label called Negative Foundation who've put out a couple of interesting compilations and I think he's just about to do a Big City Orchestra release. Essential."
(Just Glittering)

"The first 45, "Sediment Thesis" (Kaos Kontrol K/K 006 7"), by those paragons of the contemporary Finnish underground, Mnem, is an excellent piece of sound manipulation that spatters along like like the head of Luca Brazzi rolling around in a big canvas drum. The basic sounds were produced by "analogue gadgets" which were then fed through some old reel to reels, where they were allowed to decompose, shift and rotate. The results are quite beautiful, especially heard in the dark. The first piece consists of undefinable, althrough natural sounding, events. They seem to be happening just over the horizon, but there is some sort of interference inside the listener's brain that keeps them from cohering. The second piece is a bit more clattery, with something that sounds like a metal pig mask trapped inside a spinning wheel cover of a Cadillac sedan pointed straight towards magnetic north. It's a nice, dark, thoroughly winning combination."
(Wire Magazine)

back to releases

K\K 007
TIERMES "210" 10"

No reviews available.

back to releases

K\K 008
KAOS EX MACHINA I 2xCDr

No reviews available.

back to releases

nM 1.1
DEPTHER "Altar State" CDr

"The first release is by Depther, the solo work of a Finnish guy from the band I.corax (not that that ring any bells here). There are three lengthy piece of very dark soundscapes, two are studio pieces and one is a live pieces. Heavy, dense, dark atmospheric music of sounds being pushed around through the wild bunch of sound processors. Vibrant stuff, as opposed to some of the more static counterparts to be found in this alley. The live piece is a bit more static then the studio pieces though."
(Vital Weekly)

"I don't understand why an underground noise label would go out of their way to deface their promotional material by writing "promo" across the title tab of the sleeve (thankfully not the front/back cover) and then "Promotional copy!" on the top of the CD-R. This is noise, not a greedy corporate major label scheme to prevent items from being "illegally sold". Besides, it's really annoying to receive solid work in the mail, only to file it away in your personal collection with the dreaded cry of "promo" emblazoned across the package. Anyway. Depther is a Finnish project, and I believe that this CD-R is the debut, throwing forth three lengthy tracks of wonderful dark ambient music with superb atmosphere. Opening piece "The Shadow Gazer" is only about six minutes long, but it's with the following title track that the 20-minute insanity begins! "Altar State" is an excellent composition, using a wealth of deep, resonant tones and spacey synth textures alongside disturbing cries (Perhaps vocals/samples?) fading in and out and swirling around in the distance. As the track progresses there are some drastic changes: A few brief "harsh" areas (in comparison to the rest, at least), passages exhibiting almost total minimalism, subtle musical elements, etc. Superb work, indeed. The last track is called "Live 25.5.2001". I'm not sure if this is a recording of an actual live performance, or just a 20 minute track that was recorded live in one take. Since the sound quality is very nice, and right on par with the rest of the release, my vote goes for the latter option. though I could be wrong. Regardless, another exceptional track using constant synth textures and spacey layering, as well as samples deep in the background. I actually like the samples a lot, because you can sort of understand parts of the content, and they are also effective simply as additional layers of sound. Towards the end a quiet beat comes into play, never overpowering the core of ambient synthesizers. The layout is a good match for the music: Abstract textures, a logo, and a bit of text. Nothing more. (It's supposed to be packaged in a slim jewelcase with actual artwork on top of the CD-R, but the "Promotional copy!" isn't like that.) This is a very nice debut. I'd like to hear more. Oh, and this is limited to only 150 copies, so if interested act quickly."
(Aversionline)

"Nihil Market, een burn it yourself satelliet van het rijzende Finse label Kaos Kontrol, lanceert zichzelf via drie zeer gelimiteerde (150 exemplaren) cdrs in professioneel gedrukte hoezen. Debutant Depther (een I.Corax lid) duikt de diepte in met drie dreunende monolieten. Massieve constructies boordevol vibrerende drones sleuren je mee naar de kern van een vulkanisch actieve aardkorst. Deze cdr bevat ook een registratie van een optreden waarbij Depther zijn massieve dark ambient trillingen doorkruist met elektronica, metaal op glas, samples en trage drums. De hoogstaande mythische kwaliteiten van "Altar State" zullen zeker op de belangstelling mogen rekenen van duistere oren die houden van Lustmord en Inade."
(Gonzo Circus)

"Nihil Market is a burn it yourself satellite of the rising Finnish Kaos Kontrol label. All cdr's come with professionally printed covers in very limited runs of 150 copies. I.Corax member Depther makes his debut with three impressive dark ambient monoliths. Massive constructions of deep drones and vibrating basses drag you down into the volcanic crust of the earth. The third track is the registration of a 2001 live performance where Depther embellished his earthshaking music with electronics, metal on glass percussion, samples and slow drums. The mythical music of this interesting solo-project comes highly recommended to dark ears who love projects like Lustmord or Inade."
(Old Europa Cafe magazine)

"First of all, I must confess that I haven't heard the music of the Finnish band I.corax in my whole life, so I can hardly know if it differs from its dark ambient side project that you're going to find here. This debut, "Altar State", is a three pieced album that Nihil Market, the Kaos Kontrol sub-label, published as its first reference last year, setting the standards for the following releases in the outfit from then on: i.e. CDR editions with photocopied cover in ultraslim case and limited to 150 copies. And it's a good start, indeed; the kind of stuff that L.O.K.I. Foundation would have been proud to present under its banner, so here you have a clue to infer some details about the musical content.
"The Shadow Gazer", track number one, is an almost six minutes mysterious cut with a prominent hypnotic loop from beginning to end, while gloomy sampled sounds plus voices and, in the middle of the song, a shaded melody appear in the background, conforming a sort of discreet introduction for the couple of long tracks that will develop subsequently for around twenty minutes each. The first of these, named like the disc, keeps more or less the same pattern than the previous one, although highly developed and far richer. In fact, the whole album evidences a strong feel of uniqueness, probably helped by the small quantity of compositions and their close sonority, to the extent of making possible to take the entire oeuvre as an unique large construction divided in three different sections or moments. And the last of them is entitled "Live 25.5.2001", but don't let yourself be taken in, it doesn't sound as a real live performance at all, and since I have no more information, we could think that it refers to another 'live' concept. In any case, what matters is that the song works well as a conclusive piece and supports the described tone, starting with a synth chord as a basis that will remain during the first part, and will fade slowly while arriving at its middle until it disappears. The accompaniment is the kind of which we could hear before, but now the atmosphere turns more transparent in terms of sound, the sampled voices are clearer and even recognizable sometimes. It all changes slightly when waves and loops reach the chief role and the general mood turns more quiet, till the final sequence assume the duty with a cadenced sober ritual beat, wrapped in the ambient resonances that we've perceived along the advancement of the opus; and what's best, always without breaking the sensation of continuity and with a well achieved unfolding.
To say the ending words, a calmed effort that will easily grab the attention of the many fans of the genre, and as well done as some of the recent professional CDs that have gained a far bigger recognition during the last times. A real surprise, and a very good one, that really worth a try."
(Seküencias de Culto)

"Olen yleensä suhtautunut epäilyksellä CD-r julkaisuihin. Oululaisen Deptherin esikoinen "Altar State" on kuitenkin esimerkki siitä, että moinen asenne ei kannata. Kyseessä on I.Corax-yhtyeen sivuprojekti, ja levyn on julkaissut Kaos Kontrol -lafkan alamerkki Nihil Market. Mutta sen, että kyseessä on tuntemattoman nimen vielä tuntemattomampi sivuprojekti joka on julkaistu CD-r:nä pienen levy-yhtiön vielä pienemmällä sivumerkillä ei pidä antaa hämätä, sillä "Altar State" on todella huipputason dark ambientia. Levyllä on kolme kappaletta, joista kaksi ovat studiomateriaalia ja yksi on liveäänitys. Ensimmäinen kappale "The Shadow Gazer" on lyhyempi kestoltaan ja toimii lähinnä introna levyn yli 20-minuuttiselle nimikkoraidalle. Musiikki on jäätävän kylmää, rauhallista maisemaa kirkkaan heleillä äänillä muotoiltuna. "Altar State" on kuin kristalliveistos, joka jatkuvasti muuttaa muotoaan, ilman että mikään klisee pääsee häiritsemään tyylipuhdasta kokonaisuutta. Livekappale on sen verran ammattimaisesti taltioitu että sitä ei livemateriaaliksi voisi erottaa. Sekin on erittäin onnistunuta, vaikkakin hieman tavallisempaa materiaalia, sisältäen mm. syntikkasäveliä ja puhesampleja. Tyylikkäisiin painettuihin kansiin pakattu "Altar State" kannattaa ehdottomasti hankkia niin kauan kuin pientä painosta riittää, sillä se osoittaa Suomesta löytyvän saman tason dark ambient -tekijöitä kuin STROM.ec ja Grunt ovat raskaan industrialin saralla. Peittoaa monen tunnetumman ulkomaisen artistin mennen tullen.
(Kuolleen Musiikin Yhdistys)

back to releases

nM 1.2
SSHE RETINA STIMULANTS "Central Node Recording" CDr

"Sshe Retina Stimulants is one of those names I see around, maybe lend an occassional ear to, but never really dived into. Apperentely they use here environmental sounds ("gathering acoustic signature from central railway stations" it is called on the cover), which are then sampled into a short loops. These loops are played all over the frequency spectrum and is heavily loaded with sound effects. This results in a more harsher form of industrial music, without leaping into industrial boredom."
(Vital Weekly)

"Here are seven tracks from this Italian artist, based around manipulated field recordings of railway stations. The insert calls it a "symbiotic alchemy of social decoding and personal icons, designed to extract perception and meaning from saturated media". Okay. I can't say whether or not the material succeeds on that front, I'll leave that up to Sshe Retina Stimulants. What I can divulge is that these seven tracks are all rather long experiments in harsh electronics, though by "harsh" I simply mean abrasive, because there is also an ample balance of ambient action in here too. All of the songs run right at or more than six minutes (usually the latter) and make use of loops and extensive layering, certainly masking the field recordings beyond recognition. One thing that I don't exactly like is that the compositions are often jagged, with stuttering arrangements that jump about. On one hand it can be startling, and that's nice, but on the other hand it can disrupt the flow and on occasion sound like a mistake. My only other complaint is that many of the compositions don't hold my interest past the halfway point. Their repetitive nature is not completely effective, and the changes are often not drastic enough to really make a difference. A track like "Communicating Escalator Anorexia" is different, using significantly calmer elements as well as some very aggressive sections that carry the piece along through its eight minutes very well. "Instant Newsagent Consumption" is similarly effective, with several distinct modifications and moods covered along the way. "Prime Coffee Overdosing" seems to fit its title well, starting off with jumpy rhythmic chunks and eventually plowing into a full-blown assault of traditional harsh noise. It's interesting to note that all of the song titles are three words (along with the name of the project and the record itself): "Crowded Vending Automatism", "Eroded Platform Microscopy", etc. The packaging here is very minimal, mostly black in fact, with plain text and only a few abstract images on the front cover. It's supposed to come in a slim jewelcase, ad for some odd reason the label put "promo" markings all over it, blah, blah. This is definitely not bad. I think fans of the harsher side of things would enjoy this more than I, but I do cite promise. This is not generic for what it is."
(Aversionline)

"I just received the new Sshe Retina Stimulants compact disc, "Central Node Recording" (Nihil Market) from Paolo Bandera. The recordings are really rich sounding, and they are full of depth. SRS once again delivers a recording that is distinguished by frequencies, both high and low, that blast out of the speakers, while at the same time, feel as if they are a part of a cohesive composition. I am looking forward to delving into this disc much further."
(Mark Solotroff/BloodLust!)

"Paolo Bandera alias P.NG5361 kenen we van het legendarische project Sigillum S. maar sinds dit monster een winterslaap houdt, stopt deze Italiaan ineer tijd en moelte in zijn soloactiviteiten als Sshe Retina Stimulants. "Central Node Recording" bestaat uitsluitend uit elektronisch bewerkte field recordings die gemaakt zijn in stations; en wie reeds vertrouwd is met S.R.S. weet dat het feedbackachtige geluid van remmende ijzeren wielen op ijzeren rails tot de lievelingsklanken van de schuldige behoort. Toch is "Central Node Recording" wat minder extreem dan de gemiddelde S.R.S. release: de oorsplijtende hoge tonen blijven binnen de perken en rusten op laagjes white noise en zwaar gefilterde concrete geluiden. Af en toe zorgen de loops zelfs voor een effect dat we met enige goede wil ritmisch kunnen noemen. Metaalslakken die niet genoeg kunnen krijgen van de ijzeren conceptalbums van Aube zitten in elk geval goed voor een uurtje koptelefoonpijn."
(Gonzo Circus)

"Being released by the co-editor of this magazine is not the reason why I'm telling you this record is good, but the music and covers are definitely so high quality that I can't come to any other conclusion than give absolute recommendations. Even though this has professionally printed glossy covers, printed labels on CD and "professional" looks, I must admit that if this was a real CD release, it would receive better reaction from people. This is better than any other SRS material that I have heard so far, and I do have their 7"s, CDs and some tapes. Sound is more varied than it is in old recordings, but follows the same atmosphere that is in other SRS work. Noisy electronics, samples and rhythm, with great use of echo and other effects and talent to put it all together with great result in all songs and a solid full length CDr."
(Degenerate)

"Paolo Bandera or P.NG5361 is best known for his work with Sigillum S. but since this monster is hibernating, S.R.S. is getting most of his time and attention. "Central Node Recording" is a limited (150 copies) cdr filled with manipulated and heavily filtered field recordings made in railway-stations. Those familiar with the Sshe Retina Stimulants backcatalogue are well aware of this Italian's love for the piercing feedbacklike sound of a breaking iron wheel on an iron rail! Having said that, I must add that this cdr is less extreme and high-pitched than most of Bandera's solo-output. The ear-piercing tones intermingle with subtle layers of white noise and loops of concrete sounds that can almost be described as rhythmical! Iron eardrums who freaked out on Aube's metallic experiments should embrace this hour of headphone pain."
(Old Europa Cafe magazine)

"An already legendary project of Mr. Paolo Bandera, of the even more legendary Italian act Sigillum S (not to mention Helix or his work as a long time collaborator in Iugula-Thor as well), which presents another more than fine CD-R in the Nihil Market series. The result is as harsh and gritty as you can expect from such an experimental unit, although shows a less ear-wounding perspective when compared with its previous efforts after all. Originally conceived as an alter ego for video activities in the Sigillum S framework, Super Sound High Energy (S.S.H.E.) Retina Stimulants started as an ambitious project ‘intended to conjure a subliminal reference to sensorial synesthesia, with hyperintense noise causing total hallucinations’ (interview with Sshe Retina Stimulants, Descent Magazine #4, p. 16, 17), an effect that our object of comments can provide in the same form, although the original focus has been rearranged quite a bit for this occasion. Presented as ‘a volcanic sound exploration of virtual environmental sources, gathering acoustic signature from central railway stations and shifting them into hyperventilating media… a symbiotick alchemy of social decoding and personal icons, designed to extract perception and meaning from saturated media’, you can infer that the complex rhetoric speech of the artist hasn’t faded away with the pass of time, and that with this release, Mr Bandera has decided to take out of context his surrounding day-living experiences and get its inner-essence through his habitual process of sonic deconstruction. The disc consists of seven cuts, being the first one ‘Eroded Platform Microscopy’, which starts with a repetitive gritty wave and an increasing granular layer plus synth. Then the initial wave disappears and new repetitive patterns emerge. Volume comes and goes, the same as samples. During the whole disc, the constructions aren’t especially complex in terms of quantity of sounds, but these are exceptionally structured and diversified. This way the several ranges of sonority have enough room to, let’s say, breathe and to be appreciated without forming a confusing blur. ‘Cloaking Speedlink Detour’ (yes, the SRS titles keep on being that original, and out of curiosity, every single one in ‘Central…’ is formed of three words, figuring a special parallelism) commences with another loop, this time quite melodic: a sort of nice hypnotic sound repeated until a second one, this time made of feedback, emerges and the early sample gets distorted. From then, the tone of the track turns into an hypnotic encounter of harsh loops that increase intensity till the middle of the song, when some of the sounds fade away and the ambiance is calmed to return to another climax and finally turn down volume, although sound never disappears, just ends abruptly. The third cut is called ‘Commuting Escalator Anorexia’, and again starts pretty quiet with repetitive, almost non-distorted consistencies, and then more granular textures emerge, following a development similar to the prior track until more or less the half of the song, when clean bass frequencies totally change its direction in an unexpected (and brilliant) manner. ‘Traumatic Delay Announcement’ has a surprising initiation with a percussive factory-like sampler that comes and suddenly vanishes for a few times. Then we have some mysterious low-pitched murmuring echoed voices and a clinical regular high pitched (not ear-piercing) note. This piece is really monotonous and almost ritualistic, and ‘Crowded Vending Automatism’ starts in a similar way, fairly cold, with very few sounds but enough to provide atmosphere, and after eight minutes of fluid progression, some final interferences awake the listener from the trance. ‘Prime Coffee Overdosing’ starts with a down-tempo rhythm of samples, again like a mantra, but noise appears after the initial minutes, not devastating (you won’t find devastation in this CD, everything’s heavily measured) but powerful enough; and yes, in form of repetitive sample. White noise dominates the climax, helped by a pounding bass like a heartbeat for a while, and finally some electronic frequencies are all that rest, increasing intensity till the immediate end. Concluding, ‘Instant Newsagent Consumption’, besides the usual sounds, has a strong Ambient feeling for the first three minutes, when some noise comes out, but dilutes into echoes rapidly, and the ambiance keeps on. I would say this is one of the tracks with more parts in it, since lots of distinct moods appear and then go along the general sound. Moreover, it shows some interesting stereo effects that you should check with your headphones and some ‘glitchy’ noises acting in a percussive way during more than half of the composition. So finally, I can’t see the reason why a disc like this, released two years ago and limited to just 150 copies, should be still available. Even if Paolo has always chosen the more underground path, SRS is a living institution in Experimental music, in perfect shape almost 20 years after the foundation of Sigillum S and offering something different each time, while an endless plague of mediocre and cloned CD-Rs is pumping out every single day. Another excellent lesson in electronics for my collection."
(Seküencias de Culto)

back to releases

nM 1.3
HINAGESHI BONDAGE "Pariisi vuonna 1959" CDr

"The last one is not a new Japanese act, but the first production of a Finnish guy, who has some other stuff on vinyl. I expect some sort of DJ thing, as the stuff here is all from reworked vinyl. He brings up all the levels to where some people might say: right this is a bunch of noise. Rhythmic noise that is to say, because he creates loops from vinyl. Some things come together here which I don't like: the extensive use of vinyl and noise. I liked the noise thing when I was younger and when it had the power I was looking for; never liked DJs though. Here is where I take off and leave it."
(Vital Weekly)

"This Finnish project unloads eight tracks of experimental noise recorded using turntables, electronics, vocals, and guitar. After a brief introductory track of relatively straight noise, things get interesting with "Jumala on Kauneus", using melodic loops and feedback amidst hissing distortion and harsher undercurrents. Prior to a painfully distorted end, the composition pretty much repeats itself for five minutes, but it's really not boring. "Virvat" introduces some distant beats and twisted feedback manipulations that offer yet another approach (though still utilizing several very abrasive layers at certain points). Some of the other tracks tend to sound similar to one another (though they're not awful), based around loops and grating feedback sounds, without any elements that strike me as particularly interesting. The recording is nice, but it really needs more depth. The tonal range is fairly restricted to the midrange with a good dose of treble and a slight bit of low-end. But the treble isn't very bright, and there's really no roundness to the bass tones either (aside from the final track, "Paine", which is a stunning display of utter dark ambient), so things come off sounding a bit flat. I think some of the less intriguing pieces would fare much, much better with a stronger sound. Again the CD-R is labeled "Promotional copy!" and packaged in a foldover sleeve that has been defaced with the word "promo" written over the small title tab, and I just don't find this tactic to be necessary or appropriate for an underground noise label. I can only assume that this is in fact the proper package (though it's supposed to come in a slim jewelcase with actual artwork on top of the CDR). The layout is quite nice though, all in black and white with subtly desolate imagery. Definitely good work, if the majority of the songs had the diversity or impact of tracks like "Paine" or "Jumala on Kauneus", Hinageshi Bondage would be well on the way to impressing many. This one's limited to a mere 150 copies, folks."
(Aversionline)

"First full length album for this Finnish duo, released on the CDR sublabel of the (also Finnish) Kaos Kontrol label. Since I do not speak Finnish (and therefore don't understand the title of the tracks) and because of the bleak aspect of the sleeve, I had no idea what to expect with this CDR. And I was rather well surprised, Hinageshi Bondage being a rather good newcomer and "Pariisi Vuonna 1959" being an enjoyable album. To cut a long story short, this is a CDR a structured but mostly arhythmic noise. Very distorted and saturated, the sound is harsh and gritting, staying constantly harsh for at least the first three tracks. These are ear crushing and very noisy, but their sound is echoed and rather ample, giving the impression of being recorded live in an empty room. The tracks therefore do not sound as insanely intense as something by Lefthandeddecision or Merzbow, letting more space to your ears to adapt to the noise. The result is that however noisy this can be, this album has a strong "musical" feeling, and is easily enjoyable. From the 4th onwards, Hinageshi Bondage adds some light rhythms or variations to their sound, playing with things that sounds like an extremely overdriven and treated guitar and looping their sound. From time to time, the music gets slightly melodic under the walls of noise. And here is maybe the main difference between Hinageshi Bondage and common power electronic or harsh noise: like only few acts, these two Finnish guys seem to focus more on the musical and tonal aspect of noise than on its raw power. Still ending with something that will seem far too harsh to your neighbours, they create here an introvert and encompassing noise album which is intelligently done and very worth checking out."
(Recycle Your Ears)

