ALBUM REVIEW: PRURIENT - RAINBOW MIRROR

PRURIENT
RAINBOW MIRROR
Profound Lore / Hospital Productions
Drone, Dark Ambient, Noise, Electronic.
Listening Format: Digital



Prurient is just one of the recording aliases of US Noise artist Dominick Fernow. Over the past 15 years the man has put out a labyrinthine discography touching upon Noise, Power Electronics, Death Industrial, Techno, Industrial and Dark Ambient. But the one thing they mostly have in common is that Fernow's music is nails hard, aggressive, in your face and loud. His live performances often culminate in walls of suffocating harsh noise, whilst he stumbles about the stage screaming his lungs out. Prurient's own discography can roughly be navigated in two different ways. There are the self-released noise tapes that crop up frequently through his own label Hospital Productions, often his rawest and shortest in length releases. Then there are his projects on other labels such as Profound Lore, Cold Spring and Hydra Head, which tend to have a slightly higher production value and artistic scope, usually following some sort of concept. His 2015 double album 'Frozen Niagara Falls' brought a lot of attention and critical praise to Prurient. At the time this was considered to be one of the most ambitious projects attempted within the Power Electronics realm, which tends to favour shorter length releases. Little did we know Fernow had even more ambitious ideas in mind...

'Rainbow Mirror' spans 4 CDs or 7 LPs or 3 hours and 20 minutes of new music. It's safe to say that alone would test the patience of even the most hardened music fans, let alone fans of extreme underground art. Before anyone had even heard a second of this album, fans and critics were already left bemused, with one publication even claiming the album was "too long" before even hearing any of the material. Perhaps Fernow is looking to axe the stereotype that Power Electronics is only suited to short, chaotic bursts. Or perhaps it is because the 3+ hour 'Rainbow Mirror' opus isn't really Power Electronics at all. The album is made of 15 tracks or movements averaging 10 minutes in length. The press release I got for this album described it as "Doom Electronics". I'm not sure whether this was conjured by the label, the press agent or Fernow himself, but it totally hit the nail on the head. All of the pieces here are long, minimalist, sparse, bleak and very melancholic driftworks built on slow tempo pulsing electronics, lonely synths, iced with brittle layers of noise gradually seeping in. The end results have much more in common with Drone or Ambient music than Noise or Power Electronics, and should be approached by the listener as such.

If we take just disc 1 alone, over the 4 tracks here, the first two movements are the most subtle, reminiscent of Dark Ambient musician Lustmord, with the icy, alien atmospheres that made up Autechre's 'Amber' album. 'Barefoot God' and 'Walking On Dehydrated Coral' are incredibly sparse and build ever so slowly, working into a very gradual crescendo with finales approaching something noisier and more intense. These pieces of music are built on a simple, haunting and sad repeated melody that hypnotises the listener as they loop and repeat. By the time Disc 1 reaches it's climax on massive highlight 'Chaos - Sex' we have certainly reached much noisier and abrasive textures like seasoned Prurient fans would want. Except, this time around Fernow isn't interested in shocking your body or mutilating your ears with harsh, visceral blasts of noise. Here Prurient uses noise to enhance the atmosphere and intensity of these long pieces of music. Even when 'Rainbow Mirror' reaches its loudest peaks, it always remains a very solemn and downbeat journey. It is also important to note that this entire disc is entirely instrumental. In fact I only remember hearing vocals on one track across the entire project, 'Naturecum', and even these vocals were more like whispers or murmurs as opposed to his violent screams of previous releases.

The biggest talking point to address though... Is it too long? Did this album need to be over 3 hours long? Sure it demands a lot of patience and you will need to set aside a lot of spare time if you want to tackle this in one sitting, but the run time is justified. I got an advance on this album and in the space of two weeks I was more than happy to listen to the entire opus twice through. I then went back and just listened to Disc 1 a further two times. The length is justified because this project is so rewarding. What Fernow has achieved perhaps more than ever is that he has put so much emotion and raw feeling into these pieces. The addition of slightly more melody and distinct chords is a welcome addition that does wonders to enhance the mood of his music. This is a very sad and ghostly album that even has a few hummable chord phrases tucked away within it. If you take out the running time, 'Rainbow Mirror' is one of his most restrained works to date. It doesn't have that "shock factor" to it. And yet in complete juxtaposition, it is an extreme and hard going work because it so challenging, so moving and so lengthy. Prurient is making extreme and boundary pushing music still, just his methods of doing so having completely changed.

