Tuesday 18 November 2008

Erase Head - Dome (Anticore 02)

This blog isn't normally a place for superlatives or hyperbole, but this is an absolute masterpiece from Poka Michelson. As with most of her output at the time, it's more akin to some of SPK's early hardcore-sounding gear than any actual hardcore at the time(or even since then). The mood shifts at the drop of a hat, with layered collages of atmospherics, treated vocals and what sounds like about 38 abused EMS VCS3s coming and going in the blink of an eye with scant regard for continuity.

She(and her sister Stella, who will feature on the blog at some point too) has a flair for both the demonic and the absurd, and both sisters' work has a tension and energy unparallelled in most 'extreme' music. They demand respect on their own musical merits, neither exploiting or being held back by gender, and without ego or loud faux-punk 'attitude'. There is a false belief that in this area of music there are almost no women operating, but the truth is that, just like all musicians, the best ones tend not to be self-publicists.

Anyone who has wandered onto this page from any of the industrial themed blogspot sites would do well to look more into these two.

Anyway that's enough gushing, the tone of the next post will be back to it's usual stoic curatorship.

A1 Dome (6:33)
A2 Pussy Cat (7:52)
B1 Dead (4:50)
B2 Terzorg (6:13)

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PS: Terzorg also accidentally ended up on Axe Breaker by Curley. It was also pressed much slower than it is here.

Ingler - Reboot System (Psychik Genocide 02)

This is the record that for some reason Audiogenic don't want you to hear. If you go to the PKG site, there is at least one audio clip for every record except number 02. Maybe it's some private issue with Ingler or Xol Dog 400, or maybe it's because it's the only EP out of nearly 40 of real unbridled invention.

Main Damage is the only track that sounds like PKG at the time, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Lectune is very out there, very monotonous and psychedelic. Both tracks on the flip are some of Inglers most ferocious, B2 even employing some NKJE style cover-all distortion to neat effect.

A1 Main Damage [feat. Xol Dog 400] (4:25)
A2 Lectune (5:38)
B1 Minor (4:10)
B2 Otoctone (5:08)

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Fast Forward - Bhopal (Rouge De Colere 02)

This was the first(I think) release by the french metal/industrial/speedcore 'band'. It's a rare thing to hear hardcore with actual guitars and the like, in an environment where producers thought nothing of lifting Slayer riffs and putting a kick under it. I'm not overly familiar with FF's later releases on Epileptik and elsewhere, but from memory this is probably one of their better efforts.

A1 Bhopal (5:28)
A2 Minamata (4:47)
B1 Los Leaques (3:40)
B2 Seveso (4:09)
B3 Digital Mayhem (0:25)

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NOTE: Now uploading on Sendspace instead of Rapidshare, since they've got a 10 download limit all of a sudden.

Tuesday 11 November 2008

Hekate - I Hate Flesh (New Skin 002)

Classy old Dan Hekate record from a while back, judging by the run-out it's also a tribute of sorts to Headcleaner. All tracks are rigid but fragmented distorted electro somewhat in the vein of ADC and the like.

A1 H.C (5:28)
A2 Feed Me (3:41)
B1 Second Hex (3:41)
B2 Silver Plate (3:05)
B3 Collapse (3:29)

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Metic - Elektrik Convulsive Treatment (AIR 3010)

97 Release by Brandon Spivey on the Dead Silence(who are now apparently touring with Primal Scream, if you can believe it) imprint. There's one vaguely electro track in among a whole EP of syrupy, bad glue-trip acidic hardcore. Not DJ-friendly, not pleasant and certainly not what the old Chicago lads would call humane use of a 303.

(All track times are based on the firm assurance from Helicopterface that it is ripped on the right speed, even though at times it doesn't sound it)

A1 Glory To The Father (4:15)
A2 Ativan (4:01)
B1 Testing Testing (4:03)
B2 Train Damage (3:20)
B3 Glory To The Father (Freak Is Innocent Mix) (3:37)

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