""Pariisi vuonna 1959" voisi toimia esimerkkinä siitä, että cdr:nkin voi tehdä hyvän näköiseksi. Kaos Kontrol/Nihil Market ei tosin koskaan ole törkeän näköisiä julkaisuja tehnytkään. Itse sisältö alkaa äänellä, joka aiheuttaa fyysistä pahoinvointia. Tästä jatketaan yhteen onnistuneimmista noise/power electronics/jne. -alan yksittäisistä raidoista. "Jumala on kauneus" kuulostaa siltä, että tuolla Pariisissa on joku vuonna 1959 tuonut paikalle helvetin ruosteisen sirkusryhmän, joka ties missä aineissaan ei saa mitään aiemman touhunsa kaltaista aikaan, vaan vääntelee ruumiinosiaan miten sattuu. Homman pelastaakseen vedotaan varmuuden vuoksi ylempiin voimiin mutta kun sellaisiin ei uskota, homma meneekin yllättäen kaikessa kaoottisuudessaan täysin nappiin. Tätä voisi kuunnella ties kuinka kauan. Tämän jälkeen loppulevy jääkin aika kasvottomaksi aina toiseksi viimeiseen raitaan saakka. Tämä "Pariisi nukkuu" niputtaakin päivän. Viimeinen lienee loogisesti sitten unta? Mutta mitä tuossa välillä tapahtui, se jää arvoitukseksi."
(Toinen Vaihtoehto)

"De naam suggereert Japan maar de identiteitskaart onthult Finland: Hinageshi Bondage. Dit éénmansproject laat zich niet zomaa in een vakje stoppen, wat resulteert in een opeenstapeling van klanklandschappen die optimisten gevarieerd en zeurkousen onsamenhangend zullen noemen. Er wordt druk geswitcht tussen oorverdovende noise, verknipte orkesten, kalme ambient, draaitafelmanipulaties, pure geluidsexperimenten, dierlijk gebrul, rituele percussieloops enzovoort. Deze soloartiest heeft al enkele vinylreleases op zijn actief maar wie will kennismaken met Hinageshi Bondage in al zijn gedaantes schaft zich beter "Pariisi Vuonna 1959" aan."
(Gonzo Circus)

"The name suggest Japan but the passport unveils Finland. Hinageshi Bondage is a one man's projects that goes out if it's way to avoid being pin-holed: so optimists can say that this limited (150 copies) cdr is varied while professional complainers will call it disjointed. What we hear is a nervous mixture of thundering noise, turntable experiments, bestial roaring, musique concrète and ritual percussionloops. Hinageshi Bondage has released some vinyls but this cdr is the best way to discover this Fin's full arsenal of sounds."
(Old Europa Cafe magazine)

"And with this one we end our review of the complete Nihil Market series (look for Sshe Retina Stimulants and Depther in this section as well) with this Finnish duo, probably more familiar to some of you because of their Verdura Records label. Every title is in Finnish, but I’ll comment each track separately anyway, in order to depict the varied content of the disc more easily; this way you can go directly to the song I’m referring to. Well, ‘Lähestyminen’, the first one, is rather simple: just a minute and a half of high-pitched feedback with slight variations; it’s not absolutely ear-piercing because the volume is not completely loud, but the tone is wounding enough. Then we have ‘Jumala On Kauneus’ with some few seconds of more feedback to be followed by a repetitive loop that will keep on incessantly for more than five minutes. It’s rather melodic but distorted, giving a more textured impression to it. Other samples are added, in a looping mode as well to complement the main one; as a sort of feminine voice, for instance. The general impression is essentially cold and somewhat flat due to the small amount of samples intervening, but for some reason it works in a paranoiac and somewhat obsessive way. The principal loop gets a more lo-fi quality and changes its tempo and pitch in the end, as like sounding in a turntable losing power. And pay attention to this little detail, which is pretty eloquent due to the fact that Hinageshi Bondage obtains most of their sounds from this source, turntables, together with electronics, guitar and voice; which explains the rounding character of some of their efforts, like in this second piece. The third is ‘Viilto’, which fades in again in a cyclic manner, but this time harsher. Like happened before, there’s some additional sample that comes out during the second half of the second minute; but towards the fourth one, the tone varies dramatically into a deeper one, and again looped, distorted as well and there’s no too much variation from here until the tenth minute, when the track ends, because the very small variations appear so fluidly that are almost unnoticeable, the whole fading away slowly for a minute or so in the end. Now some things change for a while. In ‘Virvat’ the prior gritty layers disappear and we have an almost tribal rhythmic percussive pattern (yes, it seems a turntable) plus dynamic layers of feedback in the background, together with something sounding like a filtered voice. The result is pleasing and dissimilar when compared with the first three cuts. After this, ‘Sävyt Tanssivat’ commences with some noise and a symphonic sample till the first half minute and the apparition of feedback raging violently in a loop. Some noise bursts sound randomly in a lovely manner, making of this composition one of the rawest in the album. The final is especially remarkable, with some sort of powerful interferences, and finally is the initial musical sample what remains. ‘Planeetta Kuume’ is fairly brief, just a minute and a half: even a bit shorter than the introductory song. But on the other hand is probably the most active one, with a monotonous bass in the background, but the focus are the multiple factory-like resonances, highly echoed and reverberated. The seventh track, ‘Pariisi Nukkuu’, has opening bursts through a pronounced delay, and then an industrial thick wall takes the main and unique role, save for some mysterious note emerging periodically from within the sonic chaos. Throughout the fourth minute there’s an additional loop, this less harsh than the rest as well. It’s followed by some hard-to-be-identified sounds, but what’s important here is how the massive pandemonium produces a shelter of frequencies. Again the track suffers some slight variations in the last seconds to end smoothly. And ‘Paine’ concludes with the lowest atmospheres of all. Extremely calmed repetitive bass with deeeeeeeeep reverberations making your room rattle; just play it loud and get pleasure from the heavy low cover, more and more prominent with the development of the piece. Even if ‘Pariisi…’ probably won’t be chosen as the album of the year in every mailing list, its final result is peculiar and entertaining enough to deserve the investment of your hard earned euros in it. Different and varied, easily of being enjoyed if you’re into Experimental electronics, and for sure appealing for the most curious part of the audience. Probably, the final product is not especially dynamic, but surely they never pretended it; its virtue seems to be the way they arrange the looping structures within the whole compositions. It will be nice to hear more of the project in the next future; and we can say the same about Nihil Market, which has been quite inactive since the edition of the already referred releases, that put out a classic act and two newcomers with sufficient potential to provide more surprises soon. Very nice once more."
(Seküencias de Culto)

back to releases

K\K 009
MNEM "For Delta Relics" CD

"From the very fine print on this CD I learned that this CD uses 'reel-to-reel tapes rotated recycled looped and manipulated ANALOGICALLY by Mnem', who is probably from Turku, Finland (since it was recorded there). However Mnem is, I don't know; a duo I am told. Also I don't know in what was on the reel-to-reel tapes; sounds they recorded themselves or found sound? Maybe it's not really important to know. In these seven lenghty pieces we find a highly unfocused and undefined music. Mood music for the darker hours and the darker minds. The treated sounds (slowed down in the various speeds reels offer) and looped fragments: they hint to what was called in 80s ambient industrial. Certain works by MB, or works by Maeror Tri and Illusion Of Safety spring to my mind. But to entirely slag this off as a nostalgic copycat, doesn't it to it entirely justice. I liked playing it. There is a fair dose of variation in these pieces Mnem offer, a constant shift to new worlds and territories. Some of Mnem ancestors were certainly more static. Also the fine balance between the ambient side and the industrial side is well kept in here. This CD offers maybe no new insights, but it is well executed."
(Vital Weekly)

"Kotimaisen kokeellisia ja outoja äänimatkoja väkertävän Mnemin ensimmäinen kokopitkä "For Delta Relics" on myös Turkuun muuttaneen Kaos Kontrol-levymerkin ensimmäinen CD-julkaisu. Mnem on tähän asti ehtinyt tehdä joitain pienempiä vinyylijulkaisuja, jotka ovat olleet mielenkiintoista ja erikoista, vaikkakin aika vaikeaa tavaraa. "For Delta Relics" on paljon mukaansatempaavampi ja dynaamisempi mutta helppo se ei kuitenkaan ole, vaan vaatii tietynlaisen keskittyneen olotilan toimiakseen. Tyylillisesti levy on noisen ja ambientin välimaastossa olevaa "konkreettisista" äänistä muodostuvaa todella hämärää äänimaailmaa joka voisi melkein olla sisarteos Wiltin viime vuonna ilmestyneelle upealle "Radio 1940":lle. Erilaiset vanhahtavat koneäänet ovat levyllä keskeinen elementti, herättäen mielikuvia vuosikymmeniä vanhoista tietokoneista ja teknisistä laitteista elämässä omaa elämäänsä, unohdettuna vanhojen tehtaiden varastoihin tai hylättyihin laboratorioihin. Kappaleita on ajoittain hyvinkin vaikea seurata niiden kaoottisissa mutkissa ja käännöksissä mutta ne voivat olla myös hyvin palkitsevia, aikaansaaden käsittämättömiä kuuntelukokemuksia ja paikoitellen musiikki on yllättävänkin helposti avautuvaa. Mnem ei missään nimessä ole kaikkien heiniä, mutta kokeellisemman äänimatkailun ystäville ehdottomasti suositeltava hankinta."
(Kuolleen Musiikin Yhdistys)

"For the past three to four years Mnem have been releasing their highly individual brand of electronic sound on a variety of labels. Compilation appearances on EE Tapes, Freak Animal, Negart (as 1W) and Some Place Else Records, as well as full releases on Negative Foundation, Drone Records and Kaos Kontrol. Mnem are two Finns; Juri from Jyväskylä, and Weno from Turku. Their recordings never feature any "musical" instruments. The sounds are created from effects pedals, microphones and manipulating reel-to-reel tapes. This gives the timeless feel to their work, and puts them a step above the artists (in the same genre) who are using computers, syntho-samplers and (worst of all) laptops. Mnem are no improv' electronic band either. No one take wonders. Time, care and precision are taken over the recordings, and it shows. "For Delta Relics" is this years follow up to "Hypostatic Ground" 7" that Drone Records released. The A-Side of which is pure heavy industrial action, power electronics supreme, the B-Side is more of a sampler for what can be found on this CD. Not an album to put on whilst doing the housework, or sit down and read to. "For Delta Relics" commands attention. Best played loud, it conjures up excellent imagery. Parts of it sound like it was recorded outside, in a field on a particularly windy day, other parts like it was recorded in a vast cavernous empty factory. The machines lying dormant until Mnem entered the building. There are scrapings, rumblings and shiftings all hiding a danger underneath. Alarm bells clatter during "Insula", where as "For Delta Relics" (the final track) is a mammoth mechanical industrial loop. A waking beast and a fine closure. Certainly to be one of the finest releases of the year, no doubt. Essential. What with Grey Park, Strom.ec, Hinageshi Bondage and Tiermes Kaos Kontrol is rapidly becoming one of the best labels on the planet. Available from www.kaos-kontrol.org or Cheeses International. Certainly not HMV!"
(Idwal Fisher)

"First CD for Mnem after a couple of records, also on the Finnish Kaos Kontrol label. Nicely packaged and well mastered, this "For delta relics" is quite a step forward for an act which had until now stayed in the shadows because of limited, vinyl only releases. Noisy, drony, dark in texture: this album seems from the first minutes to go in the same direction as its predecessors, and one wouldn't really have expected anything else. However, as the album unfolds, one has to admit that for once given the possibility to express themselves for more than a few tracks, Mnem display quite an ability to write not varied material and straying relatively far from what one can pigenhole as noisy dark-ambient. Very rich in bassy drones, Mnem's music use this looped low frequencies as a foundation for assemblages made of interesting gritty field recordings ("Ancylus"), low machine-like noises ("For delta relics") and interesting tonal changes ("The late nuance"). Generous in intertwined drones, "For delta relics" is actually a very subtle album containing a good share of details and shades. Probably requiring an active listening, it proves not to be very noisy, and I do believe that the various hissing, changes of pace and gritty reverberations to be heard from time to time are part of the compositions. Reminding me (most of all during its first track) of Yen Pox and Troum's "Mnemonic Induction" CD (both CDs were incidentally designed by the same graphic artist), this album by Mnem carries for a while the same extreme care for interesting and deep drones, and has the same contemplative and ethereal feeling, even though the sounds are sometimes thick and slightly scraping. Something which will appeal more to fans of drones than to noise freaks, "For delta relics" is a CD which struck a nice chord for me. Well written, various, and not falling into any clichés of this genre (for example not pretending to be dark or aggressive), it is a well balanced, enjoyable first full length album, and one of the "darkish drones" CD I enjoyed listening to the most recently."
(Recycle Your Ears)

"Tekstuuriltaan tummaa sykettä tarjoava Mnem irrottaa suhteellisen detaljoitua ja muotoiltua tasojen eroavaisuuksia ensimmäisellä pitkäsoitollaan. Suomalaisen Kaos Kontrolin 500 kipaleen rajoitettu painos on visuaaliselta puoleltaan hieno pakkaus, joka itsessään kuvaa mainiosti levyn musiikillista symmetriaa. Pinnaltaan alhaisia frekvenssejä raapustava perusta nostattaa aktiivisen kuuntelun jälkeen esiin mielenkiintoisia minimaalisia korostuksia. Hillitysti tahditettu kokeilun luonne, on toteutettu survomalla hiekkaa koneistoon, jonka hektinen ääninäyttely sykäyttää paikoittain esiin maallisia teknisten laitteiden hälyääniä. Tunnelma on virkistävää viihdettä korvalle, vaikka pidemmän päälle masentava ilmaisu antaa tilaa keskittymiseen. Silti helposti omaksuttavissa keskittyneelle ja havaitsevalle korvalle, mutta muuten äänimaiseman matkassa voi olla vaikea pysyä hereillä. Traditionaalinen, vaikkei perinteiseen kaavaan rakennettu kokonaisuus, jossa äänenpaino liikkuu pitkin tärykalvon käytävää."
(Inferno Magazine)

"If last week we reviewed one of the most heavily elaborated CDs of 2002 with the last Gruntsplatter, this week is the turn for one that will be for sure between the most elaborated albums of 2003: Mnem’s ‘For Delta Relics’. And if with the Strom.ec/Irikarah split we talked about a Finnish classic outfit, Freak Animal, it’s time to focus on its partner in the Degenerate and East Scandinavian Industrial tasks: Kaos Kontrol. But trying to raise the disc I find my first problem since the very beginning: I don’t really know how to define it in terms of genre. Its sound is pretty ambient-oriented, but categorizing it among Lustmord, Amon or Herbst9, even if all of them differ greatly in their approaches, wouldn’t be a wise statement. The seven cuts that form the CD illustrate a cohesive sonority and it’s hard to difference one from each other, but that’s not a bad sign here. This way, the disc provides a feeling of continuation and homogeneity. In fact, maybe this is related to the fact that each track is composed of a huge amount of multi-textural recordings disseminated in all along intelligently structured fluidities that sometimes make me think of Electro-Acoustic music, which wouldn’t be a total piece of nonsense as a description after all. Surely, it will help if I enlighten the review revealing that part of the magic in Mnem lies in the employed sources, which have been insistently remarked by the label in these times of laptop vs. stompboxes and the entire old school analogue trend that we’re living nowadays. ‘Reel-to-reel recorders and analog gadgets’ is all the vague info we have, with which is hard to precise the multiplicity of sonorities that you can find here: loops, pulsating basses, gritty layers, reverberated screeches in factory-like environments, and finally, an aseptic result that leaves the listener alone, without explicit references, allowing everyone to draw its own mental image guided just by the pleasure of listening. Terms like ‘granular textures’ or ‘organic sounds’ are indeed too often rather badly employed and abused, but the truth is that this pair of concepts suits ‘For Delta Relics’ perfectly; and the outstanding production, strangely mixed with certain lo-fi feeling, permits those concepts to appear in all their splendour. And not only the sounds, but the compositional task as well is always so organic that sometimes dynamics give the impression of being alive, due to the fact that the apparently monolithic looping structures or static ambiances in some of the pieces evolve with the track following the subtle manner that characterizes the whole; and conversely, even if sometimes there’re more or less dramatic turnarounds in the direction of the pieces, it never leaves them lose their path. Following with a closer dissection, and as I was saying, the tracktitles are precisely aseptic or at least too generic to give a notion of what’s to come. ‘Grey Lictor’ is a quiet atmospheric work with plenty of resonances appearing from within the deep tones. ‘Insula’ has two differentiated parts: one initial murkier and then, around the third minute, an abrupt conglomerate of metal junk inside an environment that I would describe as a water-like echo chamber comes out. Probably that’s no the proper definition nor maybe the real sources, but surely it can provide an approximate idea of how many rich sonorities one can expect to find here. In the end, the piece returns to its origin. In ‘The Late Nuance’ we have some saturated frequencies, but sounding in a non-hurting manner together with highly echoed, sometimes pulsing, feedback. ‘Trilemn’ is full of waves coming and going over a machine-like cadence, whose tempo changes with the track, accelerating and decreasing. ‘Ancylus’ has two sections again, one more calmed and a second one with a coarse quality in a constant addition of sounds. ‘Oryfus’ commences rough with a loop that suddenly disappears arriving at the third minute, and the song turns into a low blend with occasional shrieks, very industrial literally speaking, as the complete CD is. And finally, ‘For Delta Relics’ has a repetitive basis but the rest is full of shady reverberated layers sounding like down pitch-bent field recordings. The basis disappears in the second half of the fourth minute and the recordings take the main role till the end of the album. Surely, because of the constantly referred complexity and dynamism of the work, this is a CD that defies tediousness and invites the listener to play it again and again; and that’s not something you can’t always say of every experimental effort, not even of the most interesting ones. And as a personal statement, I wonder how this CD would have sounded in vinyl format, as it seems the appropriate one for the surrounded atmosphere; nothing too strange taking into account that all the previous titles of the Finnish project were vinyl productions. In a whole, every Noise lover should own a copy of this, even if it can be hardly categorized as remotely crushing or grinding. In its essence this is a demonstration of delight through sound in its purest form, where noise speaks loud for itself and topics like underlying conceptual meanings or images employed as a reference are completely unnecessary. What else can you ask for? A superb design, work of one of the most talented visual artists out there, Stephen O’Malley, completes the pack. Recommended; I can say it louder, not clearer."
(Seküencias de Culto)

"Mnem is of those new Finnish ambient noise projects whose work has done an impressive impact to me since the first encounter w/ his work. After a couple of 7”s and a 10” finally he released his debut cd “For Delta Relics” recently on Kaos Kontrol, a label specializing mostly in hardcore/noise electronics. This time offered 7 pieces using reel to reel tapes to create a haunting atmosphere that brings in mind some really unique ambient noise moments that certainly won’t only do for the die hard ones but also for people who seek beautiful crafted obscure musics."
(Absurd)

"After an impressive 7” release on Drone Records, the Finnish project Mnem delivers a full length CD on the Kaos Kontrol label. This full length album contains a mixture of dark ambient, concrete drones and electronic loops. Bleak and crackling soundscapes that remind me of the earlier works of Daniel Menche give way to distorted analog-electronic loops that seem to be more influenced by the power-electronics of the Grey Wolves. This is the soundtrack to a desolate but urban place, a place in which nature is replaced by machines and waste, where rusty trains move on autopilot and unnamable huge machines crush the earth. Definately Industrial!"
(Funprox)

""Arkaeo" CDr, "Sediment Thesis" & "Hypostatic Ground" 7"s were all great releases that kept me wondering what would come next with Mnem. Brilliant follow-up, this CD is filled with dense & textural experimental ambient noise with occasional electro-acoustic accents, punchy upfront ultrabass vibrations all along, physically effective & powerful, along with background small droning noises & manipulations. One of the most exciting bass works lately. To me exploring territories where few venture & yet another great project from Finland."
(Necrophonie)

back to releases

K\K 010
REUTOFF "ReuTRauM II" 7"

"'ReuTRauM II' is the fifth piece in the ReuTRauM series, Reutoff project aiming to explore different places of their city and deliver 'a sonic guide for a space-soul continuum of Reutov'... The series counts seven 7" and this new part was released on the Finnish label Kaos Kontrol in September, just after the 'ReuTRauM V' on Divine Comedy. As usual, two tracks feature on this 7". 'Moor' on the a-side is a very powerful post industrial track! It begins with oppressive industrial hammerings progressively mixed with electronics, reverb, organic sounds... lamenting choirs, an insane/hysterical female voice that create a fearful atmosphere... An excellent track that definitely features amongst the best of the latest Reutoff compositions. The b-side reveals a calmer track, 'Morn', a dark ambient industrial piece built around drones, loops, echoed sounds... that evoke macabre and soulless pictures... Strange feelings, full of repulsion, misery and abandon, float through the track... All in all, two different but nontheless excellent facets of Reutoff post industrial compositions. All the copies are pressed in a very nice transparent green vinyl and come in a full colour sleeve featuring photos of the area of Reutov explored here… This is a limited edition of 500 copies that are not yet sold out by Kaos Kontrol, so I can still suggest not to miss this item before it becomes an expensive and hard to find record. Highly recommended!"
(Heimdallr)

"Moskovalainen Reutoff tekee ReuTRauM -seiskasarjansa eri osat kunkin eri levy-yhtiölle ja varsin vapaassa järjestyksessä. Nyt vuorossa olevan kakkosen on saanut julkaistavakseen suomalainen Kaos Kontrol, ja hyvä niin sillä kyseessä on teollisuusmusiikin ehdoton merkkitapaus. Levy on yksinkertaisesti sanottuna loistava.
Sen A-puolella oleva "Moor" on upea rauhallinen yhdistelmä yksitasoista melodiaa ja koneellisia osuuksia jotka eivät hyökkää päälle vaan rytmittyvät tyylikkääksi ääniaalloksi. Yhdessä ne muodostavat hyvin harmonisen kokonaisuuden jota rikkoo oikeastaan vain yksi elementti, kappaleen aloittava korkeataajuuksinen sirinä. Sekin tosin rytmitetään mukaan kollaasiin, joka on luokiteltavissa ehkä lähinnä "hitaaksi death industrialiksi ilman sampleja" jos se on pakko laittaa johonkin kategoriaan. B-puolen täyttävä "Morn" on vielä monta kertaa parempi. Se on hyvin painostava ja synkkä, ja sitä hallitsevat kaksi rytmiä, yksi hyvin hidas ja raskas, ja toinen lyhytkestoisempi ja orgaanisempi. Mukana on myös harvaan rytmitettyä pulputtavaa koneääntä ja hiljaista sireenin kaltaista ulinaa. Lopputulos on käsittämättömän hieno. En muista yhdenkään industrialin piiriin laskettavan teoksen siepanneen minua yhtä tehokkaasti valtaansa heti ensi kuulemalta. Ette halua päästää tätä ohitsenne. Hankkikaa heti ennen kuin loppuu."
(Kuolleen Musiikin Yhdistys)

back to releases

K\K 011
OPERATION CLEANSWEEP "Deathcount" 7"

"Harvakseen julkaisevan saksalaisen Operation Cleansweepin uusia levyjä voidaan kai pitää jonkin asteisina tapauksina. Kahden aiemman levynsä myötä paikkansa lunastaneen yhtyeen uusin tuotos on "Deathcount" -nimeä kantava neljän biisin single, jonka on Operation Cleansweepin kaksi aiempaa levyä julkaiseen Tesco Organisationin sijaan tuonut markkinoille suomalainen, nyttemmin myös turkulaistunut Kaos Kontrol. "Operation Cleansweep Receiving Center" on ensimmäinen kappale ja samalla hieman yllättävä, koska sen taustalla on syntikoilla tehty sävelkulku, minkälaisia yhtyeen aiemmilla tuotoksilla ei ole juurikaan kuultu. Nimibiisi "Deathcount", joka on kuuleman mukaan bändin ensimmäinen koskaan tekemä kappale, on enemmän yhtyeen aiemman tyylin mukaista materiaalia. Kappaleeseen tuntuu kiteytyvän aiemmilta "Powerhungry" ja "Jerusalem"-levyiltä tuttu soundi, sillä "Deathcount" koostuu juuri sellaisesta analogisilla syntetisaattoreilla rakennetusta iskevästä taustasta ja muutamasta satunnaisesti toistuvasta voimakkaammasta iskusta, mikä on muodostunut Operation Cleansweepin tavaramerkiksi. Toisen puolen aloittaa singlen ehkäpä rauhallisin kappale "Brighter Than God", jonka pääelementtinä on kaiuttimesta toiseen kiertävä matala ääni ja hyvin alas miksattu puhesample. Agressiivista huutoa sisältävä "Novis Orbis Terrarium" on jälleen sitä taattua Operation Cleansweepia, jonka vaikutteet löytyvät Genocide Organin ja Anenzephalian suunnalta. Tiivistäen voidaan kai sanoa, että eroa aiempaan on ainakin edellisiltä julkaisuilta tuttujen puhesamplejen vähäisyys sekä hieman rosoisempi yleissoundi. Mutta tästä huolimatta eikä mitään suurempaa muutosta ole havaittavissa ja musiikin tunnistaa heti Operation Cleansweepiksi. Kaiken kaikkiaan erinomainen julkaisu ja hieno lisä niin bändin kuin levy-yhtiönkin katalogiin. Pflichtkauf!"
(Kuolleen Musiikin Yhdistys)

"Not a so prolific act, Operation Cleansweep always had a very distinct, immediately recognizable sound of their own from first record, "Powerhungry" LP on Tesco, which is a classic. Anecdotal, but I still wonder today how many people noticed there's W.S. Burroughs "Tower Open Fire" featured in this record. O.C. created some kind of a standard in heavy electronics. They follow the same path on this EP, but with a more "death-industrial" touch, mutating along lines of earlier BDN sometimes, or the track opening Anenzephalia's Swedish live CD on Death Factory, C.M.I. sub-label. Introducing a new, almost prophetic, dimension as heard in opening "Operation Cleansweep Receiving Center": the massive stomping is kept behind, irradiant flux of somber frequencies, background bulldozer bass, the novelty being a repeated arctic shiny droning simple melody crowning the thing. Pulsating a mud of microcrisps with whipping electrons & a discreet reminiscence of arctic shine in following "Deathcount". Immersing in a morbid, deadly swamp in less structured "Brighter than God" opening side B. Then "Novis Orbis Terrarum" finishes us with buried & blurred distorted vocals, buzzing stormy pounding, spectroscope modulated big bass, scintillating high-pitched frequencies, for a piece of noisier than "average" O.C. I like the sparse & judicious use of subaudible, camouflaged vocals & voice samples statements. Issued at the same time as a Reutoff 7", second in the "ReuTRauM" series, this marks a new step in the evolution of Kaos Kontrol label.
(Necrophonie)

back to releases

K\K 012
I.CORAX "Spectral Metabolism" CD

"Tämä I.Coraxin ensimäinen CD-formaatissa julkaistu albumi on tosiasiassa valmistunut 2002, ja sisältää koottua materiaalia sitä edeltäviltä nejältä vuodelta. Eli heti alkuun on mainittava ettei sen sisältö ole lähelläkään sitä uskomatonta tasoa johon I.Corax on ehtinyt kehittymään niiden vuosien aikana kun tämä levy odotteli Kaos Kontrolin jonossa julkaisuun tarvittuja olosuhteita. Siksi on oikeudenmukaista arvostella "Spectral Metabolism" myös itsenäisenä teoksena synkän ambientin kentässä - jolloin tosin joutuu heti toteamaan että se on massaan verrattuna yhä oikein hieno levy. Alussa huomio kiintyy lähinnä upeaan kaikuun (joka pysyy läsnä loppuun asti) sekä siihen, miten mukana on jo paljon niitä outoja pääliääniä jotka myöhemmin ovat muotoutuneet yhtyeen tavaramerkiksi. Albumi ikään kuin jakautuu komeen pääjaksoon, joista toinen vaihe käynnistyy neljännen raidan kohdalla. Silloin hillittyyn maisemaaan ilmestyy pientä, hidasta sykettä ja äänikuvioiden etäisyys kuulijasta tuntuu siirtyvän tyylikkäällä tavalla kauemmas. Viides ottaa hieman takapakkia, ja on karuudessaan selvästi albumin heikoin osio. Kuudes kappale aloittaa viimeisen, kaikkein vahvimman osion. Siinä itsessään on hämmentävän paljon hälyisyyttä, tunnistettavan voimakasta rytmiä ja kierot taustavokaalit - kaikki vain välillä läsnä, välillä poissa. Lyhyehkö seiska on jälleen karumpi, mutta toimii hienosti siitä huolimatta. Kahdeksikossa häly palaa jälleen, on kuin joku soittaisi noiseambienssikerrosta "Cadaver Pulse":jen tyylisen materiaalin päällä. Tematiikka jatkuu hienolla kymmenminuuttisella päätösraidalla, tosin ilman yhtä suurta kohinaa. "Spectral Metabolismilla" on läsnä se vahva omaperäisyys joka leimaa koko Blue Sector/Aural Hypnox -kollektiivin tuotantoa. Kaikki syntyvät assosiaatiot viittaavat vain artistien omaan tuotantoon, eivät muiden musiikkiin. Samoin äänimaailma on tunnistettavasti saman yhtyeen luomusta kuin myöhemmät albumit, vaikka onkin hiukan hälyisämpi. Materiaali on (varsin yllättäen) paljon monimutkaisempaa kuin vuonna 2002 taltioidulla "Kuilu"-livellä, mutta pysyy silti selvästi paremmin kasassa. Verrattaessa esittäjiensä myöhempään tuotantoon - niin I.Coraxin kuin sooloprojektienkin nimissä tehtyyn - tämä jää kauas taakse. Silti "Spectral Metabolism" on erinomainen levy, ja selkeä osoitus siitä miten näin lahjakkaiden muusikoiden "vanhentunutkin" materiaali hakkaa mennen tullen lähes kaikki tuoreemmatkin kilpakumppaninsa. Suositeltava hankinta, sekä historiallisista että puhtaan sisällöllisistäkin syistä."
(Kuolleen Musiikin Yhdistys)

"I.Corax and its spin-off projects Halo Manash and Zoät-Aon have quickly gained popularity and acclaim in the past year or so. Listening to this cd, I think all that attention is well deserved. On this disc the guys provide 9 tracks/one hour of dark-ish ambient sound collage that consists of an amazing variety of sounds that are both synthetic and organic. Not only the sound world is rich, but also the structures that are built from the sounds are just perfect. The guys know when there's time to change the mood and pace and how to do it, as well as when to throw in some post industrial rhythms. Many of the sounds are distantly familiar, but manipulated into something else, so you can play a fun guessing game trying to figure out what they have originally been. This kind of music is not daily listening for me, but whenever I get the need to put my headphones on and just sink into the sound I don't have to think for long which cd to put in the player. So once again a recording that I like a lot but find difficult to describe. Oh well, there are many things that would become flat if you try to force them into words. Amazing covers, too, just as you should expect from this label."
(Hard and Obscure)

back to releases

-
SINK "The Process" CD

"Kotimainen Sink esittelee "The Process" -debyyttitäysipitkällään oman keitoksensa ambientista, kitaravetoisesta dronesta ja hälyäänistä sekä syntetisaattoreista koostuvista äänimaisemista. Albumi lähteen käyntiin "Weakness (The Process)" -kappaleella, joka koostuu matelevasta drone/doom-kitarasta ja -bassosta, samaa tahtia etenevistä rummuista sekä taustalla kuuluvasta munkkikuoromaisesta laulusta. Jossakin vaiheessa kappale liukuu humisevan, minimalistisen ambientin puolelle kunnes aiemmat elementit tekevät paluun mukanaan roima annos feedbackia. Kappale tuntuu yllättävänkin kompaktilta ollakseen kuitenkin päälle 11 minuuttia pitkä.
Kakkoskappale "Ascension" yhdistelee hieman "The Great Annihilatorin" aikaisen Swansin mieleen tuovaa akustista kitarariffiä, huminaa, kaikua, kaukaista ihmisääntä, suhinaa, luonnollisesti feedbackia sekä yksinkertaista syntetisaattoria ja perkussiota painostavaksi helvetiksi. Loppua kohden myös kirkkaampi sähkökitaramelodia tekee lyhyen esiintymisen.
Seuraavat nelisen kappaletta taas keskittyvät enemmän tai vähemmän musikaaliseen tummaan ambientiin. Kaikenlaiset hälyäänet ja kaiku ovat kuitenkin suuremmassa roolissa kuin mitkään konventionaalisemmat musiikilliset elementit, vaikka nekään eivät jää aina pelkän statistin rooliin. Vaikka ambientimpi tyyli ei nouse aivan yhtä onnistuneeksi kuin julkaisun pari ensimmäistä kappaletta, ovat nekin varsin pitkälle kelvollista materiaalia: esimerkiksi "Receiving Silencen" äänimaisemaa kasvatellaan onnistuneesti mitä pidemmälle kappale etenee. Levyn päättävä "The Silence" taas palaa aloituskappaleen tunnelmiin ja se sulkeekin lievässä outromaisuudessaan albumin loistavasti.
"The Process" ei missään mielessä ole sellainen albumi, jota haluaisi kuunnella useita kertaa putkeen tai välttämättä edes joka päivä. Tunnelman luonti on kuitenkin niin vahvaa, että kun levyn saa ensin laitettua soimaan, onnistuu Sink vetämään kuulijan vastustelematta omaan maailmaansa. Rauhallisessa mielentilassa ja mielellään öisin kuunneltuna "The Process" onkin parhaimmillaan. Oikeastaan on vaikea kuvitella sitä edes kuunneltavan missään muissa olosuhteissa."
(Noise.fi)

"Aina välillä törmää yhtyeisiin, joista ei tiedä onko kyseessä lintu vai kala; tekotaiteellista paskaa vai nerokasta musiikillista löytömatkailua? Sink on juuri sellainen yhtye.
Musiikissa on selkeän musiikillisia elementtejä, siinä määrin että levyä ei voi sanoa ambientiksi äänikollaasiksi, mutta liian paljon myös silkkaa hälyä ja ääniä joiden yhteisvaikutusta on vaikea luonnehtia musiikiksi. Ihmisäänet tuntuvat olevan mukana soittimina, eikä tavallista laulua kuulla juuri lainkaan, vaikka muutamassa biisissä on kansiin asti painetut sanoitukset.
Musiikkia kutsuisin paremman kuvauksen puutteessa aavemaiseksi, joskaan sekään ei anna oikeaa kuvaa läheskään koko albumista vaan enemmänkin pienistä hetkistä sen aikana. Mihinkään kategoriaan en bändiä halua paiskata, koska se ei mielestäni mihinkään niistä sovi. Ehkä kuvaus voisi olla "alternative sonic art", joskaan tuokaan ei kovin luontevalta tunnu.
Soundipuolella bändi on kirkas, selkeä ja paikoitellen myös likainen, tarkoittaen että soittimet on eroteltu selkeästi erikseen, yleistunnelma on erittäin suuri, mutta paikoitellen yksittäinen soitin, useimmiten kitara, saattaa kuulostaa hyvinkin mutapohjasta soitetulta. Kyseessä on kuitenkin selkeästi asia jota on tavoiteltu ja joka tuntuu kokonaisuudessa enimmäkseen toimivalta.
Palaan kysymykseen jonka alussa esitin: tekotaiteellista paskaa vai musiikillista tai soonista tutkimusmatkailua? Vitustako minä tiedän. Menköön tekotaiteellisena tutkimusmatkailuna, mutta itse levyn kuunteleminen voi hyvinkin olla puhdistava kokemus. Levylle pisteitä joko kaksi tai kahdeksan..."
(Imperiumi)

"The Kult Of Nihilow website has this to say about Sink's "The Process": "This is not a sludge record. This is not a drone record. This is not an experimental record." Which is not actually true, since it's actually an awesome mix of all three. More accurately, it's not an average sludge record, or a typical drone record, and isn't like most experimental music, but that's precisely what makes it so appealing.
Sink are from Finland and have shared a split with aQ faves, UK dronelords Marzuraan, and they traffic in a sound that is both crushingly slow, blindingly heavy, as well as mysteriously dark and droney, but just like anything, it's what you do with all that stuff that matters. Anyone can tune down and play an E chord for 10 minutes. But not anyone can make it sound like angels singing.
On their split with Marzuraan, we described their sound as "a swirling, sludgy wall of hissing fuzzed out blackened ultra noise, harsh and horrific", but there's nothing like that here. "The Process" is much more musical, and more measured, for a band who is typically defined as a sludge band, they spend much of their time unfurling dark muted shimmery dronescapes, hushed whispery smears of barely audible thrum. And even when they are dropping some serious sludge, it's not really sludgey, the guitars are thick and corrosive, but glimmering and crystalline, rife with haunting chords, the vocals deep monk like chants. The opener here is the perfect example, it sounds like Tibetan monks fronting a doom band, only the doom is strangely melodic, and hauntingly cinematic. Halfway through the track fades into some dark chiming ambience, all muted and blurred, before the crushing doomic blows begin to rain down again, those vocals returning to underpin everything with their thick rumbling whir (sounding quite a bit like Tuvan throat singing). It's a pity the track is only 11 minutes long. We could have gone for twice that! At least.
The second track is all soaring Sunroof! like streaks of sound and strummed acoustic guitars, sounding like a noisier doomier Kiss The Anus, but all washed out and smeared into bleary shoegazey drifts, reminding us of a way more abstract Nadja or Angelic Process actually.
Strangely enough, almost the whole rest of the record is devoid of any hint of sludge or doom, instead exploring longform guitar drones, super minimal sinewave skree, gentle dreamlike ambience, rumbling cavernous dronemusic, until finally, the not at all appropriately titled final song "The Silence", which is anything but silent, four minutes of murky corrosive drift, but like the opener, rife with mysterious melody, disembodied vocals, glimmering chordal blur, all spread out into a thick sluggish doom-ic haze, that seems to blot out the sun, bathing everything in a burnished blood red glow.
Beautifully packaged in an elaborate fold out sleeve, printed in full color with a little tab to hold it shut. Limited to 1000 copies!"
(Aquarius Records)

"Turmelevaa tuomiota, hellivää helinää, huumaavaa huminaa, hiipivää hidastelua, murskaavaa murinaa, rikottua riivintää sekä kaikkea niiden väliltä edustaa porilaisen Sinkin debyyttialbumi "The Process". Jo aiemmilla hengen tuotoksillaan ("Hexagon" –ep ja Marzuraan-split) Sink–sextetti on osoittanut, että saman otsakkeen alla on oikeinkin hyväksyttävää tehtailla niin perinteistä sludgea, kokeellista dronea kuin primitiivistä noiseakin, eikä "The Process" kalpene tässä suhteessa edeltäjiensä rinnalla lainkaan, päinvastoin, sillä nyt on perinteet viskattu nurkkaan lopullisesti(?) ja sukellettu yhä syvemmälle kokeellisuuden syövereihin.
Albumi vyörähtää käyntiin "Weakness (The Process)" –raidalla, joka kurkkulaulajista koostetun munkkikuoron johdattelemana matelee kohti usvaista ambient-väliosaa vain palatakseen takaisin alun drone-maisemiin yhä väkivaltaisempana. Kakkosraita "Ascension" käynnistyy huojuen, akustisen kitaran ja etäisen huminan ylläpitämänä, kasvaen kuitenkin loppua kohden hypnoottiseksi toistorockiksi à la Magyar Posse from hell.
Ihan kahden ensimmäisen kappaleen tasolle ei enää loppulevyllä ylletä, mutta mistään täyteraidoista on ihan turha "The Processin" yhteydessä puhua; "Deserted" on urkuineen kuin hautajaisten soundtrack, "Receiving Silence" kuulostaa siltä, miltä Pan Sonic kuulostaisi, jos levyttäisi Cold Meat Industrylle, "Resignation" on kuulas ambient-välipala, joka jatkuu suoraan aavemaisen ahdistavaan "Borderzoneen". Prosessin päättää ironisesti nimetty "Silence", jonka musta messu palauttaa kuulijan avausraidan painostaviin tunnelmiin.
Ei kai tässä muuta voi kuin nöyrtyä nerouden edessä ja antaa "The Processille" täydet kymmenen pistettä ja myöntää vielä papukaijamerkin arvoiset kunniamaininnat Kult of Nihilow'lle ja Kaos Kontrolille tämän mestariteoksen julkaisemisesta."
(Lammas Zine)

"This is a dark, heavy, slow, crushing drone CD with some haunting melodies. There are 7 tracks, including 3 instrumentals in 39 minutes. The band is from Finland. The opening track has intense and pure drone out parts and very ethereal vocals. "Ascension" features some acoustic guitar to mix in with the threatening sound that appears that it will lead forward and engulf the track but manages to stay in the background although always threatening. "Deserted" is basically an very effect track of organ drone. IT really sets a special mood as you move into "Receiving Silence". This track is very strange at first with some machine sounds and then a very deep bass starts to boil up to the surface and then some intense high pitched sounds filter in and finally what at first sounds like a loop of jets flying by as things get more and more intense. "Resignation" was a slow drone piece. "Borderzone" has some very ethereal human voices again (female) mixed into the rolling drone that makes up the track. "The Silence", ends the CD and really brings back the power, the dark heavy foreboding vibe. Pretty far out stuff."
(Lowcut)

"After their contribution for a split-7" with Marzuraan on Traquedo Records in 2006 Sink returns with their first full-length, that has been released two years later through the Finnish label Kaos Kontrol in co-operation with Kult of Nihilow. Unquestionably this Finnish band has created a noteworthy album that is authentic and full of surprises. The heart of their sound consists of varied sonic experimentations, but they have also the capability to write songs with almost typical structures like the opener 'Weakness (The Process)', where monstrous throat chanting is embedded into hypnotic drone/riff repetition. If you now ask yourself if that has anything in common with Sleep than my answer is: No! It's more as if Skullflower have entered the studio with Huun-Huur-Tu. In the middle of the song Sink focuse on their drone elements and they do it in a very convincing way. The first surprise is the track 'Ascension' that reminds me to Boyd Rice or Death In June with its acoustic guitars and mesmerizing noise loops. 'Deserted' emits whirring organ drones and unfurls a sacral atmosphere. After that song Sink shows their predilection for extensive excursions into experimental territories. 'Receiving Silence' is a wonderful combination of engine-like drones, scraps of a voice, and very few beats on a snare drum. 'Resignation' is connected with 'Borderzone', which sounds as if you would walk through a cursed forest at midnight. There's an fascinating effect of raising and lowering female vocal loops, that could've been taken from a strange dream. Gargantuan vocal chants return before the end of the song and will lead you into the corners of your subconsciousness. 'The Process' is a very suggestive album that will absorb time and space for over thirty minutes. Highly recommended and packaged in a special fold-out full colour carton sleeve."
(Cosmic Lava)

"Finnish: Turkulainen Kaos Kontrol-levymerkki on siirtynyt industrialista enemmän sludgen ja äärihitaan rockin suuntaan. Ehkä suunnanvaihdos on myös oikeutettu, sillä industrial-musiikin julkaisukanavia löytyy maasta tällä hetkellä riittämiin, toisin kuin Kaos Kontrolin alkuaikoina.
Ensimmäinen julkaisu pitkiin aikoihin, Sink-yhtyeen "The Process", liikkuu kuitenkin lahjakkaan omaperäisesti doomin ja dronemusiikin välimaastossa. Tästä nousee luonnollisesti heti esiin ajatus että yhtye kulkee Sunn0))):n suosion helpossa vanavedessä, paitsi että Sink ei kuulosta pätkääkään Sunn0))):lta.
Sinkin ”metalli” kappaleet ovat rehellistä riffittelyä, kalmaisin vokaalein jotka ajoin tuovat mieleen tiibetiläisen munkkilaulun. Droneraidat taas ovat analogisen paksuja ja kolkkoja, tuoden mieleen vanhoja death industrial-klassikoita enemmän liettualaisen Doniksen uskottavan harmaat äänimaisemat. Ainoa heikompi osuus on turhan itsetarkoitukselliseen kokeellisuuteen heittäytyvä "Receiving Silence" levyn keskellä.
Todella onnistunut ja uraauurtava levy joka ansaitsee suurempaa huomiota maailmalla.
English: The label Kaos Kontrol has moved on from a pure industrial background more towards sludge and ultra-slow rock. The change of course is justified, as there are plenty of industrial labels in the country at the moment, unlike the early days of Kaos Kontrol. Surprisingly, the first new release on Kaos Kontrol in a long time, "The Process" by Finnish Sink, is an original crossover between doom metal and drone music. Naturally, the first thought is that Sink are following in the wake of Sunn0)))´s popularity – except they don´t sound anything like Sunn0))).
Sink´s “metal” tracks have rhythm, riffs and gloomy vocals that some times remind me of Tibetan chants. Their drone tracks again are beautifully thick and morbid, bringing to mind Donis´ beautifully grey soundscapes more than old death industrial classics. The only weaker moment is the overly experimental "Receiving the Silence" in the middle of the album.
A brilliant and pioneering record, deserving of greater attention."
(Kuolleen Musiikin Yhdistys)

back to releases

K\K 013
HEBOSAGIL "Colossal" CD

"Armed with ruthless determination, nihilistic wit and a bunch of super-sludgy gargantuan grooves, Hebosagil is up to set the world in flames.
Around these parts we tend to quote press statements/torrent of words to point fingers and piss reality based A.I.D.S all over them. Or simply because we cannot think up a proper intro, as is the case here. I still piss on you, but this time not the assertion, a snappy snippet, believe it or not, giving you, the potential listener, a rather excellent impression of what to expect.
Quite impressive, I know, and likewise so is the fact that “Colossal” is named so for a reason, a title not pulled out of an ass for a change. At first, however, that being before I adjusted the bass, it was all too colossal, coming across as a distorted mess made for the sake of melting amps and setting speakers on fire.
A bit of fiddling and a couple of listens later and I have more or less fallen in love with the album and its massive grooves interlaced with tons of filth and desperation. It’s a downright ugly platter, this much thanks to a lo-fi and screeching but utterly punch-y production, one which the band use to its fullest, hammering home their message of doom and destruction with utter conviction. And the vocalist, well, he sounds fucked up alright, like he is tearing his face off while screaming bile, hate and frustration all over the place. Put simple, he is a perfect match.
I wholeheartedly recommend “Colossal” to those into sludge and heavy filth, and only them, as I believe it takes a trained ear to appreciate the oppressive and churning nature of this band."
(Global Domination)

"Möyryävämmän ilmaisun kentällä on viime aikoina alkanut tapahtua toden teolla myös Suomessa. Marginaalisesta ilmiöstä on totta vie edelleenkin kyse, mutta viime vuodesta lähtien on tasaiseen tahtiin tippunut piinkovia julkaisuja niin äärimmäisemmän alaäänilaahauksen kuin doomia menevämmänkin rymistelyn piirissä. Fleshpressin viimesyksyisen, monumentaalisen "Pillarsin" jälkeen niin Paganus ja Total Devastation kuin Sink ja Heremkin ovat pukanneet ilmoille uudet albumit. Nyt debytoi puolestaan Oulun suunnassa operoiva Hebosagil.
Viimevuotisen loistavan omakustanne-EP "Cosmicin" jälkeen tämän viisikon tulevia edesottamuksia on odotettu innolla. Hebosagilin ehdottomia vahvuuksia on muhkean jyräävä ja samalla napakka rämistelysoundi. Harvalla on pokkaa pistää näin härskisti överiksi tuotannossa. Sen lisäksi olin mieltänyt yhtyeen myös tyylillisesti hallitun revitteleväksi tapaukseksi. Tämän suhteen joutuu ikävä kyllä hieman pettymään, sillä "Colossalilla" yhtye yllättää olemalla aikaisempaa tasapaksu.
Yhtyeen High On Fire/Electric Wizard -vaikutteinen, pääosin hitaammissa tempoissa vellova jylhä junnaus on suunnattoman vaikuttavaa pelkästään äänitekstuurin puolella, mutta itse kappaleet tukeutuvat ohkaisiin aihioihin. Moni biisi sysätään mallikkaasti alkuun, mutta liikevoima ei kanna loppuun asti, johtuen paljolti kuningasriffien ja vaihtelevuuden vähyydestä. Poikkeuksena mainittakoon kuudes raita "Cosmic", jossa asiat loksahtavat oikein mainiosti kohdalleen. Muuten kappaleet tapaavat olla perusvarmaa doomin ja sludgen ristisiitosta, joka toimii parhaiten stereoista äärimmilleen luukutettuna.
Kehumisen arvoista on puolestaan viisikon vaivattoman orgaanisesti soljuvaa soitanta. Dynaamisuutta ja nyanssejakin kohdataan kitarasoolojen ja hiljaisempien alhojen muodossa. Ekstaattisia huippuja ja mieleenpainuvia koukkuja taas saisi olla enemmän. Tylsäksi levy ei kyllä missään kohdin äidy, joskin punk- ja death metal -sävyjäkin sisältäneen EP:n rämäpäisyyttä ja vaaran tuntua jää kaipaamaan. Ainoastaan vokaalit räkäisimmillään ja levyn keskivaiheen riuskempi runttaus "River" edustavat tuota rujompaa äänikudetta.
Samoissa sfääreissä liikkuvia yhtyeitä ei Suomessa juuri ole, mutta tuntuisi hassulta antaa Hebosagilille bonusta siitä, etenkin kun tietää yhtyeen kykenevän persoonallisempaankin ulosantiin. Eikä se lopulta ole kiinni omaperäisyydestä. Hebosagil on aivan yhtä kova yhtye kuin ulkomaalaiset esikuvansa, mutta sieltä opitut kuviot eivät vaan ole kierrätetty niin vakuuttavaan muotoon juuri tällä levyllä."
(Noise.fi)

"Nimi on ainakin kohdallaan. Oulun seudulta kotoisin olevan Hebosagilin debyyttilevy on kolossaalinen. Se ruhjoo ja murskaa. "Colossal" on armoton 43-minuuttinen raskautta, raivoa ja nyrjähtäneisyyttä. Se on kuin valtava rupi.
Alagenreilmauksista perillä olevien koodisanoja ovat doom, sludge ja hardcore. Musiikki on ajoittain hyvin hidasta ja raskasta, mutta Hebosagilin otteessa on enemmän rockin rullaavuutta kuin jäykkää metallijunttaa. Laulajan rääkyminen hipoo nautinnollisella tavalla hulluutta.
High On Firen, Eyehategodin tai Entombedin tuotantoa tuntevat saattavat kuulla "Colossalin" äänimaailmassa tuttua, mutta Hebosagil on halunnut viedä alavireisen pörinän vieläkin pitemmälle. Jopa niin pitkälle, että tyylikeino uhkaa kääntyä itseään vastaan. Musiikki muuttuu massiiviseksi mekkalaksi, jos soitosta ei saa soundien vuoksi mitään tolkkua. Useampien kuuntelukertojen jälkeenkin tulee mieleen, että osa tehoista jäi piiloon.
Toisaalta nuorten miesten osoittama ehdottomuus on piristävää. Oma näkemys on löytynyt, eikä siitä livetä.
"Colossalilta" löytyy seitsemän ankaraa mätkäystä, joista parhaat ovat erinomaisia. Synti ja häpeä, jos levy jää meillä ja muualla huomaamatta."
(Kaleva)

"Paganus, Frogskin ja Sink; ensimmäinen puolisko vuodesta 2008 on ollut melkoista ilotulitusta suomalaisen äärimatelun saralla. Kaikki edellä mainitut ovat julkaisseet debyyttialbuminsa tänä vuonna, eikä riemukulkue pysähdy vieläkään, sillä pohjoista hulluutta uhkuva Hebosagil liittyy kesteihin omalla esikoisellaan, joka tottelee vaatimatonta nimeä "Colossal". "Veteraanit" pitäkööt varansa, sillä uusi sukupolvi on nälkäinen, eikä epäröi tappaa.
Thrash metallin tuuttauksella uransa aloittanut oululaiskvintetti jalosti ulosantiaan pikku hiljaa kohti rullaavaa death metallia ja rockaavaa sludgea - syntyi pystyyn kehuttu "Cosmic" -ep (omakustanne, 2007). Se ei kuitenkaan Hebosagilille riittänyt, vaan veri veti kohti yhä synkempiä vesiä; "Colossal" on miltei tyylipuhdas sludge-teos.
Kaikista syvimpään suohon ei Hebosagil vieläkään uppoa, vaan homman nimi on pitkälti keskitempo runttaus à la EyeHateGod ja Sourvein. Ihan näin helpolla ei kuulijaa ja kriitikkoa kuitenkaan päästetä, sillä soppaan on heitelty mausteeksi myös hardcore-pyrähdyksiä ja death 'n roll -juoksutuksia (Entombed, anyone?) sekä tuomion julistamista Electric Wizardin hengessä. Myös Tatu Junnon rikotuissa vokaaleissa on jotain tuttua – kuvitelkaa Jus Oborn, Mike Wiliams ja T-Roy Medlin rääkymässä yhteisen säröpedaalin läpi, huh.
Hikisen ylipainoisia ja säröpedaalin väkisin makaamia riffejä, yhtäaikaisesti kiveksille ja päähän potkivaa rummun taontaa sekä kylmäkiskoisen murhaavaa vokalisointia. Raskasta moukarointia ja kolossaalisen painavaa äänimaisemaa on siis luvassa vajaan kolmen vartin ja seitsemän raidan ajan. Jos ruostunut leipäveitsi, paineilmapora ja puskutraktori päätyisivät vällyjen väliin peuhaamaan, se kuulostaisi jokseenkin samalta kuin "Colossal"."
(Lammas Zine)

"Miten nuorista veikkosista lähteekin näin rumaa mörssäystä? Hebosagil on "Colossal"-debyytillään hätkähdyttävän valmiin kuuloinen, mutta onhan yhtyeellä toisaalta vuosien pohjatyö takanaan.
Kuultuani ennakkoon puheita "Cosmic"-EP:llä (2007) vakuuttaneen death metal -poljennon vähenemisestä, aloin epäillä, iskisikö hidastempoisempi Hebosagil yhtä raivokkaasti. Turhia olivat epäilykseni. "Colossal" ei ehkä tartu kuulijaansa ensipyöräytyksellä, mutta jo toisella kierroksella tarttuvat riffit alkavat jurnuttaa pääkopassa. Vaikka vauhdista onkin tingitty, ei kyse ole mistään Khanate-taajuuksilla raahautumisesta. Enemmänkin mieleen tulee Eyehategodin keskitempoisempi tarjonta, vaikkei yhteyttä New Orleansin äpäriin kovin selkeäksi voikaan kutsua. Silti, Tatu Junnon avatessa sanaisen arkkunsa aloitusbiisi "Big Sunissa" ei voi välttyä kuulemasta Mike D. Williamsin julistuksen vaikutusta. Muutamista riffeistä paistaa Sourveinin kolkkous. Ja vaikka death metal onkin vähemmistössä, tuovat hiljaisemmat riipimiset mieleen Autopsyn "Mental Funeralin" vastaavat. Kerrassaan härskisti pärisevä soundimaailma on levyn kruunu.
Suomalaishidastelijat näyttävät innostuneen jylhistä levynnimistä. "Colossalin" ohella tästä on osoituksena Fleshpressin viimevuotinen "Pillars". Mitä seuraavaksi? Frogskinin "Gigantic"? Loisen "Jumalatoon"?"
(Sue)

"Isoja riffejä, sludgen moukarointia, doomin pysäyttämätöntä etenemistä, turhautumia, vihaa, väkivaltaisia pyrähdyksiä ja pelottavia määriä patoutunutta energiaa. Tästä kaikesta on Hebosagilin debyytti tehty.
Kyseessä ei ole sludge, doom tai mikään -core, mutta kaikkia niitä on mukana. Synkästä ja raskaasta levystä on ehdottomasti kyse, mutta materiaali on vaikea puristaa mihinkään genreen, ainakaan ilman väkivaltaa. Kaikkien em. genrejen ystävät saanevat Hebosagilista jotain irti.
Bändin soundit ovat erittäin likaiset ja suttuiset, myöskään kielisoittimien särössä ei ole säästelty, vaan pörinät ovat väännetty tappiin asti. Laulajan vokalisointi on Eyehategod-tyyppistä vihaista kurkkuhuutoa, joka istuu materiaaliin kuin rautakanki perseeseen. Siis hyvin.
Rummut ovat kuitenkin tämän soundimaailman massiivinen kivijalka, jonka päällä reilu matto murhaavaa kitaraa lepää kuolinkorinoissaan ja vokalisti valaa mätäänsä. Kokonaisuus on vähintäänkin tyly ja kiistämättä jäätävä.
Pohjoisesta Suomesta korahtaa siis aika tavalla, sillä "Colossal" on nimensä veroinen vuodatus, joka etenee paikoitellen Electric Wizardin kompuroimalla ja paikoitellen Griefin viiltelemällä reitillä kohti väistämätöntä tuhoa.
Ranteet ovat vapaat ja terä tylsä - mitä vittua tässä enää odotellaan?!"
(Imperiumi)

"Doom metal on toimittanut 90-luvulta lähtien jos minkälaista äpärää äärimetallin maailmaan erilaisten alagenrejen muodossa. Yksi näistä on viime vuosina varsinkin uudella mantereella suurehkoon suosioon noussut sludge, jota pitäisin niin sanotun post metal-genren, eli neur-isiscoren rujompana isoveljenä. Suomessa genren suosio on tullut hieman jälkijunassa, mutta viime vuosien aikana myös härmäläisten levykauppojen hyllyistä ja nettilistoilta on alkanut löytyä enenevässä määrin jopa hieman pienempien sludge-bändien levyjä, ja ilmeisesti myös ostavaa yleisöä löytyy. Suomalaisia sludge-bändejä, ainakin laadukkaita sellaisia, on kuitenkin toistaiseksi ollut valitettavan vähän. Muutoksen tähän tilanteeseen tuo oululainen Hebosagil esikoispitkäsoitollaan "Colossal".
Hebosagilin tapa toteuttaa musiikillista näkemystään sludgen kautta on erikoinen, jos ei nyt aivan vallankumouksellinen. "Colossalilla" bändi nimittäin kuorii sludgestaan kaiken ylimääräisen jättäen jäljelle pelkän musiikkityylille kuuluvan olemuksen, joka koostuu hitaasti möyrivästä raskaudesta ja likaisesta äänimaailmasta. Toisin sanoen Hebosagil toteuttaa omalla tavallaan filosofiaa ’tee paljon vähästä’ käyttäen pääasiallisina aihioinaan sludgen ydinosasia ja puristaen niistä kaiken irti. Toki yhtye kuorruttaa kakkunsa valikoiduilla vaikutteilla death metallista, grindcoresta ja hardcoresta, mutta tämä lienee nykyään enemmän tavanomaista kuin huomionarvoista. Hebosagilia näkee usein verrattavan rujomman doomin ja sludgen dinosauruksiin, kuten Electric Wizardiin tai Eyehategodiin, mikä on meikäläisestä hieman harhaanjohtavaa. Parempia referenssejä olisivat sellaiset modernit sludge-bändit, kuten Black Cobra ja The Devil and the Sea tai jopa Soilent Green ja The Green Evening Requiem, jotka ovat toki hienostuneempia ja eivät niin äänekkäitä kuin Hebosagil.
Tärkeintä lienee se, että homma toimii kiitettävästi ja välillä jopa erinomaisesti. Yksinkertaisesti tämä johtuu jo siitä, että "Colossal" on helvetillisen raskas ja raaka. Kyseessä ei ole mitkään luunmurskajaiset tai blast-festarit, vaan nimenomaan hidas, uhkaava ja raskas tunnelma, jonka luovat yhteistoiminnallaan syvällä suonsilmäkkeessä rouhivat kitarat ja bassot, painavasti takovat rummut, klaustrofobinen laulusuoritus sekä likaisen säröinen tuotanto. Toiseksi suorituksen laatua parantaa se, että näennäisen yksinkertaisen ulkokuoren alta "Colossalista" löytyy paljon tarttumapintaa ja yksityiskohtia, joiden ansiosta levy vain paranee paranemistaan lukuisten kuuntelukertojen jälkeen. Möyrivien ja hirven lailla groovaavien kitarariffien ja bassokuvioiden lisäksi rieska sisältää nimittäin rauhallisempia väliosia sekä loppusoittoja, nostatuksia sekä laskuja, blues-leadeja ja ties mitä. Parhain esimerkki tästä on kappale "Cosmic", joka edellä mainittujen lisäksi sulkee sisäänsä hienon loppukliimaksin. Jokainen biisi on kuitenkin omanlaisensa hirviö, eikä minkäänlaista tasonnotkahdusta tapahdu koko levyn aikana. Kaikki kappaleet ovat erinomainen osoitus bändin hyvästä sävellystaidosta ja kyvystä luoda muodottomia mutta hiottuja kappalerakenteita.
Soitannollisesti Hebosagilin jälki on vakuuttavaa, vaikka mitään edes virtuoosimaisuuden suuntaista ei "Colossalilla" kuulla. Lahjakkaita ukkoja tässä on kuitenkin kyseessä. Ehkä vaikuttavin yksittäinen suoritus on rumpali Ilpo Heikkisen massiivinen paukutus. Heikkinen on tosin jo lähtenyt bändistä, mutta rumpujen suhteen ei tarvitse olla huolissaan, sillä Pete Miettusessa Hebosagililla on aivan pätevä paikkaaja. Laulaja Tatu Junno ei selvästi ole huutolaulajien eliittiä, mutta efektimassan läpi vedettynä hänen suorituksensa istuu "Colossalille" kuin kliseinen sanonta musiikkiarvosteluun, eli kuin nenä päähän. Harvemmin sitä on aivan pähkinöissään tuotannosta ja miksauksesta, mutta nyt pitää olla, sillä ne ovat teknisenä suoritteena ehkä "Colossalin" henkeäsalpaavimmat yksityiskohdat. Äijänkäppyrät ovat nimittäin tuottaneet ja miksanneet levyn itse, ja jälki on vähintään irstasta, hyvässä mielessä tietenkin. Joka paikka rutisee kitaroita, bassoja ja lauluja myöten niin, että harvemmin tällaista kuulee. C- tai H-vireiset kitarat kuulostavat välillä siltä, että pojat ovat löytäneet vahvistimistaan jonkun uuden asteisen pääteputkisärön, eikä basso jää yhtään heikommaksi. Lopputulos on äänekäs ja vaikuttava.
En millään löydä tästä suurempia valituksen aiheita, joten en viitsi ruveta sellaisia tähän keksimään. "Colossal" on omalla tavallaan täydellinen levy sellaisena, kuin se on. Lisäksi Hebosagilin soundi on selkeästi erilainen kuin amerikkalaisten sludge-bändien, jotka sinänsä ovat pääsääntöisesti aivan loistavia, joten sopii odottaa, että yhdessä esimerkiksi Fleshpressin, Paganuksen ja Loisen kanssa Hebosagilissa itää siemen suomalaiselle sludge-soundille, joka on amerikkalaisia virkaveljiään vielä äänekkäämpi ja painostavampi. Kaikessa täydellisyydessään tämä ei kuitenkaan ole viiden tähden, vaan neljän tähden suoritus, jos vertailukohdaksi otetaan esimerkiksi Mastodonin mestarillinen "Leviathan" tai Black Cobran yhtä vaikuttava "Bestial", jotka ansaitsisivat täyden vitosen. Kolossaalista tämä kuitenkin on."
(Stalkermusic)

"Oh man, if you are into the narco-grooving, filth encrusted sludge metal of bands like Sourvein, Cavity, Eyehategod, Weedeater, and Electric Wizard but always thought that those bands weren't quite noisy enough, then do I have a band that you need to hear. This debut album from the Finnish sludgecore band Hebosagil comes to us from Kaos Kontrol, a Finnish label that in the past has been more known for their excellent industrial/noise releases and the noise zine Degenerate, but over the past few months has released two amazing new CDs from a couple of Finnish sludge bands that I had never heard of before, both of which have completely kicked my ass: Sink (reviewed elsewhere in this weeks update list) and these guys, a five-piece from the northern part of the country who combine slow-moving, pitch black sludgecore with the occasional blast of chaotic crusty thrash and blow the whole sound way the fuck OUT with their distortion knobs cranked all the way to eleven.
Seriously, this is some extremely distorted metal, the whole mix is in the red, and everything from the shrieking murderous vocals to the gargantuan bluesy riffs to the drums are soaked and splattered with distortion. Everything sounds like it's crumbling under the weight of the mix. The seven songs on "Colossal" don't pretty things up one bit, as is apparent from songs titled "Constant Danger", "Summoning", "Primeval Terror", and "Death", and the whole vibe here seems to revolve around demons, death, and total fucking chaos. Slow, pulverizing doom explodes into vicious hardcore thrash, demonic sounding drone/noise loops, wall-rattling tempests of corrosive drone riffs and rapid fire double bass drumming, and rocking, Motorhead-on-quaaludes riff-rage, and in a couple of spots the band pulls back into the shadows to reveal a trippy, psychedelic guitar interlude that slithers in between some of the heaviest moments to lull you into a false sense of peace. It never lasts, though. This is some of the heaviest shit I've heard this month...these guys sound like Sourvein's "Will To Mangle" smashed into the later Electric Wizard stuff and Dis-core thrash, and filtered through about fifty blown speakers. Make that sixty blown speakers. Filth!
Between Sink, Frogskin, Fleshpress, Paganus, Stumm, Loinen and these guys, Finland is turning into THE coolest place on the planet for harsh, adventurous skullcrushing sludge metal.
As awesome as this album is, and as goony as sludge/doom fans are going to go over these guys once they hear 'em, this CD is limited to only 1,000 copies. Awesome."
(Crucial Blast)

"When it comes to films I generally tend to prefer substantial set-up and exposition to near constant car chases and explosions. With music (especially Metal), however, it is much different. When the notes start spilling from my speakers I prefer it to maul me over like a runaway 18-wheeler. A song should come, see, and conquer, you know – veni vidi vici. Call me a lazy listener if you must but when a song consists of nothing more than two or three power chord strums and trudges along at a snails pace then I’m just not interested, end of story. Guess where I’m going with this review...
OK, I’ll give this US act props for creating a hugely bad-ass guitar sound and a very bleak, suffocating atmosphere. These hulking riffs could level small cities with consummate ease, let me tell you. Yep, the album title is very appropriate, as this album just sounds colossal. Why am I still not that thrilled by it then? Hmm, maybe it’s because these seven songs all sound the same – trust me, the first song sounds just like the last and all those in between. The vocals, although fittingly serrated and abrasive, also doesn’t carry any tangible sense of emotion, while all the bass and drums are completely drowned out by the drone of the guitars. They do manage to generate a solid groove here and there (“Constant Danger”), and the occasional solo rocks out in pure 70s fashion (“Big Sun”), but nothing ever really caused me to sit up and take notice. It just trudges along at the same pace and by the fourth track the band had already lost me. Oh, and why on God’s green earth do so many of these songs just stop midway through only to resume a few seconds later?! I still don’t know whether this is some form of anti-piracy technique or whether my copy is faulty.
Look, Doom fans (and Stoner Rock aficionados) will probably find much to enjoy here. It’s raw, messy, and the otherworldly crushing atmosphere they evoke can easily fill a room and give the listener the impression that he/she will be swallowed up at any given second. Atmosphere-wise this thing kills; songwriting-wise this leaves a lot to be desired. It is essentially one song spread out over 43 minutes, with little along the road to help elevate it beyond downright boring. None of these songs have the class of Reverend Bizarre, the melancholy aspect of My Dying Bride, or the utterly creepy vibe of Moss. This is strictly second-rate fare, and I’m not impressed. My love/hare relationship with Doom continues unabated then..."
(Metal Observer)

"Admittedly, for the first half-minute of opener "Big Sun," I thought Hebosagil might be clones of fellow Finns, Swallow the Sun, but once the song got going with Tatu Junno's abrasive vocals and Colossal began to unfold, the music showed itself to be more in line with the likes of Church of Misery, Greenmachine or a more fully-toned Eyehategod. Comprised of seven tracks with speeds ranging from the grindcore-fast centerpiece "River" to the sludge-fueled crawl of closer "Death," the album's only real detriment is that the songs come across too thickly to really distinguish themselves. It sounds nasty, that's for damn sure.
That nasty sound, and because it's so up front and in your face, can easily lead one to think Hebosagil is simplistic, but a closer listen reveals that even though the tones don't change much there is some variety in the music. The vocals, on the other hand, stick to throaty screams. Guitarists Antti Karjalainen and Remi Rousselle don't just bang out riff after riff without thought of transition or structure, but again, a lot of that effort is lost in the morass of noise coming from the speakers. Colossal is not an easy or a friendly listen. The music is harsh in a way that brings to mind modern grind acts like Complete Failure or a more bombastic/mythology-free Lair of the Minotaur.
Colossal's only genuine contemplative moment comes in "Primeval Terror," in the form of a quiet bass-only section of repeated notes from Oskari Kähkönen. Before long the rest of the band joins back in and the melee continues unabated. "Cosmic," which shares its name with a 2007 Hebosagil EP, launches with a rocking groove that leads into more rumbling from (now former) drummer Ilpo Heikkinen and more of Junno's tortured screams. It's not that the album is one-dimensional, but it's as though one dimension is way bigger and obscuring the others. There's some cool stuff going on, but the quite frankly painful sound seems put in place to mask a lack of originality.
And yet, on another day, I might herald this as the real deal, true shit all others are trying to be. I guess it would really depend on your mood as you sit down to listen. Or maybe that's the problem - you shouldn't sit at all while you're listening. Music to stand to? Perhaps. More like music to drag someone out of their car and beat them within an inch of their life to, but standing is at least a start in that direction.
They've got the crushing atmosphere thing down, but there's no real innovation happening here, just some distinction you have to work extra hard to hear. Making the effort might be worth it in the end, however, there's a lot of screamy doom in this world. Part of me really wants to dig into Colossal and part of me is unconvinced the other part doesn't just like anything with a slow riff. You could do worse, but you'll hardly break a sweat doing better either. A true case of meh."
(StonerRock.com)

back to releases

K\K 014
HEBOSAGIL "Ura" Tape

"This tape here serves as my introduction to the Finnish band Hebosagil. Having been around since 2003 apparently, they’ve already got a few releases under their belt which always makes for an interesting experience for someone like myself who is diving head first into an evolving monster such as Hebosagil. Thankfully they’ve made it a bit easier on me by providing some of their past work for download on their website, if anyone is interested in getting a hold of those. I would certainly recommend it. With that said, Ura happens to be the bands second full-length album and is the follow up to the bands ’08 album Colossal, which I’ve only recently had time to sit down with. The noticeable differences immediately are though that Hebosagil have drastically diverted from some of the full on sludge of their earlier material in favor of rougher/more aggressive style of noisy rock. Not too terribly far from something you might have heard on Hydra Head maybe 8 to 10 years ago. The band keeps the rattling low end around however to still give them a bit of that sludgier sound, but there are also hints of something a bit more claustrophobic/chaotic like an Unsane or even Swedish legends Breach."
(Built on a Weak Spot)

"Demoja ja splittejä vuodesta 2004 tehnyt oululainen Hebosagil kuulostaa bändiltä, jolle ei kande mennä haistattelemaan aamuyöllä snagarilla. Death metal- ja sludge-meiningillä rynkyttävä ryhmä kuulostaa toisella kokopitkällään kusipäisen kiukkuiselta ja ärsyyntyneeltä - hienoa! Ura-levylle on tarttunut aavistus myös letkeämpää vivahdetta. Se tekee turhautumista ei sentään svengaavaa mutta vähemmän noisea musiikkia.
Hebosagilin riffit ovat paksuja kuin Margaret Thatcherin ahteri. Niihin olisi vielä kylmempää yltää yhden eikä kahden kitaran voimin. Basso jää kitaroiden alle, mikä tekee soundista punkimman ja terävämmän. Tatu Junnon ääntely on lajissaan käypää ja toimivaa. Huolellisen perehtymisen jälkeen huomaa, että levyllä growlataan suomeksi ja että sanoma on punkhenkinen ja lohduton, soundien henkeen osuva. Parhaiten nappaa päätösraita Kaikki ennallaan. Sen svengi on kypsähtänyt ja agitoiva ja sanoitus levyn tunnelman mukainen: "jarruttamalla ei suuntaa muuteta", "kaikki ennallaan urassa laahaa".
Ura-albumi ei toden totta laahaa. Se puskee läpi poliisiesteen. Ei ennen kokemattomasti mutta ihan uskottavasti.
(Sue)

"Spinal Tap -kitaristi Nigel Tufnelin ämyrissä äänenvoimakkuus kääntyi aina pykälään 11. Tämän päivän levytuotannossa se yhdestoista vaihde haetaan ääniraitoja kompressoimalla.
Taiten käytettynä sillä nostetaan hiljaisempia ääniä riittävälle voimakkuudelle, ilman että tarvitsee ryhtyä volume-nappulaa räpläämään. Liioiteltuna tehokeinona soittoon saadaan raivoavan myrskyn voima.
Tällaista julmettua paahtoa on vain väsyttävä kuunnella. Maksimitasolta on vaikea nousta korkeammalle. Kontrastit katoavat, korvat vuotavat verta ja mieli pörisee kuin tehosekoittimessa. Tähän luottaa oululainen metalliyhtye Hebosagil.
Ura on doomia, hard corea ja tummasävyistä metallia sekoittavan Hebosagilin toinen pitkäsoitto. 40 minuutin mittainen äänihyökkäys taukoaa luojan kiitos muutamissa kohdissa, joissa kappaletta kuljetetaan pelkän rytmiryhmän tai hidastempoisen kitarariffin avulla, mutta tahdin noustessa kuulija on taas keskellä myrskyä, kuin sillinpyytäjä Lofooteilla.
Ura tarjoaa sinällään kiinnostavaa ja yksinkertaisen toimivista elementeistä rakennettua mättöä, mutta musertavien soundiensa vuoksi levystä nauttiminen on hikistä hommaa."
(Keskisuomalainen)

back to releases

K\K 015
THROAT "Licked Inch Fur" MLP

"Man, the Finns just know how to do ugly music right. Be it tumultuous Noise and Power Electronics, militant Satanic Black metal or sewer level Sludge, they seem to just have harsh sound encoded in their collective DNA.
Throat manifest that cold northern cacophony into a finely honed form of noise rock that has its’ roots in the damaged sounds of the 90s US underground, but is still planted firmly in the sonic miasma of their home country.
With a demo and a 7" to their name so far, Throat are still pretty much an unknown quantity to many, but hopefully the newly released “Licked Inch Fur” 12" will go some way to changing that. Four raucous, headfucking songs of primo grade sludged out pummel that immediately put me in mind of the old AmRep and early Bovine records sound. Downtuned, gritty guitars, yelled vocals, and a super tight rhythym section that kicks like the proverbial mule.
Four songs here from these guys, and they don’t fuck around for one second. Straight from the off “Stampede” lives up to the title, with an insistent, grinding riff and (chock, horror) something remotely approaching a catchy chorus. It’s a short sharp blow to the head. Following that the slow burning dirge of “Wake Down” crawls along in a way that’s maybe less visceral, but twice as menacing.
That slow n’low menacing vibe continues onto side two with “Piggie” coming on like a hungover Unsane. Another slow burner til it jacks up the pace and intensity half way through and throbs along like the worst migraine ever. Jukka’s pained vocals add to the whole bad vibe perfectly. Closer “Poolpisser” brings things to a grinding halt with more brutal riffing over that clinically precise drum and bass duo, adding extra noise and feedback towards the end to completely destroy what’s left of your hearing.
There aren’t too many bands doing this style nowadays, and even less doing it this well. With this being a good old fashioned DIY style four-way label release you should have minimum difficulty picking it up, so hit up Kaos Kontrol, At War With False Noise,Made In Kansas or Verdura for a copy and get into one of the best new bands in Europe in years."
(Cvlt Nation)

""Licked Inch Fur" is the latest four-song EP from top-notch Finnish noise rock act Throat (released by At War with False Noise, Kaos Kontrol, Made in Kansas, and Verdura Records), and somehow it's even better than the "Adult Situations" 7" that I wrote about three months ago. I mentioned last time that the band seems to draw frequent comparisons to 16, Unsane, and Fudge Tunnel, but regardless of whether or not I agree with that, I will say that this EP puts Throat right up there with those highly regarded acts in terms of overall quality level. Surging rhythms, plodding basslines, eerie feedback, ringing dissonance, harsh vocals… it's all here in fine form. The songwriting has an unexpectedly dark heaviness to it as well, and that definitely pays off. And it's all wrapped up in an excellent recording that keeps everything sounding warm and natural – giving each element its own breathing room in the mix. Awesome, awesome stuff. Just check out the track below for proof. There's absolutely no reason why fans of this particular style shouldn't be absolutely flipping out over this band!"
(Aversionline)

"S'appeler Throat et mettre un pied sur la pochette, c'est une belle contradiction. Si vous étiez un tantinet joueur, vous parleriez d'un joli pied de nez. L'entourer d'une vieille chaussette sale déculpe les mauvaises odeurs d'une musique qui ne prend pas le contre-pied de son image. Les Finlandais de Throat ont l'esthétisme musical laid, lourd et rude et on ne peut que prendre son pied à l'écoute de ces quatre titres. Retrouver parmi les quatre labels ayant joints leurs efforts Made in Kansas, le label de Grids, n'est pas un hasard. Tout ce qui sent le bruit et la dégradation est bon à prendre mais pour la représentation, il faut mieux chercher du coté de Unsane, le malsain et la noirceur de la légende urbaine, Godflesh pour la lourdeur et lenteur menaçantes (les sept minutes de "Wake Down") et Tad pour l'ensemble de l'oeuvre sentant le velu, et pas seulement du tibia, et ce gros grain nauséabond au fond de la gorge. Sur "Piggie", le second guitariste vient porter voix forte pour un surplus de finesse et un chouïa d'envolée lyrique et quand on les croit parti sur un plan lobotomisant, ils vous achèvent par un coup de lance-flamme inattendu. On les croit prisonniers d'un canevas bien rabattu et ils vous glissent entre les jambes avec une guitare s'échappant à tout contrôle, un son épais qui vous assomme littéralement et des morceaux plus finauds qu'ils en ont l'air. Et l'air de rien, Throat vous file une bonne soufflante dans les bronches."
(Perte et Fracas)

"Doominsekaista sludgepaahtoa soittaa turkulainen Throat, jonka aiempaan tuotantoon en ole perehtynyt. "Licked Inch Fur" –EP sisältää neljä kappaletta, jotka yhtyeen kitaristi-laulaja Jukka Mattila varsin raivokkaasti tulkitsee. Tradi-doomista tässä on meininki kaukana, sillä varsinkin laulupuoli on enemmänkin huutolaulua ja rääkymisen tapaista, kuin doomille ominaista puhdasta laulua.
Throat ärjyy ja hidastelee sekä raivoaa ja ryöpyttää välistä hieman nopeammin. Periaatteessa Throatilla on paketti hyvin kasassa, ajatellen juuri tämän tyylistä hidastelevamman metallin alagenreä, mutta omaan makuuni siitä jää silti viime kädessä jotakin puuttumaan. Raivon lisäksi yhtye hallitsee tietynlaista tunnelmointiakin, mutta tunnelmallisemmat osuudet jäävät aika alakynteen verrattaessa raivokkaampien osioiden määrään ja laatuun.
”Ihan ok” –kamaa siis genressään, jonka fanit löytävätkin Throatista varmasti itselleen vielä minua enemmän mieluisaa kuunneltavaa."
(Imperiumi.net)

"Just roughly three months since I heard the debut 7-inch from Throat, they have this brand new 12-inch EP already available for consumption. The EP, titled "Licked Inch Fur", is a four way production from Made in Kansas, Kaos Kontrol, Verdura, and At War With False Noise. If you were a fan of the two tracks that made up the bands previous single, then reading any further is probably just a waste of your time and that hitting up one of those labels (depending on your location) for a copy of this EP is a must. Otherwise, if you missed the original go around with Throat, then "Licked Inch Fur" might be a good place to start anyway. The four songs that make up the EP keep right in line with their previous material, in that it moves effortlessly between slow sludgier noise to the more traditional low-end and dirty sounding noise-rock that was pumped out of the usual suspect labels during the 90's. However, on "Licked Inch Fur" we get to witness Throat working with a bit more variety over four tracks, which is good and shows that they aren’t completely fixated on just dishing out by the numbers mid-tempo riffing. You get the deep rumble and violent kick of Unsane here and there mixed in with some more punk influence than what I think was shown on previous material. No matter, this is another set of bulldozing songs from the promising Finnish group. Get on it."
(Built on a Weak Spot)

"4 way label split of this, Throat's 4th release. First thing I noticed when I picked this up was the At War With False Noise logo and much like any Reeves and Mortimer product, you can be sure this will be a quality release. This label always comes up with the goods, be it with psych freakouts like Vom, doom merchants Black Sun, the blackened noise of Gnaw Their Tongues or the spazz feedback blowouts of Kylie Minoise, I could go on but I don't think Al's ever released a shit record.
Hailing from Finland, Throat do the whole noise rock thing owing more than a nod to Unsane and the like, but there's a bit more to it than that. There's an underlying melody to the whole of the record, the guitarist could indeed be the bastard offspring of Kurt Danielson, pig squeal guitar's going off at all corners. Whilst most tracks are turned up to eleven Throat aren't scared of letting the pace down a bit to leave space to breath. Like on second track "Wake Down" this just make's it all the more effective when the volume kicks back in. Throat also have a great sense of rhythm, the band are tight as fuck showing a great deal of math in their delivery of madness.
All in all a quality release, fans of Unsane, Die 116, Tad, Bastards etc take note and obey."
(Collective Zine)

"Avec ce combo finlandais, le terrain est peut-être connu d’avance à savoir un noise rock tendu entre Big’n, Unsane et Fudge Tunnel. Mais la partie était loin d’être gagnée car il est difficile désormais d’évoluer dans ce registre musical sans éviter la redondance. La production dense et un bon sens du gimmick donnent du relief à ce premier maxi. Prometteur."
(Kfuel)

"Throatin tie yhdeksi maamme mielenkiintoisimmista rockbändeistä ei ole vienyt kauaa. Parin vuoden sisällä bändi on kehittynyt johdonmukaisesti ja määrätietoisesti ollen tällä neljän biisin lätyllä jo soitannollisesti melkoisen varmassa vedossa, hienosta biisiannista puhumattakaan. En ole tosin löytänyt juuri moitteen sijaa edeltävistä tekeleistäkään, mutta eiköhän nyt kuitenkin liikuta turkulaisen kurkun evoluution huipulla. Tai siis tähänastisella lakipisteellä.
Yhtye toteuttaa mallikkaasti noise rockiksi kutsutun genren perinteitä yhdistäen siihen tyylitietoisesti sludgemaista raskautta. Levyn kakkosbiisin voikin huoletta luokitella juuri viimeksi mainittuun tyyliin, muut kolme rallia tempaavat mukaansa sitten ihan eri ominaisuuksia hyväkseen käyttäen. Nuo rokkaavammat ja menevämmät vedot ovat aivan pirullisen iskeviä ja rytmikkäitä, biisit sisältävät juuri oikeanlaista aggressiivisuutta ja vaaraa. Bändi ei todellakaan sorru mihinkään yliyrittämiseen tai vastaavaan kikkailuun, paahtaapahan vaan kappaleet läpi varmasti ja tinkimättä, soitintensa yhteispeliin ja taitoihinsa luottaen. Monipuolisuudesta ei ole tingitty, vaan kaikki biisit tuovat mukaan jotain uusia kuvioita ja koukkuja. Mistään kovinkaan rennosti eteenpäin kulkevasta kamasta ei voida koko ajan puhua, sillä nykivyys ja särmikkyys saavat välillä aikaan hieman väkinäisen tunnelman. Tuohon ei kuitenkaan kannata takertua, vaan kannattaa vaan heittäytyä musiikin vietäväksi. Tummanpuhuva äänimaailma sekä tuskaisen säröinen ja tarpeeksi monisävyinen huuto kruunaavat äänitteen. Throat antaakin näytteen siitä, mitä oman vision itsevarma toteuttaminen ja vahva luomisvoima voivat parhaimmillaan saada aikaan. Harmi, ja ihme, jos sitä ei vähitellen tajuta muuallakin kuin maanalaisissa musiikkiympyröissä. Kunhan se äkätään, eivät 500 kappaleen painokset enää riitä!"
(UG #2)

"Unsane colliding head-on with Pissed Jeans. Ugly, jarring howls and worrisome rending sounds. Bitterness, self-loathing and a crushing sense of just how deep-rooted your own failures really are. It's not a pleasant thing to gaze upon, but at least it puts these guys on a trajectory where they should, soon enough, be up there alongside the likes of Slices and White Boss."
(Rock-A-Rolla)

"Turkulainen Throat on onnistunut formaattivalinnoissaan; debyyttijulkaisu “Good Times” ilmestyi c-kasettina (kuten myös harmittavan rajoitetusti painettu Hebosagil-splitti), sitä seurannut “Adult Situations” seiskatuumaisena ja nyt tarkastelun alla oleva “Licked Inch Fur” -EP kaksitoistatuumaisena (arvostelukappale on tosin cd-r). On Throat tosin onnistunut monessa muussakin asiassa, sillä vasta muutaman vuoden ikäinen yhtye on noussut vauhdilla yhdeksi valtakunnan kiinnostavimmista retkueista.
Mitään sinänsä uusinta uutta ei Throat “Licked Inch Furillaan” tarjoa, mutta tekee sen minkä taitaa aivan hemmetin moisella pieteetillä ja ennenkaikkea pirun tarttuvasti. Noise rockin ja sludgen välissä operoivista kappaleista voi nimittäin eri harvoin sanoa “tarttuva biisi” tai “menevä styge”, mutta Throatin kohdalla em. termit osuvat enemmän kuin kohdalleen. En toki usko, että esim. Piggie-raitaa tullaan kuulemaan Radio Rockilla Metallican ja Volbeatin uusimpien hittien välissä, mutta kappaleessa on sellainen “draivi” päällä, että siinä luulisi jo uunoimmallakin remmipöksyllä pään nyökkivän. Throatin vahvuus on siinä, että se onnistuu rullamaan vastustamattoman raskaasti kohti maalia, mutta ottamaan samalla taakseen kierrettä kaaosmaiseti nykivästä metelöinnistä. Kaiken kruununa keikkuu vielä kitaristi-laulaja Mattilan epätoivoinen huuto, joka joissain kohdissa kuulostaa jopa autenttiselta “rantojen mies” -örinältä <- ja tämä oli sitten kehu.
“Licked Inch Furin” neljästä raidasta ehdotonta eliittiä edustavat jo mainittu Piggie, sekä avauskappale Stampede, joka parin minuutin kestollaan ottaa kuulijalta turhat luulot pois heti kättelyssä. Täytepaloista ei toki puhuta kahden jäljelle jääneenkään biisin kohdalla ja varsinkin Wake Downin sludgemaisen verkkaisesti muriseva riffittely rikkoo kivast kahden edellämainitun biisin “rokkikaavaa”. Yksinkertaisesti aivan helskatin kova julkaisu."
(Lammas Zine)

Review in Russian.
(Rest Art)

"Veikkaisin että internetin syövereissä tämä ep on jo puhkirakastettu, mutta täysin syystä. Livenä tämä yhtye pääsi yllättämään päällevyöryävällä ja brutaalilla junnaavuudellaan. Pakkohan siihen oli levyltäkin päästä tutustumaan.
Parhaassa jenkkiläisen brutaalin metelirokkimentaliteetissa operoiva Turkulainen Throat ei kuulijaa paljon armahda, mutta se tässä tuskin lienee kuulijankaan tavoite. Muutenkin levy on tervetullut lisäys kotimaisen metelikkään mäiskerockin (sludgen, jos niin haluaa) kaanoniin ja mikä rimannosto se laadun puolesta onkaan. Tuotannossa tuhnu ja selkeys on harvinaisen hyvässä tasapainossa, biisit on aika selkeää a-luokkaa ja toiminta on muutenkin sopivan brutaalia ja vittumaista. Lyijynraskaita riffejä ei säästellä, feedbackista nyt puhumattakaan ja rytmiryhmä vyöryy eteenpäin kuin juna. Tätä dokumenttia lienee hankala ylittää. Tämän myötä toimitus odottaa Turun Amplifier Worshipia jo entistä suuremmalla innolla."
(Errorkraut)

"Parin lyhykäisen julkaisun verran huomiota aiemmin herättänyt turkulainen Throat on nyt saanut ulkosalle neljän biisin mittaisen kaksitoistatuumaisen. Napakan noiserockin ja junnaavan sludgen tienoilta omimman tyylipalettinsa löytänyt yhtye on jäänyt parilla nähdyllä keikalla hiukan etäiseksi ja kirjoittajan makuun yksioikoisen vakavaksi orkesteriksi, joten ensimmäistä omiin sormiin sattunutta julkaisua on odottanut mielenkiinnolla.
"Stampede" lyö levyn käyntiin nykivin riffein ja sähisevin kitarahälyin. Pentti Dassumin loihtimissa soundeissa on loskaista voimaa, keskeiset elementit erottuvat hyvin, mutta kokonaisuus soi silti samanaikaisesti sekä häiriintyneesti, että myös luontevana. Aloitusraita jää hitusen kolmea seuraajaansa korkeammalle osittain rivakan tahtinsa, osittain oudolla tavalla puoleensavetävien koukkujensa vuoksi, joiden tehoja jää kaipaamaan kakkosraita "Wake Downilta". Hitaasti pitkien ja piinaavien feedback-virtojen vuoissa lanaava kappale tuntuu jäävän tarjoamuksiltaan hieman puolitiehen, ja voisi kasvaa vielä piinaavammaksikin - joskin feedbackin määrän luulisi riittävän nykyiselläänkin. Väärällä hetkellä kuultuna kappale aiheutti tylyn migreenin, joten huonosta biisistä ei voi puhua!
Kolmosbiisi "Piggie" istuu levyn antimista vahvimmin sludgen puolelle, jota puolustaa eniten tuhovoimainen kertosäe ja laulajakitaristi Jukka Mattilan maanisesta käninästä ahdistuneeseen karjuntaan kantava tulkinta. Hivenen irrallisella loppuruoskinnalla kuorrutettu biisi unohtuu aika nopeasti päätösnumero "Poolpisserin" myötä. Pahaenteisten riitasointujen, melodiaa muistuttavan kitarakuvion ja tukevan tomiryöpsyttelyn kautta vinosti kertosäkeeseen kääntyvä ralli räjähtää kunnolla käyntiin vasta loppupuolella tahdin kiihtyessä punkahtavaa loppua kohden, jossa korvaan nappaa erityisesti kohdillensa hienosti osuva kitaratyöskentely tylyn riffittelyn ja riitaisan kitarakuvion välillä.
Kokonaisuutena EP herättää ristiriitaisia tunteita. Toisaalta bändi itsessään toimii pätevästi ja tuntuu olevan biisiensä kanssa hyvinkin sinut, jotka nekin ovat tylsimmilläänkin kevyesti yli keskiverron. Samalla levyltä olisi odottanut enemmän iskevyyttä ja vastaansanomatonta voimaa. Helposti Throatiin käy myös liittämään ennemmin ”perinteisen” kuin ”yllättävän” kaltaisia termejä, mutta vasta muutaman vuoden ikäiseltä yhtyeeltä "Licked Inch Fur" on vähintäänkin hyvin lupaava suoritus."
(Desibeli.net)

"After a run of supremely thuggish 7" Eps that I've raved about here at C-blast, the Finnish noise-rock band finally produced a longer piece of work last year with this four song 12" called "Licked Inch Fur". The record came out as a joint effort between At War With False Noise, Kaos Kontrol and a couple of other labels, and the grinding angular assault on display here is just as brutal as the stuff on their 7"s. There's a dank reek that comes off this record, like someone brought this album back tucked under their arm after a long tour through musty back rooms with cheap wall paneling, filthy yellowed bed sheets, unidentifiable fluid stains on the carpet, dark basements, messy drug dens. This wasted vibe seeps into every second of the dissonant ugly sludge-rock on "Licked Inch Fur", and it's fantastic. Songs like "Stampede", "Wake Down" and "Piggie" glom together more of Throat's bludgeoning bottom-heavy riffing that's wound tight around the rhythm section's lurching power, often offering their slower crushing dirges at brain-smashing levels of aggression, but also throwing in a lot of faster, more urgent parts that keep the music from stagnating in pools of grimy sludge for too long. There's lots of powerful tribal drumming and noisy guitar work that hints at the apocalyptic force of older Neurosis, and their jagged riffing and noisy high-end guitar scrape has a lot of extra weight from Throat's massive metallic crunch. They've always had a heavy 90's noise rock influence with echoes of Melvins, Fudge Tunnel, Unsane and Hammerhead rippling through the bulldozing feedback-soaked heaviness, but Throat put a harsher, more aggressive edge on their songs, cranking up the sludge quotient, the singer belting out his anti-social rants in a bloodied howl, without losing the ability to turn out a catchy hook such as that found on "Piggie". The heaviest song on "Licked Inch Fur" is the last one, though; "Poolpisser" crawls through a tar-haze dirge that finds the band at their slowest, dishing a nearly doom-laden slab of slow motion crush that's got some dirty, twangy guitar going on within the eerie melody lurking just beneath the surface of this song. Throat gets better every time I grab a new record from them, and anyone into heavy, dark noise-rock really needs to start listening to these guys now."
(Crucial Blast)

"Toiset bändit vaan ovat iljettävämpiä kuin toiset. Throat on nimenomaan sitä kastia, joka yököttää. Jo yhtyeen nimi on melko luotaantyöntävä, ja itse levytysten nimet ovat pääasiassa melko vastenmielisiä, joskus myös kannet. Throatin "Licked Inch Fur" (2011) on lähes jokaisella mahdollisella tavalla hyvin ruma ja raaka levytys, joka ei selitys edes Throatin turkulaisuudella.
"Licked Inch Fur" on siis Throatin ensimmäinen levytys kahdessatoista tuumassa. Siihen mahtuu neljä kappaletta todella likaista sludgen ja noise rockin sekasikiötä. "Licked Inch Fur" ei ole kuitenkaan varsinainen albumi, vaan kahdelletoista tuumalle isketty EP. Tokihan kyseessä oleva levytys on Throatin levyistä niitä pisimpiä. Ja oikeastaan kiinnostavimpia, kun bändin sangen ruma ja väkivaltainen ilmaisu tuntui "Licked Inch Furilla" viimeistään saavuttaneen niitä kierroksia, joita Throat oli jo aiemmilla levytyksillään vasta saavuttamassa. Palaset loksahtavat kohdalleen kuin sukka jalkaan.
Throatilla on jokin ihmeellinen kyky tehdä musiikistaan niin rumaa ja pysäyttävää, ettei toljottomista vaan voi keskeyttää. "Licked Inch Fur" on kuin sirkusfriikki, josta ei voi kääntää katsettaan pois. Tai oikeastaan korviaan. Tämä on sellainen levytys joka iskeytyy jokaiseen kuulijaan, mutta kuulijan omista mieltymyksistä riippuen hän joko inhoaa sitä tai inhoaa ja rakastaa sitä. Itse ainakin tiedän olevani hyvinkin innoissani tästä sukkalinkomusiikista. Ja onhan tämä nyt Throatin levyistä sieltä parhaimmasta päästä. Eikä tästä maasta muutenkaan taida tämänkaltaista audiosukkamehua tulla.
"Licked Inch Fur" on julkaistu jo viime vuoden kesällä. Olen siis vähän myöhässä tämän arvion kanssa, ja toivon mukaan levyn 500 kappaleen painos on jo mennyt. Ainakin niin olisi oikein ja vähintään kohtuullista. Ja kohtuullista olisi myöskin, jos tänään pesisitte ihan omat sukkanne. Hyvää äitienpäivää!"
(Piparnakkelin Pandaluola)

back to releases

K\K 016
THROAT "Pee" 7"

"The second of the two singles, is strictly a Throat release titled Pee, out now on Kaos Kontrol. Featuring two more new songs from the band, side-a houses the track “Prison Shower” and turns up the hate some. Not that they’ve really ever lacked in the department of bad attitude, but “Prison Shower” seems to be really channeling it hard. The flip of “Pet Peeves” mixes it up some, and even midway through kind of adopts some classic rock ‘n roll riffing before dropping out completely and pounding out a slower monotonous sludge like riff surrounded by high pitched feedback for the last minute or so. Definitely dig that track and may be the winner of the two here. Generally into what these guys are doing and it’s no different on this release. Fans of the band will probably want to grab this."
(Built on a Weak Spot)

"The latest from Finland's Throat (released by Kaos Kontrol) is the two-song "Pee" 7" – offering up about eight more minutes of their superb and sinister noise rock. Expect dense, winding bass runs; "skronk"-laden riffing with just the right amount of odd melody/dissonance; dashes of searing feedback; lightly distorted vocals that veer from snarled shouts to fairly aggressive screams; etc. As with all of their releases the production is aptly rugged and nicely accentuates the texture and atmosphere of their approach, while the cover art has a really strong visual aesthetic as well. I hate to keep it so brief, but there are only two songs here and I've written about this band a few times in the past, so what more do you need? Longtime fans of this style should really flip out over this band, man. You just can't lose with these guys."
(Aversionline)

"Raclement de gorge (profonde). Throat taille dans le lard d'un noise-rock dur comme le roc, bave comme des vikings en rut qui n'auraient pas vu la terre ferme depuis six mois et gicle comme un étalon fougueux. Throat, c'est finlandais et ça se consomme sans fin. Après un "Licked Inch Fur" très émoustillant, Throat délivre deux inédits juteux et pissant en cadence sur nos bas instincts. Ils ont privilégié la face action directe et figure au poing plutôt que la face lente et lourde. Histoire de riffs tournoyants et méchamment percutants, surtout sur "Pet Peeves", rythmique qui va bien au teint, chant de poilu finement saturée et titre se finissant dans des couinements. "Prison Shower" ne cherche pas non plus la complication, tout en accentuant les penchants maréchal-ferrant de Throat. Ce noise-rock là, malgré toute la bile déversée et la saleté ambiante, est de la race des grands seigneurs. Il y aurait même quelquechose de Glazed Baby et Slughog dans cette fournée de la part d'un groupe qui semble prendre la vie par le bon bout. Vivement la suite."
(Perte et Fracas)

"Turun sludgen ja noiserockmäiskeen mestariyhtye Throat jatkaa hyväksi todetulla linjalla. A-puolen "Prison Shower" sisältää yhtyeelle tyypillisen nykimisriffin, kunnes kappaleen c-osassa tempo puolitetaan ja selkäsauna saa kitaran feedbackilla höystettyjen kipusäteiden avittamana kliimaksinsa. B-puolen "Pet Peeves" on 90-lukulaisempi ja hitikkäämpi, mikäli Throatin kohdalla moisesta voi puhua. Ehtaa mosh-pit-materiaalia. Itse en taida kyllästyä Throatiin niin millään, mitä nyt feedback-soolonsa ovat vähän turhan samanlaisia. Tiedättehän, se ison volan aiheuttama riipivä ulina. Tämä annettakoon anteeksi. Kaikki eivät ole Markus Lemisiä, mistä tulikin mieleen, että Kult of Nihilow julkaisee piakkoin myös Baxter Stockmanilta seiskatuumaisen."
(Errorkraut)

"Yeah, I laughed at “Throat Pee” too. I don’t think Throat are joking though, as most bands that go for a Buzzoven / Unsane level of heaviness don’t do it for the giggles. “Prison Shower” is the a-side, and has as strong an AmRep vibe as the title, attempting to shine a light on the darker side of human nature through heavy, lumbering riffs and grizzled vocals. Same goes for “Pet Peeves” on the flip; it’s got a much less frightening title, but is just as indebted to bearded testosterone-rock as the a-side. The back cover shows the singer and bassist rocking out, two blurred messes of sweat and hair… one guy is in a Kilslug shirt, the other wearing a wedding ring (way to throw off your image with a symbol of life-long spousal commitment!), pretty much the exact look you’d equate with this sort of sound. It’s kind of a hard style to really get wrong, though, and while Throat add nothing to the lexicon, they laid down a sharp recording and kept their riffs just dumb enough that anyone could headbang to these songs without error. Every country needs at least one band like these – it’s now safe to check Finland off the list."
(Yellow Green Red)

"Retour des finlandais qui possèdent une double actualité puisqu’en dehors de ce single, ils viennent également de sortir un split ep en compagnie des Fleshpress. On retrouve avec grand plaisir, leur noise rock aride entre Unsane, Helmet et des formations plus barges comme Glazed Baby ou Zeni Geva."
(Kfuel)

"We loved the "Licked Inch Fur" LP by Finland's Throat from 2011 and we just scored another brainbomb of a single from the Kaos Kontrol label. "Pee" is a 2 track thick slab o' menace with "Prison Shower" and "Pet Peeves" scouring out yer ear canals with Throat's gnarly AmRep obliteration operations. Mean spirited grinding basslines and dissonant guitar fused together with skull crushing drums and searing cymbals all fronted by an unnerving guttural growl upping the intensity make this single and ugly punch to the gut. Fans of Unsane, 16, True Radical Miracle and burly noise rock from the days of yore take note cuz this thing is seriously recommended."
(Permanent Records)

"Some of the best sludge rock has been coming out of Finland lately, and at the very top of that heap is Throat. Their grueling low-slung dirge rock offers nods to the early 90's heyday of this kind of ugly, angular racket without ever sounding like an exercise in nostalgia, thanks in large part to the total ferocity with which these bass-thugs attack their music. This limited edition 7" (issued by Kaos Kontrol, only three hundred and thirty copies pressed) gives us another two new songs, "Prison Shower" and "Pet Peeves", short but skull-cracking blocks of crushing, twitchy sludginess that will give fans of bands like Tad, Unsane, The Jesus Lizard, Black Elk, Pissed Jeans and Oxbow a nice buzz. The first song is one of the meanest sounding songs from the band so far, a bludgeoning battery of skronky, lopsided riffing, and howled vocals slightly doused with distortion, a pounding percussive drive and more than a hint of pending violence. The flipside is noisier, the rhythm section locking into a vicious staggering groove while the guitar slashes and stabs with dissonant chords and noxious stop/start key changes, then slipping into a more driving, rocking passage about halfway through before finally turning into this massive dragging dirge at the end that fucking pulverizes even as it piles a ton of ominous atmosphere onto the proceedings. Love the Sub Pop visual references of the record sleeve, too. Recommended as always to fans of hateful, brute-force sludge-rock."
(Crucial Blast)

"Kurkusta kaikuvat ahdistuksen ja epätoivon suloiset sävelet yhä voimakkaampina.
Throat ei juuri ylisanoja itsestään heitä. Saatekirjeessä yhtye ilmoittaa selkeällä englanninkielellä olevansa vain “rock-bändi Suomen Turusta”, eikä tarjoa muuta kuin diskografian ja yhteystiedot. Mutta onhan Throat jo toimituksellekin tuttu bändi ja kaikkea muuta kuin rokkibändi Turusta. Yksikään rokkibändi ei kykene mihinkään näin painostavaan ilmaisuun kuin mitä Throat.
Kovatasoisilla “Adult Situations” -seiskallaan ja “Licked Inch Fur” -kaksitoistatuumaisellaan myös allekirjoittaneen vakuuttaneen Throatin uutukainenkin on vinyylimuodossa. Biisejä ei ole tällä kertaa kuin vain kaksi, mutta molemmissa ehditään porautua noise-rockin ja sludgen välimaaston sisimpään ytimeen ja tonkia kaikki sen viemärit. Periaatteessa nämä molemmat biisit ovat hyvinkin perverssejä ja luotaantyöntäviä, mutta samalla ne pitää saada kuunnella heti uudestaan. Nykivän ja murjovan Prison Showerin sekä suoremmin päällekäyvän Pet Peevesin kuuntelu on kipeää, mutta huumaavaa. Ja nautinnollista, vaikkakin sen verran kaoottista ettei Seppo Hovi välttämättä diggailisi.
Throat ei anna hetkenkään rauhaa, vaan pakottaa kuuntelemaan “Peen” heti toistamiseen kun se on jo kerran tauonnut. Se jos mikä on laadukkaan levyn merkki, ja mitä pitemmälle Throat ahdisuksen syövereissään etenee, sitä selkeämpänä tuo merkki alkaa näkyä."
(Lammas Zine)

"More ugly, misshapen goods from Finland's Throat, the first track a brilliantly heinous dirge full of hunch-backed riffing and strings slowly bent so as to produce maximum unpleasantness. "Pet Peeves" over side B has a tad more pace to which, if truth be told, isn't quite as becoming as their snail's pace slog, but still a worthy enough listen if you prefer the likes of 16, Unsane and Tile to anything remotely carefree or cheerful."
(Rock-A-Rolla #37)

"This 7" is currently the second newest release (the newest being their split with Black Sun) by the Finnish group Throat, whom we recently interviewed here. It was released as a pressing of 330 copies by Kaos Kontrol, and should still be available.
The 7" presents two heavy, menacing and discordy pieces of noise rock. "Prison Shower" relies on the slow and discordy verses' contrast to the faster, heavier and steadily rhythmic chorus with low and commanding shouts as a tasty topping. The chorus has a hint of catchiness, but mostly it focuses on delivering distasteful filth and annoying noisiness upon the unsuspecting listener - and does it well. The song sounds anguished, tormenting and plain good. I would've wanted the contrasts to be taken further, but perhaps that would've made the song too pleasurable.
"Pet Peeves" is both different and similar to the A-side's piece. It shreds forward on a faster pace, and is driven by a twisted and rhythmic verse that's sure to get you stomping your feet. It's a simple song that gets disorder from its low shouts of hate, until its end approaches with its screeching feedback and general sludge-ness. Similar to the A-side, this one's really good, but somehow left me feeling that it could've been taken just a bit further.
A record for your dearest friends and most loathed enemies, and one that's sure to make you flail and jump around like you had ran out of your brain-meds a week ago. An extra high five is given for the simplistic but really stylish visual side and its disturbed colouring. Buy it if you hate yourself."
(Damned by Light)

"Après quelques singles ici et là et surtout un EP 12" qui avait marqué les esprits (le mien en tous cas), nos valeureux vikings nous revenaient fin 2011 avec dans leur besace un nouveau 7" deux titres paru chez Kaos Kontrol. Une fois l'objet entre les mains, la première chose qui saute aux yeux (avant que nos oreilles ne soient assaillies de bruit) c'est évidemment la pochette. Après avoir eu droit à un pied habillé d'une magnifique chaussette sale et malodorante pour illustrer "Licked Inch Fur" (le EP 12" en question donc), nous avons cette fois-ci affaire à deux garçonnets (jumeaux à priori) aux regards pernicieux, le genre de gamins à surveiller comme l'huile sur le feu si tu veux pas qu'il t'arrive des bricoles. Ca sent les crasses et les coups bas et posant bras dessus bras dessous ils semblent se réjouir d'avance du sort qui t'est réservé !
Côté musique t'as donc droit à deux titres. Par rapport aux sorties précédentes la formule n'a guère changée (qui s'en plaindra ?), Throat martelant encore et toujours son noise HxC aux relents unsaniens (y'a un gros côté Tad aussi dans le genre bûcheron mal dégrossi aux mauvaises manières), option entreprise de destruction massive, les morceaux étant à ranger avec ceux qui développent un côté noise rock plutôt que sludgy même si la lourdeur (douleur ?) est assurément de mise.
Face A, c'est "Prison shower" (attention à ta savonnette !) qui a l'honneur de déclencher les hostilités. Et là, à peine tu te penches pour la ramasser (je t'avais dit de faire gaffe ...) que deux taulards musculeux et sévèrement membrés t'agrippent par les bras chacun d'un côté pour une prise de soumission, pendant qu'un troisième commence sans préliminaires à te la carrer là où tu sais pour ce qui s'appelle une étreinte profonde. Un ramonage dans les règles de l'art mon bon monsieur. J'ai eu beau te prévenir, te dire de te méfier, t'as rien vu venir. La basse te martèle l'arrière-train, la batterie te casse les reins, la guitare crisse sur ta peau et la voix rauque te vrille les tympans. Encore et encore. Encore et toujours ... Ereinté, avachi et dégoulinant de sueur, tu te retrouves seul aussi vite que tu t'étais trouvé en bonne compagnie. Tu te relèves tant bien que mal avec la démarche douloureuse d'un cowboy au pas mal assuré, claudiquant, le regard dans le vague ... mais un sourire béat au coin des lèvres ! Tu veux remettre le couvert ? ...
... J'en étais sûr ! Face B, c'est au tour de "Pet peeves" de te tourmenter. Tu les croyais partis pour de bon et pourtant ils sont de retour tes potes de zonzon. Et d'un commun accord ils ont décidé qu'ils seraient tes "Bêtes noires". Alors ni une ni deux ils recommencent leurs sévices sur ta personne comme ils les avaient terminés la fois précédente. La même bonne vieille rengaine, ou presque, et t'avais beau connaître la chanson tu y es retourné comme un con. Ils te sortent à nouveau le grand jeu et comme la première fois l'expérience est douloureuse et laisse des traces. Mais une fois de plus le plaisir est au bout de l'épreuve. Alors, heureux?"
(Servile Reptile)

back to releases

K\K 017
SOLAR HORN "Rebirth Ritual" Tape

"Seen the band few times live and hearing also their unofficial recordings, it's been very much of existing band for me, but seeing how they mention this tape actually being first real release for public, I assume pretty much nobody knows them? It's one half known from project AM (amongst other activities of course), and one could say it continues well into slightly similar approach what AM used to do. Simple bounding bass riffs, monotone percussion, guitar feedback and noises. I will automatically compare to some heavier days of Swans, but it's just half of the truth. There is nice addition of metal percussion, but overall tracks are build with rather crude and coarse sonic elements, where for example guitars are less of fuzzy & high distorted AM style, more of broken and damaged noiserock'ish grain. The difference is most audible in style of feedback, where constant highly distorted drone'ish smooth feedback is much more noisier, random and disharmonic. C. 20 minutes tapes I instantly played over like 3 times and it gets better while digesting the patterns of each song. Pro dubbed tapes and simple j-card with stylish design."
(Mikko A/Special Interests)

"A short (way too short) cassette Ep from Finland's Solar Horn, which appears to be their first official release following an appearance on a compilation Lp on Blind Date Records. The tape is only three songs long, but man, it' pretty flattening with its pounding, monotonous bass dirge and sadistic feedback attack. The band comes out of that same kind of Swans-influenced industrial sludge-punk that I've been hearing lately from bands like Bodycop, No Balls, Pig Heart Transplant, and Pop. 1280, and if any/all of those names make you break a sweat, you should be checking this tape out.
"Rebirth Ritual" begins with the gnarly growling bass and slow pounding drums grinding through the psychedelic electronic mist of "Skin Restraint", a guitar screeching out a two-note lead over the heavy industrial sludge. It's like an early instrumental Swans song that's been slathered with an extra helping of acid-damaged psych-guitar wail. "Feedback Lazarus" has more of a palpable groove to it, a slight tinge of "funk" (if I can call it that) in the drummer's rolling caveman rhythms, but the feedback drone and amplifier-vomit remains merciless as it pours out in thick, stringy tendrils over Solar Horn's pounding machine-sludge trance.
The other side has just one song "Ejaculation Of Ugliness", but it's the main show here. The first couple of minutes are a mangled mess of shapeless black guitar slime, oozing and crawling over a field of crackling cable noise and static amp-drone, but then the drummer finally drops in, pounding out another of his simple, primitive dirge-like beats and clanking junk-metal percussion while the guitars rise up into a wailing, twang-flecked lead and the singer starts bellowing through a huge cloud of echoplex effects. It sounds like this weird doom-laden garage-rock dirge laced with air raid siren guitars and covered in a thick layer of mold. I'll be damned if it didn't remind me of a Pussy Galore song slowed down to around 30 bpm.
Limited to one hundred copies."
(Crucial Blast)

back to releases

-
FLESHPRESS / THROAT Split 7"

"More noise from Finland based monsters Throat. This time throwing two new 7-inches at us, one being a split with fellow Finnish sludge mongers Fleshpress. I can’t say I’ve really given much of a listen to Fleshpress in the past, but what I have heard was some incredibly slowed down and exhausting doom/sludge material on their LP Pillars. So, it goes without saying, I was a bit surprised to hear them on this split coming out of the gate with a more traditional type of noise-rock stomp. Solid stuff, and something that will probably force me to scour their back catalog some more. The Throat side of things is some pretty standard stuff from them, in terms of what their past discography has to offer. It gets into a rather Unsane influenced groove towards the end of the track. Each track here from the bands are untitled by the way, with nearly as little identifying which side is which on the actual single. So people who are unfamiliar with both may have a difficult time differentiating the two bands on this split. A co-release from Kaos Kontrol and Kult of Nihilow."
(Built on a Weak Spot)

"Vous reprendrez bien une fournée de Finlandais, ces solides gaillards qu'une bonne bourrée noise-rock n'a jamais effrayé ?! Fleshpress n'est pas coutumier de nos rivages mais ils traînent une sale réputation de groupe sludge/doom/metal, le genre qui aurait tendance à me faire fuir avec femme et enfants. Alors je ne sais pas si un vent printanier souffle sur leur chevelure abondante ou si l'amour d'une déesse finnoise est venu cajoler leur épiderme velu mais ce morceau sans titre file droit, offre une enthousiasmante vigueur, des suspensions toutes neuves, un aérodynamisme permettant d'affronter sereinement les vents contraires et une violente voix éraillée pour bien marquer son territoire. Bref, Fleshpress met les pieds dans le secteur noise-rock, n'est plus dévolu à des sous-genres préhistoriques et si cette composition reste tout de même emprunte de brutalité et d'un bon degré de saletés, elle représente peut-être un futur auquel il va falloir s'intéresser.
Le présent de leurs collègues d'un jour n'a pas bougé. Throat n'a lui aussi pas daigné donner de titre à ce morceau représentant toujours cette force tranquille. Un inédit qui fait suite à leur single "Pee", sorti quasi le même mois, une logique qui fait plaisir à entendre. Le noise-rock de Throat sent le souffre, la basse rocailleuse, le Glazed Baby dévalant les fjords, alternance d'un tension inquiétante et de brutales explosions avant de revêtir le drap de la grande classe. Les labels centraux sont rigoureusement identiques, impossible de distinguer la face attribuée à chaque groupe, sauf si on fait preuve d'une grande perspicacité et d'un professionnalisme sans faille, pas de titres aux morceaux, ne reste que ces multiples images d'asiles pour accentuer le malaise."
(Perte et Fracas)

back to releases

K\K 018
FORKBOY "1993-1999" CD

"Le travail d'archivistes de l'inutile, d'archéologues du rock qui feraient mieux de laisser pourrir les disques là où ils étaient m'a toujours sidéré. Un peu comme tous ces webzines parlant avec véhémence d'obscurs groupes tirant à 124 exemplaires et qui n'intéresseront au final que trois péquenots. Tiens, j'vais aller m'pendre.
Les labels finlandais Kaos Kontrol et Arkisto ont décidé de déterrer un groupe tout aussi finlandais qu'eux, qui n'a jamais intéressé personne de son vivant, n'a sorti que quatre pauvres cassettes démos et qui, treize ans plus tard, n'intéressera toujours pas plus de monde. Cette beauté du geste, ce sens du sacrifice, ça me boulversifie à chaque fois. Forkboy est donc le nom de ce très obscur groupe, né à Oulu en 1993 et si jamais personne n'a cru bon sortir un disque du temps de leur splendeur, c'est qu'il y a sûrement une raison. On peut objecter un je m'en foutisme caractérisé du groupe, un amateurisme flagrant, une mauvaise conjonction des étoiles ou plus prosaïquement, une musique à chier. Même pas, on connait des groupes merdiques pour qui les labels se bousculent pour sortir leurs flatulences. Celles de Forkboy ont la douce odeur du noise-rock historique, la saleté des groupes d'Amphetamine Reptile alliée, la méchanceté d'un Cherubs et la rusticité d'un Spores. Quinze titres issus de quatre sessions d'enregistrements différentes, dont la qualité évolue avec le temps, remastérisé pour les bienfaits du CD, qui n'a rien de révolutionnaire, de mieux que le voisin ou souffrant du syndrome du pyramidale trésor caché dont tout le monde se demande, mais comment est-ce Dieu possible que personne n'ait entendu parler d'eux?! Mais comme ils le disent eux-mêmes sur les notes intérieures du livret, le principal était de prendre son pied à faire modestement tout ce bordel. Pour tout ceux qui n'en ont jamais assez ou chez qui sommeillent les germes de l'archiviste intraitable, ce bordel est louable et on remercie les deux labels de le faire partager."
(Perte et Fracas)

"Käsillä on mielenkiintoa herättävä julkaisu. Oulu, mölyrock ja 1990-luku. Neljä sessiota, jotka Pentti Dassum on koonnut ja masteroinut kokoelmaksi. Yhtye, joka rakasti AmRep-noisea, AC/DC:tä ja Dead Kennedysiä. Soittimeen voi joutua pienemmilläkin odotuksilla.
Lardin biisistä nimensä napannut Forkboy perustettiin 1993. Yhtye toimi kuusi vuotta, julkaisi kolme demoa ja jätti neljännen pöytälaatikkoonsa. Sitten treenikämppä lähti alta, nimi vaihtui Tenderizeriksi, tyyli garageksi ja demot vinyylisplittiin Disgracen kanssa. Mutta se on jo aivan eri tarina.
Pienestä ennakkointoilusta huolimatta Forkboy pääsee yllättämään. Ei siksi, että yhtye todella kuulostaa siltä, että 90-luvun puoliväli on vietetty AmRep-päissään, vaan siksi että se on niin täynnä puskevaa voimaa ja vimmaista energiaa ja nuorta angstia. Samalla se teki monipuolisia biisejä; johdonmukaisesti monipuolisia ainakin yhden levyn tarpeisiin.
Eka demo on tietysti paras. Vuonna 1997 nauhoitetut äkkipikainen ja vasemmalle nojaava Detent, mietteliäästi pörisevä Sure Thing, riffirockin alt.istanut Charity, My Dear sekä suoraviivainen, jopa funkahtava Sideburn Jesus ovat täynnä pidättelemätöntä virtaa, sortuilevia ääniä ja huutoa.
Seuraavana vuonna tehty Nasa-demo on otteiltaan mietitympi. Biisit polveilevat enemmän, ja ne ovat raskaampia. Kitarat soivat kuin teräspalkit, eikä rumpalikaan enää kuulosta pakokauhuiselta (ehkä hän kuulosti aiemmin siltä, koska oli oikeasti kitaristi?).
Kolmas demo Hormones tehtiin vuonna 1998, ja se on synteesi kahdesta edeltäjästään. Forkboy kehittyi paremmaksi yhtyeeksi, joka teki tasaisesti jatkuvasti omalaatuisempia kappaleita. Ei ihme, että Hormonesista tuli keikkasetin huipennus. Kirskuvia kitaroita, raskasta junnaavuutta, väkevää rytmiä. Enemmän intuitiivista kuin ajateltua tarvetta tuulettaa sieluaan.
Tämän kokoelman tarpeisiin laatikosta kaivetut Get Uptight sekä etenkin wah-wahilla vedetty Alarm Clock Digits nojaavat jo vähän tulevan puoleen, vaikka ovatkin selkeästi Forkboyn biisejä. Viimeisenä kuultava Hormonesin kakkosversio on alkuperäistä parempi, pidempi ja koko levyn kliimaksi. Siitäkin huolimatta, että tuotannon alkupään raaempi, naturalistisempi äänikuva miellyttää enempi.
Forkboy lienee monelle täysin tuntematon osa suomalaista noiserockin historiaa. Näin ei kaikeasta päätellen pitäisi olla, eikä toivottavasti tule tämän julkaisun jälkeen olemaankaan."
(Desibeli.net)

"As indicated by the title, Forkboy formed in 1993 and had a run of things in Finland for a handful of years before fading from obscurity into further obscurity. I say that since the band never really had an official release to their name, rather they had a series of 3 demos and an unreleased session towards the end of their time together. Now Finnish label Kaos Kontrol in conjunction with Arkisto Rekords has taken it upon themselves to collect all of this material into one nice tidy CD, all lovingly remastered. Granted, I can’t imagine their being a huge audience for this type of release, but like the Shiny Beast anthology that was put out not all that long ago, I find it rather endearing that small labels (profit be damned) take the time to dig up this type of archival material. Not all of it is certainly worth releasing, but if you’re being comprehensive then screw it. You’re releasing it anyway right? Done up in 300 copies, I think they are going about this the right way.
As to be expected, not all of this is grade-a material. But Forkboy, despite wallowing in relative obscurity, laid some fairly shining moments to tape before splitting up. Seeing as how I’ve written about current Finnish noise-rock/sludge purveyors Throat multiple times in the past, it’s interesting to hear a band like Forkboy who were doing a very similar type of sound roughly 15 years prior. Not that either were/are necessarily reinventing the wheel, but it’s a testament to how far and wide the AmRep influence reached. Hell, it even mentions it in the liner notes. The early tracks clearly show a band that were operating within that raw and charmingly flawed area of noise, no fancy stuff…just distortion masking some riffs. As they moved forward though the band clearly pushed towards a further straight forward heavy rock approach, employing the type of meaty riffs that would have resembled Helmet at the time, but with a noticeably heavier focus on 70’s riff/radio rock. At times that can be a bit too much, but otherwise they managed to keep it in check more often than not. Not a bad disc, and definitely a band that could have found an audience if things would have broke right for them. Kudos to Kaos Kontrol and Arkisto for unearthing these tracks."
(Built on a Weak Spot)

"I love finding noise rock fossils like this, unearthed from the shale of some distant country. Forkboy were a Finnish band that was bashing skulls back during the tail end of noise rock's heyday in the 90s, but they only recorded three demos on a four track in their basement practice space before disbanding at thew end of the decade. I'd never heard of the band before as I'm sure most folks outside of Finland hadn't either, but this stuff is very much deserving of the re-issue treatment that Kaos Kontrol has given it here. 1993-1999 collects all three of those demos for the first time, presenting Forkboy's entire recorded output in chronological order. Taking their name from the Lard song, Forkboy wore most of their influences on their collective sleeve, namely the frantic hardcore of the Dead Kennedys and the feedback-soaked noise rock that Amphetamine Reptile trafficked in, but they forged an infectious sound out of it all that most importantly featured some really solid songwriting. The music does sound of it's time, a skronky noise rock assault that winds it's barbed-wire riffs and the singer's howling gravelly vocals around a bludgeoning rhythm section who swings back and forth between lopsided angular grooves and head-nodding, snare-driven tempos that often border on the motorik. The guitarists weave droning lines and traces of cowpunk twang around the chunkier riffs to give their songs an added dose of malevolence. and there's moments where they explode into storms of guitar noise that threaten to swamp the entire band. Forkboy's hardcore punk influences are more obvious than a lot of their peers from this period, songs like "Been There" racing along like a gnarlier version of West Coast punk, and the further into these demos you go, the more apparent their love of Dead Kennedys becomes. There are a couple of songs that are supremely catchy, like the burly stop-and-go grinder "Low Brow", which offers some of the disc's most memorable hooks. It's heavy stuff, though, and swings around a big bottom end that anyone into the ugly, skull-cracking end of the Am Rep/Touch And Go field would really dig. Despite the fairly primitive recording setup that Forkboy used for all of their demos, this stuff sounds pretty damn heavy here. Pretty massive, actually. It's unpolished, but we're talking about noise rock here, so that's a perk. It's one of the cooler noise rock obscurities I've heard lately, and I recommend that you check this band out if you're pining for the glory days of Amphetamine Reptile, early Helmet, Unsane, and like me is always looking for more chugging, super-heavy scum-rock in their life.
Released in a limited edition of three hundred copies, re-mastered and accompanied by original artwork, liner notes and band photos."
(Crucial Blast)

"Forkboy was a quartet that was active between the years mentioned in the album's title, although I assume not many local people have ever even heard of them. This CD compiles all of the band's demo-recordings of the era.
Fifteen songs and almost fifty minutes of crude, primal and damn nasty noise rock is what you get. Lots of discords, lots of shouting, and very little of anything nice or any kind of appeal. The songs aren't overtly primitive or extreme in any way either; they're just sweaty, harsh and somewhere between noisy and musical. It's the sound of young men expressing their frustration in a garage.
The vocals have a rather nasty crackling distortion for the most part, and occasionally the instruments do too, but in this case I think it's more of a good than a bad thing. This album doesn't really have a lot of anything nice or appealing in it after all, aside of the underlying primitive groove, so it's only natural that the soundscape reflects the songs' introverted approach. Aside of the occasional rough tape-distortion the songs have an even surprisingly good, clear and deep sound, especially when noting that they've been mastered from some old tapes. Mr. Dassum's most certainly done a good job with the mastering.
Although the CD is compiled of four different demos, it sounds like a rather unified and cohesive package. The minimalistic visual side and the band's story in the booklet are good and interesting, and the music itself does what it promises; it interests and displeases in just the right way. Still, you can hear that the songs are demo-recordings, and somehow the final definitive characteristic and appeal seems to be lacking... or perhaps exactly that is the band's trait?
It's a shame that Forkboy didn't get around to making an actual album back in their time, as I bet they could've done some serious damage with a studio-recorded full-length."
(Damned by Light)

back to releases

K\K 019
THROAT "Manhole" LP

"Suomalainen noise-skene elää ja voi paremmin kuin pitkiin aikoihin - parhaiten sitten Bad Vugum -levy-yhtiön kultavuosien. Fun on yhä Fun, Baxter Stockman on yhä Baxter Stockman, ja nyt Throat tulee ja tunkee debyyttipitkänsä kurkuistamme alas kovin suomalaisella asenteella.
Sludgea, punkia ja mölyä sekoittava kokonaisuus saisi hyväksyvän peukun Steve Albinilta, jos hän moisiin positiivisuuden osoituksiin suostuisi murjottamisen sijaan. Ulkomailta hengenheimolaisia löytyy vaikkapa Unsanen ja Jesus Lizardin suunnasta. Kyllä te asianharrastajat tiedätte: pärisevä bassosoundi, väkivaltaisen rujot kitarat ja Sub Popilta lainattu logo kertoo suoraan, missä mennään.
Kaikista yllä mainituista nimistä huolimatta Throatilla on oma äänensä. Käheä, rämä ja rohiseva, mutta silti melodinen. Ehdottomasti suositeltava kokonaisuus kaikille metelöitsijöille."
(Sue)

"Throat are from Turku, Finland and bear no relation to the band that used to support Clutch in the late 90s.
But, dear reader, do not be alarmed! Within lies a stunning sludge-esque beast that has been around since 2009 and harbours a chugging, unhinged style that you'll love. Vocals sound a little manic and through half-screams, slurred spoken vocals and liberal sprinklings of feedback you can imagine this is a band not to come across down a dark alley, in a venue or just even in the coffee shop.
"Manhole" comes after a string of releases on 7", cassette tape and even a split with Black Sun last year. For some reference points, there's some elements of The Melvins in there, but also a rolling and slacker vibe that calls to mind the heavier elements of Oxbow, the vocals do a lot to bolster this, being as they are delivered in a focused, threatening drawl that evokes both intrigue and fear in equal measure.
There's also a hint of Shellac here in the precise percussion on offer, clinical and driving as it is. However the endless churning guitar torture eventually becomes a little repetitive, but you'll probably enjoy this band in small doses. Try putting on the full album on a long journey and I'm sure you'll find it flies by."
(Ninehertz)

"Throat était suivi à la trace depuis toute une série de formats courts. Le cap franchi du premier album ne les voit pas défaillir. Avec toutes ces petites annonces sado/maso reproduites sur l'insert, fleuron édifiant de toutes les perversités de ce bas monde, et ce vieux travelo sur la pochette, "Manhole" est assurément un album pour hommes aimant qu'on lui enfonce profondément tout un tas de frustrations et de vices de gros calibre, pour hommes déviants aimant le cuir et les fessées, qu'importe le coté du fouet duquel vous aimez vous trouver, pour tous les goûts il y a mais pas seulement. Le noise-rock clouté des finlandais fait preuve de plus en plus de finesse. Le socle Unsane, Slughog, Tad est lacéré par deux guitares pointues et malignes, des cassures, des frappes sèches, des rafales, des coups de martinets à pointes s'enfonçant intimement dans la chair et des mid-tempo insoutenable de tension digne de pas mal de groupes ayant faits les grandes heures de Chicago. Allier à un chant possédant ce grain naturel et viril faisant te soumettre à ses injonctions, un bruit de ferraille et une démarche massive, Throat débouche sur un noise-rock aussi alerte que lourd, sulfureux et subtilement tordu, à l'image de "Soft White Walls". Une patte personnelle dans laquelle on se fourvoie allégrement. Quatre finlandais loin d'un groupe de bourrins psychopathes avec des compositions de velours dans un gant de fer comme les deux dernières de l'album, magnifiques, "Euthanasia Coaster" et "Bad Heat". De quoi vouloir recevoir sa punition, encore et encore. Hot, 35, good-looking Italian slave needs training from enema Master. You taste like a man and smell like a whore. Album sadiquement incontournable."
(Perte et Fracas)

"Throat on itselleni uusi tuttavuus, vaikka bändillä on jo muutama vuosi ikää ja tuotoksiakin löytyy mallikkaasti. Mutta vuonna 2009 perustetulle bändille tämä on kuitenkin vasta ensimmäinen täyspitkä julkaisu. Yhtyeen musiikkia kuvaillaan noiserockin ja sludgen sekoitukseksi, mikä kyllä herättää mielenkiinnon ja kovat odotukset. Muutamia yhtyeitä on tullut vastaan samaisen sekoituksen kanssa, ja hyvin nämä tyylit ovat sopineet yhteen, joten katsotaan, miten suomalaiset hoitavat homman kotiin.
Jo levyn ensimmäinen biisi "Gift Gas" lunastaa suurimman osan odotuksista. Meno on raskasta, ja kiero riffittely särisee mukavasti korvissa. Kitara kiertää sopivasti, eikä mitään ylilyöntejä tule. Monesti pelkästään termi "noise" saa ihmiset luulemaan, että asiat voi soittaa miten päin ja kuinka järkyttävästi tahansa. Tällä albumilla ei ole onneksi kyse siitä, koska soitto on erittäin toimivaa ja tarkkaa. Vaikka biisit eivät tarjoakaan mitään maailmaa mullistavaa, niihin on kumminkin saatu tarttuvia koukkuja mukaan. Albumin hitaasti runnovat osiot tuovat välillä mieleen sellaiset yhtyeet kuin Dragon Green, Megachurch ja Black Tusk, eli amerikkalaistyylisen sludgen.
Pääpaino näyttäisi olevan noiserockissa, ja kolme ensimmäistä biisiä kuultuani olin jo osittain varma, missä tämän levyn kohdalla oikein mennään. Neljäs biisi "Holey" kuitenkin upottaa suohon. Biisin raskas anti ja jämäkkä groove luovat hyvää vastapainoa levyn alulle. Levyn loppua kohden mennäänkin taas samalla tavalla kuin alussa. "Euthanasia Coaster" tarjoaa vielä vähän laahustamista ennen viimeistä biisiä. Kyseisen biisin introna toimii Sirkuspelle Hermannin tunnari, ja täytyy myöntää, että en osannut odottaa sitä yhtään. Alussa nauratti, mutta leikit sikseen ja ryminä päälle. Viimeinen biisi "Bad Heat" näyttäisi olevan hulppeat 22 minuuttia pitkä. Vähän jännitti, mitä biisi oikein pitäisi sisällään, koska tällaiselta tyylilajien sekoitukselta voisi odottaa mitä vain. Harmikseni itse biisi kestää vain vähän alle viisi minuuttia ja loppu on vaimeaa kohinaa.
Loppupeleissä "Manhole" on hyvä tuotos eikä yhtään hassumpi ensimmäiseksi täysipitkäksi. Levy on omasta mielestäni pituudeltaan vähän liian lyhyt, koska se vaikuttaa loppuvan kesken. Yhdeksän biisiä ja alle 40 minuuttia, mutta jos viimeinen biisi olisi kestänyt viiden minuutin sijaan sen 22 minuuttia, niin se olisi ollut passeli. Mitään suurta vääryyttä ei ole kuitenkaan tapahtunut, vaan levy on kaikesta huolimatta hyvä. Vaikka levyn äänimaailma on tasainen, se ei kumminkaan ole tylsä. Biisit jaksaa kuunnella tarkasti, ja ne pystyvät luomaan sopivan tunnelman. Termi hallittu kaaos sopii hyvin tähän levyyn, sillä vaikka menoa yltyy kieroksi, bändin soittotaito pitää huolen siitä, ettei mennä perse edellä puuhun vaan tasapaino pidetään hyvin hallussa. Levy ei aukene täysin ensimmäisellä kuuntelukerralla, joten jos tyylilaji tai bändi on uusi tuttavuus, kannattaa muistaa kuunnella maltilla. Tästä saa moni sludgen ja/tai noiserockin ystävä hyvän lisän soittolistalleen."
(Kaaoszine)

"Des finlandais de Throat on connaissait déjà la participation du groupe à la série de splits initiée par Hell Comes Homes (avec "Anal Paranoid" Throat peut même se vanter d’avoir torché le meilleur titre de toute cette collection d’un niveau pourtant déjà très élevé) ainsi qu’un autre split publié en 2011 chez Kult Of Nihilow (avec les Fleshpress, encore des finlandais, comme voisins de pallier). Depuis 2010 Throat a ainsi publié pas moins de quatre 7’ et un 12’ de quatre titres… Des furieux qui ne débandent jamais et qui, pour parler un tout petit peu vulgairement, défoncent tout sur leur passage, ne sont pas là pour enculer que des auditeurs consentants et provoquent l’orgasme noise à coup sûr.
Le bien nommé "Manhole" – avec un clone de Syd Barret dans un rôle de travesti échappé de The Rocky Horror Picture Show sur le recto de la pochette – fait plus que confirmer tout le bien que l’on pensait déjà d’un groupe principalement occupé à nous faire peur et à nous écarteler les chairs coûte que coûte. Et "Manhole" est bien le genre de disque que l’on a d’ores et déjà décidé de hisser au rang des classiques du noise-rock éternel. Pas moins. On précisera à celles et ceux qui avaient précédemment décidé de complètement s’abandonner face à la furie d’"Anal Paranoid" que sur leur premier album les Throat font toutefois preuve d’un petit peu plus de finesse. Mais pas trop non plus : juste ce qu’il faut en fait pour que les effets de cette musique soient encore plus dévastateurs.
Le côté lourd et gras à la Unsane est donc toujours là mais il y a quelque chose de plus dans ces deux guitares qui aiguillonnent sans cesse, visent de mieux en mieux dès qu’il s’agit de placer un bon coup de fouet là où ça fait vraiment mal et ne taraudent plus à l’aveugle au travers des cloisons de sombres backrooms mais préfèrent se dresser toujours plus fièrement au grand jour, quitte à se lancer dans des digressions aussi inhabituelles que dévastatrices. Et d’une manière générale l’un des gros points forts de Throat c’est que toute la base de gras bien épais n’empêche pas non plus un souci constant de la précision et de la rigueur et que le mélange des deux débouche inexorablement sur une orgie über noise de premier ordre. L’autre point fort du groupe c’est – évidemment – sa force de frappe rythmique mais ce que l’on remarque plus que tout chez Throat c’est le chant : un chant épais et gras lui aussi, un chant qui bien que braillard reste définitivement expressif, avec son timbre étrangement rauque et cette façon de broyer les mots pour ensuite les faire gicler toujours plus loin.
"Manhole" s’impose sans discussion possible comme l’un des disques de noise rock de l’année et, mieux encore, "Manhole" démontre une nouvelle fois que l’on peut faire du neuf et du bon avec du vieux et du déjà connu – Throat rejoint ainsi les Joe 4, Hawks, Buildings et autre Baxter Stockman aux premiers rangs de la débauche sonique.
"Manhole" est publié en vinyle uniquement grâce à l’association de quatre labels partouzards, une sorte d’internationale de la noise et du cul avec l’écossais At War With False Noise, l’américain Made In Kansas, le finlandais Kaos Kontrol (c’est même le label de Jukka, chanteur et guitariste de Throat) et le frenchie Rejuvenation records ; à l’intérieur de la pochette on trouve un insert sur lequel sont imprimées les paroles du disque (paroles que je n’ai pas lues), lesquelles sont mélangées avec des petites annonces du type «Big guy seeks daddy», «Hispanic slave wanted» ou (ma préférée) «Leather uniform master», des annonces que j’ai bien sûr dévorées du début jusqu’à la fin. Il se murmure également que Throat viendrait envahir le reste de l’Europe en 2014, autant dire que l’on attend cela avec impatience."
(Heavy Mental)

"Fraîchement débarqué de Finlande, Throat avance un noise rock gros comme un Big'n*. Ceux qui déchiffrent à peu près l'anglais sauront d'ailleurs, dès le premier refrain, comment ils veulent nous prendre. Peut-être une raison de plus qui fait que l'album s'appelle "Manhole".
Le chant rugueux n'est pas seul à le trouer sur ces neuf titres turgescents. Les guitares sont grasses, la section rythmique frappe dru, ne laissant jamais retomber le tempo, et le petit bonheur supplémentaire, pour les désabusés qui conviendront que "voilà encore un groupe qui vit vingt ans en arrière", c'est que Throat ne fait pas que remuer un noise rock qui, fut un temps, aurait pu trouver sa place sur Amrep. Throat a également le temps de placer des passages plus ouvertement rock cradingue - qui me rappelle celui d'autres scandinaves : Haystack, les meilleurs pompeurs d'Unsane de tous les temps -, laisse pousser les larsens plus qu'il ne joue sur la dissonance, ou balance du riff taillé pour l'entrejambe plutôt qu'il ne mise sur les syncopes et autres saccades qui font généralement frétiller le noiseux moyen. Throat n'y va jamais par quatre chemins, file tout droit en 4x4, et te refait le portrait avant de soulever la plaque afin de faire disparaître ton corps par la bouche à égout. En forçant un peu, ça devrait passer.
Si j'en ai dit tant de bien, c'est bien sûr parce que c'est (à 1/4) sur Rejuvenation Records. Demande-leur les mp3's, ce sera toujours mieux que le streaming.
* période Cut… throat, justement."
(Nextclues)

"Hells yes, here's latest offering from Finland's finest degenerates Throat. I've been completely hooked on these dudes since Eraser posted their "Licked Inch Fur" 12" back in 2011. For those of you unfamiliar with the band Throat are a four piece band from Turku, Finland who formed in 2009. Throat plays a killer style feedback drenched, blown out, sludge fueled noise rock. With vocals that are half screamed/half slurred or shouted, Throat have a sound that is dirty, ultra negative, and impossible to ignore. Throat's influences are varied, but I pick up hints of 90's AmRep style noise rock, Shellac, and Big Business within the band's sound. "Manhole" is Throat's latest LP, which was released via Kaos Kontrol, At War With False Noise, Made In Kansas, and Rejuvenation records. The nine songs on "Manhole" are dirty, unsettling, feedback heavy, ugly, and negative as fuck. Phenomenal release, to say the least. Highly recommended! Enjoy!"
(The Elementary Revolt / Manic Compression)

"Kurkku on taas kipeä.
Throat on melko lyhyen (noin neljä vuotta) elinaikansa kuluessa ollut ainakin ulkopuolisin silmin ahkera ja iskenyt audiosaastettaan levylle jo useamman pikkulevyn ja yhden 12-tuumaisen verran. Ensimmäisen oikean pitkäsoiton ilmestymistä on ehditty jo tovi odotella, varsinkin kun yhtyeen taso on tuntunut nousseen jokaisen julkaisun myötä.
Throatin aikaisempiin tuotoksiin pelimerkkinsä sijoittaneet tuskin pettyvät millään osa-alueella ”Manholeen”. Kaikki Throatille tyypilliset elementit – visva, inho, yleinen iljettävyys – ovat läsnä. Throatin kiero soundimaailma on tallella, mutta ruuvia on kuitenkin jaksettu kiristää vielä entisestään, jolloin Throat tuntuu skarpanneen jokaisella osa-alueella, olivatpa kyseessä sitten sävellykset, soundit tai yleinen fiilis. Varsinkin J. Mattilan lauluun on tullut lisää itseinhoa ja vittumaisuutta, ja vittumaisuus toimii myös kierojen mutta murjovien riffien polttoaineena. Throat innostuu jopa hassuttelemaankin yhden täysin puskista tulevan yllätyksen muodossa, mutta ketään ei naurata, ja se on tässä yhteydessä vain ja ainoastaan hyvä asia. Tämän lisäksi yhtyeen visuaalinen puoli on myös ihan omaa luokkaansa ja tukee muutenkin perin pahoinvoivaa olemusta.
En nyt voi sanoa olevani noise rockin/sludgen saralla mikään ekspertti, mutta kehtaan silti sanoa tämän olevan alansa parhaita levyjä Suomessa pieneen hetkeen."
(Lammaszine)

"Glauque comme un tueur en série s’attaquant aux travelos, poisseux comme une paire de couilles coincées dans un short trop petit, cet album suinte le crado, la saloperie et la violence malsaine. Bienvenue chez les finlandais de Throat. Ce premier album n’y va pas par quatre chemin, les volets sont fermés et l’air empeste déjà. Les chaines pendent au plafond, l’électricité vacille, la noise gicle, et un furieux en mal de virilité vous hurle à la gueule. Si le sang ne vous obscurcit pas trop le regard, vous verrez peut-être les affiches AmRep, ou celle d’une certaine scène de Chicago, bas fond. Vous penseriez être sorti d’affaire, mais ce serait bien mal connaître la culture finlandaise. Le quatuor continuera de vous faire mal, de vous frapper au sang, toujours plus lourdement, sans précipitation. Il le fera d’ailleurs plutôt bien, sans vraiment de finesse, mais avec un vice imparable. Et le pire c’est que vous aimerez ça!"
(Positive Rage)

"Cinici! Così si presentano i finlandesi Throat. Violenti, affondano le radici nello sludge metal / noise rock più disturbante e inquieto. Questi nove brani sono talmente intensi / voraci che aggiungerne altri sarebbe stato eccessivo. Siamo di fronte a composizioni nervose e ancor più nella qualità. Sono molto entusiasta ascoltando e accusando le influenze della formazione scandinava: Fudge Tunnel, Unsane, Swans etc..... Si, proprio questi diventano alcuni dei pilastri all'interno del songwriting dei Throat. Potrebbe essere un buon punto di partenza quello di creare il proprio suono richiamando i primi periodi dei generi su citati, anche se i nostri non si risparmiano nello scrivere focalizzandosi sul presente. Compongono canzoni che 'spaccano', che non hanno bisogno di un'analisi singolare, brani a tratti tirati in altri lenti, ricchi di 'rumore' ma altrettanto groove e 'torcibudella'. Vedere dal vivo questo gruppo non potrà lasciare indifferenti. "Manhole' è entusiasmante nel suo incedere e assume un ruolo decisivo nella storia della band (nata nel 2009 e con all'attivo diversi split ed Ep). Una cosa è certa: i Throat non si curano di ciò che gli accade attorno, tirando dritti senza mezze misure. Siamo di fronte all'ennesima provocazione che si muove controcorrente. Letali."
(Son of Flies)

"La gorge profonde et la bouche en feu. Throat n'a plus la mâchoire très fine vu le visage abimé de la Drag Queen présente sur la pochette de leur premier album. Ce rock velu vient du Nord de l'Europe en pleine croisade pour évangéliser les populations du Sud. Du rock gras, du ventre, entre bières du Lidl et triperies du Leclerc. Throat c'est de la noise criée à la voix si braillarde et au rock si tendu qu'il me rappelle les soubresauts de vieilles gloires du rock de Chicago revenues au goût du jour. Le quarantenaire a de la mélancolie à (r)acheter. J'ai beaucoup pensé à un mix entre l'univers de Big'n et des cauchemars violents qu'auraient pu enfanter les collègues de label de Hawks. Les finlandais ont déjà une belle panoplie de singles et autres split singles à leur actif. C'est de la noise pas fine du tout mais qui ne se la ramène pas non plus du tout. C'est pour ça d'ailleurs que je l'aime cette noise. Entre poils et sueurs et un doigt dans le cul. De la boisson fraiche pour les pauvres ou du jus de viscères pour les riches, qu'importe, au final, Throat ca reste du Rock n' Roll et c'est pour cette raison même qu'il faut les défendre ! Encore un grand merci aux 3 REJU pour cet excellent disque !"
(STNT)

"Oh the Finns. It’s perhaps not a secret that Finland has done more than its fair share for underground music in the last few years in terms of both metal and harsh noise, but it’s also home to some of the finest sludge and noise rock in Europe currently too. Throat are one of a growing number of bands coming from that neck of the woods bringing forth some top class 90s inspired noise rock, keeping that sound alive and adding a modern twist to it in the process. After a fine MLP and a bunch of 7"s in the last two years or so, we finally get the full length they’ve been hinting at. And it’s a keeper.
Opener “Gas Gift” kicks things off nicely, with some Unsane style swing and gnashing guitars, setting things up nicely for the rest of the album – if you’re already a fan it confirms it’s business as usual, and if you’re a new convert it’ll grab your attention straight away.
“Asbestos” which follows is an early highlight, a lurching number that uses some clockwork drumming and ominous bassline before layers of guitar come clanging in over the top. There’s a feel of subdued menace that brings the Birthday Party to mind here, and that’s no idle compliment. “Katoye” continues that at a more upbeat pace.
Mood is where Throat really excel – rarely has a record carried the same feeling of someone struggling to contain the urge to lash out. There’s a focus on layering guitar dischords over a steady rhythm that they have down pat by now, and it can be dazzling and disorientating at the same time. In spite of capturing a controlled chaos in how the instruments play off each other, they never lose focus on how to write a killer song. As a result, each one of these tracks is as head banging as it is head spinning.
“Soft White Walls” is a perfect example. Insistent and repetitious, a fractured mess of guitars and yelled catchphrases for its opening section, it slips into a slower and more unified section in the middle (with a dual guitar line that I swear could have come off an Autopsy record!) before picking up again. Simple idea, sure, but executed perfectly.
Highlight for me though is the penultimate “Euthanasia Coaster”, where the control over the chaos slips momentarily, and we’re allowed the full, migraine inducing guitar squall the rest of the album has threatened, the full feedback and scree assault coming to a climax here. It’s a glorious noise. Closer “Bad Heat” seems almost like a ballad afterwards, taking a more relaxed (if no less angular) trot towards the finish line. Mind you, after the initial full band canter dies down, the foursome give us almost 20 minutes of amp hiss before the song “officially” ends.
From the subtly lurid cover art to the menacing but vague lyrics, right down to the raw, clear production – Throat have captured the 90s noise rock vibe of AmRep/Boner/Touch & Go etc perfectly. They often come across as a modern day Glazed Baby or Helmet in fact.
In spite of having their roots in music from 20 years ago however, they sound fresh here, they’ve developed little traits of their own in their songwriting that ensure they’re no mere retro act. Along with US band Tile, this band are easily amongst the best in the style going right now, and “Manhole” confirms their superiority without question."
(The Sleeping Shaman)

"Throat are a band from Finland that plays a mixture of sludge and noise rock and this is a review of their 2013 album "Manhole" which was released as a joint effort between At War With False Noise, Kaos Kontrol. Made In Kansas and Rejevenation Records.
"Gift Gas" begins with heavy guitar riffs and drums and after a minute singing makes its way into the song along with some aggressive shouts and a minute later a distorted guitar solos makes its presence known for a few seconds before the song end.
"Asbestos" starts off with some powerful bass playing and drums which leads to some noise rock style guitar riffs setting up the mood for some vocals and after awhile you can hear some amplifier distortion in the background which leads to some melodic sounding guitar leads that make their way in on at least 2 different times before returning to the rhythms.
"Katoye" begins with some distorted guitar riffs which leads to some drums and some fast playing before slowing down and adding in some vocals and growls before reverting back to the fast parts and after awhile you can a brief use of guitar solos make their presence known as well as adding in some powerful bass playing and switching back and forth between fast and slow parts.
"Holey" starts off with some doom metal style guitar riffing before the drums kick in and the music starts mixing in more noise rock elements and after a couple of minutes distorted melodies, vocals and bass guitars make their presence known which sets up the mood for brief guitar leads and aggressive shouts.
"Soft White Walls" starts off with heavy guitar riffs and drums along with some strong bass guitars shortly after that setting up the mood for the vocals which also utilize some screams and shouts, as the song moves on guitar solos start kicking in before going back to rhythms.
"New Pest" begins with some drums which leads to some heavy guitar riffs setting the mood for some vocals and as time moves by the music starts getting alot more daker and aggressive sounding along with some laughs.
"Perfect Teeth" begins with some guitar riffs and drums which lead to some aggressive sounding vocals kicking in along with some 80's style noise rock guitar riffing which also mix in some melodic parts while remaining heavy at the same time and as the song moves on the music gets alot more diverse with some distorted parts and bass.
"Euthanasia Coaster" begins with some old music samples before getting heavier with some guitars and drums setting up the mood for some vocals to kick in along with some powerful bass and distorted riffing and the song closes with some reverb noise.
"Bad Heat" starts off with some guitar riffs along with an atmospheric background as well as some drums and after awhile vocals start kicking in and utilizing some melodic and aggressive elements and after awhile the guitars start bringing some noise rock style melodies and leads before going into somewhat of a silent direction and staying t here for 15 minutes before closing the album with heavy noise distortion.
Song lyrics cover everyday themes, while the production has a very strong, powerful, heavy and professional sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the album.
In my opinion Throat are a very great sounding hybrid of noise rock and sludge and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this band, RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Gift Gas" "Holey" "Perfect Teeth" and "Euthanasia Coaster". RECOMMENDED BUY."
(ExtremeUndergroundMusicZine)

"I listen to a lot of musical genres, but the majority of my music involves loud guitars in some sort of way. Give me loud and heavy guitars and plenty of riffs and I’m a happy little bunny. Every now and then I need a break from the heavy stuff though, like all the sludge, doom and metal and I dive into some proper noise-rock. Luckily we have been blessed with some amazing noise-rock releases this year so far already, with top quality releases from Drunk Dad, Sofy Major, Tyranny Is Tyranny, Dethscalator, Hebosagil, Årabrot, Die! Die! Die! and Ice, Sea, Dead People to name just a few of them.
We can now add Throat to this list as well, who might just have released on of the best noise-rock releases of 2013. When I first listened to their new offering "Manhole", I was in love from the very first seconds of opening track ‘Gift Gas’. The dissonant sounding guitars, the broken mathy rhythms, the energy of it all and mostly the intensity of the singers A. Juhakoski and J. Mattila (both also on guitars and it isn’t really clear who sings what) is absolutely stunning. These vocals threw me right back to The Jesus Lizard as at times it feels like David Yow himself stepped in the studio to throw some of his vocals on this record. After that first listen I just couldn’t put "Manhole" away and for the rest of that day I listened to nothing else.
I am not going to pick out any individual songs as all 9 of them are all amazing and the whole album only lasts just over 30 minutes or so (the last track ‘Bad Heat’ is on paper 22:12 long, but from 4:40 onwards it is a long stretch of nothing followed by a brief minute of feedback towards the end). Just listen to it. If you have a soft spot for dissonance, noise, feedback, distorted guitars, loads of energy, great passionate singing and top quality songs, then Throat is just the right thing for you.
Throat can be added to the list of great noise-rock bands coming out of Finland, including Hebosagil, Baxter Stockman, and probably also to a certain extent Viisikko and Dark Buddha Rising. And there are probably a lot more bands I have never heard of that can be added to this list. It can only be concluded that there’s something good happening in Finland these days. Keep them coming my Finnish friends!"
(Echoes and Dust)

"With a scattering of heavy-hitting EPs and splits beneath their sweaty belts it's about bloody time these Finnish sluggers dropped a full-length on our heads, and it fits impeccably alongside the recent efforts from countrymen Baxter Stockman and Hebosagil. Looser, more spacious and more dynamic than immediate predecessor "Licked Inch Fur" there's a sense that things are also somehow more determined, the band's unpleasant noise-rock advances as slurred and dangerous as ever before but even more seismic while the immense, crunching riffs are flecked with flailing, garrotte-like melodies. Clanging their way around tunes that'd make Helmet, Tad and Hammerhead shiver with delight won't win them many friends, but that's not necessarily what it's all about: music like these is geared precisely towards the kind 'pals' who'll make repeated nuisance phone calls or turn up unannounced at 4am with something heavy and limp wrapped in a rug in the boot of their car."
(Rock-A-Rolla)

"I was introduced to Finnish noise-rock quartet, Throat, thanks to the sadly defunct Aversion Online website. A few samples of their cutely titled "Pee" 7” were all it took to tell me that these torch brandishing, audio arsonists were a band to watch. 4 record labels from 4 different countries have come together to put out the band’s debut LP, "Manhole", which should illustrate the international appeal of the unit. If names and descriptors such as abrasive, insane, blown-out, sludge, Albini, Am-Rep, Wantage, and Super Fi Records resonate with you, there will be a lot of highlights for your ears to discover across "Manhole's" 9 directly incisive cuts.
While the term “noise-rock” often chases sensitive constitutions over the tip of Mt. Everest, it should be noted that Throat displays frequent musicality and groove amongst the fragmented shrapnel of high-end, twin guitars, roving bass lines, and caustic, punk-leaned percussion. “Gift Gas” sets off the record with twang-y, kinetic riffs welded to an underlying 2nd guitar noise-melody while the syncopated snares and cymbals often insert tricky rolls into the bassist’s warm bed of punk-rock vitriol. The vocals are shouted, spoken and screamed but with a certain amount of decipherability and a lot of passion removing their performance from the pantheon of faceless screechers in the extreme underground. They aren’t afraid to slip in some winding, expressive leads into the guitar work as well, which instantly reminds me of the caustic transcendentalism of Chris Spencer and Steve Austin, respectively.
While their songs come off as original in their own right, they bend plenty of “classic” rules from the noise-rock textbook to their advantage; the clean, limber low-end and carefully measured beats of “Asbestos’” introduction build a hypnotic repetition that turns into a white wash of abusive, rhythmic grinding and waste n’ paste noise/sludge riffing set to a doom tempo that’s smattered with feedback driven, stoned-out, hardcore grooves. Keep a close watch on the backing guitar, as it appears to be soloing in an almost 70s rock style beneath the fetid lead squelch. The band rams all of their Pythagorean guitar licks and rhythmic trigonometry into a decidedly old school punk template as interpreted by Hammerhead and early Today is the Day on the breakneck “Katoye,” a definite contender for one of the nastiest and well, noisiest noise-rock tracks I’ve heard in a long ass time; distinctive for its twin vocal attack and the dueling guitars’ parkway pile-up of traditional Am-Rep riffs, crusty speed thrills, sparsely chorded drones, and sheer, kill everything within eyesight fury. There’s also a peak, climactic moment where the drumming careens into a never-ending snare fill while the bass suffocates the ascending 6-string screams with a smooth tone and maximum density. These guys know exactly how to pull this shit off; tonally, the band’s sound is the perfect balance of fluid, economical rhythm playing/production with nasty high-range spunk finding its path down to a mid-range wallop.
Throat falls into a sinkhole of bad mood blues on the riff-centric, compost heap rock of “Holey” which shows why they are the kind of lunatics that can survive on a split pairing with unholy hate-mongers and fellow countrymen Fleshpress. Forget the bells and whistles…just sit back and let them hurdle bastardized booze grooves like an Olympic runner let loose on an obstacle course spiced up with landmines. Feral lead guitar is strewn behind every corner, the intoxicating debris’ stench a practical welcome home for anyone that cottoned to that last pair of Unsane masterpieces. Jarring stop/start timings permeate the hazy hard rock catchiness of “Soft White Walls” which sounds like Akimbo’s best stuff at double the wattage. A lingering, doom blasted low-end trauma and steadfast, tom drum anchoring halts the pacing to a sludgy crawl, lending the guitars an appropriate space to paint haggard, heavily weathered metal harmonies atop the bottom dragging brutality.
I could go on and on with this review, but I’ll let you discover the other tracks and their many merits on your own. It’s a great fucking record with wasted notes few and far between. The only misstep I can point out is the 15+ minutes of tacked on static noise added to the end of the otherwise awesome closer, “Bad Heat.” Thankfully, it appears long after the good stuff is over and is easily skipped on my promo copy. Those that purchase the vinyl copy are dealing with a whole ‘nother can of worms. Yet, it’s a small blemish to "Manhole’s" undeniable impact on the listener as a whole. Noise-rock’s not dead, Throat is proof positive that there are still newer bands doing this assault n’ battery artform proper justice! I'll turn into a sticker here and make it easy; for fans of Unsane, Today is the Day, Hammerhead, Cherubs, Players' Club, The Cows, The Pope, Craw, The Jesus Lizard, Big Black, 16, and Tractor."
(Hellride Music)

back to releases