'Rainbow Mirror' is a true opus that doesn't need to be rushed or listened to in one sitting. The way the 4 discs have been broken down is very suitable and each disc feels like it's own album, each with a logical beginning, middle and end. Fernow is a very prolific musician, always writing and recording music, a lot of which is built on improv, documenting a mood probably based on what he is feeling as a musician at the time. But even though he puts out a lot of recordings very frequently, the overall quality of the end result has not been hampered. 'Rainbow Mirror' speaks as one of the most personal and heartfelt journies Fernow has ever expressed. Not only is it his masterpiece, but it stands as a late-coming album of the year contender. 9/10.

ALBUM REVIEW: DALEK - ENDANGERED PHILOSOPHIES

DALEK
ENDANGERED PHILOSOPHIES
Ipecac Recordings
Industrial Hip Hop, Illbient, Noise.
Listening Format: Digital



Dalek is a Hip Hop outfit with a twist who have been active since the late '90s. Dalek have always strived to bring something different to the sphere of Hip Hop, combining hard hitting boom bap beats and politically charged rapping with elements of Industrial, Drone, Noise and Dark Ambient. They are also considered a strong part of an obscure and short-lived subgenre "Illbient", combing elements of Ambient music and Hip Hop alongside the likes of DJ Spooky, Scorn and Techno Animal. Because Dalek is such an experimental, noisy and abrasive act, it comes as no surprise that they have actually found an even bigger following in the Metal and experimental music communities than in Hip Hop. Their long standing relationship on Mike Patton's Ipecac Recordings has also helped to cement their cult status.

'Endangered Philosophies' is Dalek's second full length album following their hiatus after 2009's 'Gutter Tactics' LP. In 2015, the legendary act began touring again, culminating in their 2016 comeback mini-LP 'Asphalt For Eden'. If their previous outting was the band testing the waters, then this one is them fully re-emerging themselves into their craft. Dalek's most critically acclaimed album, 2005's 'Absence' was by far their droniest and darkest effort, often removing itself from Hip Hop entirely. But with 'Endangered Philosophies' Dalek have made one of their most direct and cohesive albums yet. In a way it follows on from the more immediate 'Abandoned Language' album from 2007. This time around, Hip Hop has taken a much more prominent role, with all the tracks being centred around the beats and MC Dalek's politically charged rhymes. Straight from the gut punching opening track 'Echoes Of...' Dalek make their mission statement. Pounding looped beats, booming bass and shoegazy layers of noise that threaten to overwhelm MC Dalek's fiery verses. I've always really liked the way the vocals sit in the middle of the mix, sometimes making the words indecipherable, but allowing them to truly add to the atmosphere. Whilst the mix of this track definitely favours the Hip Hop parts of their sound, it is still fairly noisy, with a sample that sounds like a swarm of bees! 'Weapons' is less abrasive allowing the beats and rhymes to really lead the way. Massive standout 'Nothing Stays Permanent' feels like Dalek's attempt to make a dark and eerie Hip Hop banger, reminiscent of RZAs dark and grimy production in early Wu Tang joints. The cold and haunting piano on this track is a touch of magic. 'A Collective Cancelled Thought' is a slow building 7 minute epic that escalates in menace, finally exploding into a raging performance from MC Dalek as a droning siren threatens to swallow up the whole track. Closing track 'Numb' elevates the vocals far more prominently, leading to one of MC Dalek's most passionate performances as he raps 'This is gonna change you / This is gonna change me / This has gotta change".

Not only do Dalek feel like they have barely been away at all, but they've come back all guns blazing, continuing to make abstract, experimental, forward thinking and outside the box Industrial Hip Hop. 'Endangered Philosophies' is an inspired record and whilst it isn't the most challenging in their discography, it's sheer direct approach works really well, with enough variation and weirdness to keep it interesting. There truly would not exist bands like Death Grips if it wasn't for pioneers like Dalek. And whilst Death Grips may be more visceral and demented in approach these days, Dalek have just as much darkness, horror and weirdness in their own right. 8/10.

ALBUM REVIEW: MELVINS - A WALK WITH LOVE & DEATH

MELVINS
A WALK WITH LOVE & DEATH
Ipecac Recordings.
Doom Metal, Sludge Metal, Hard Rock, Sound Collage, Original Score.
Listening Format: Digital.











Melvins have been incredibly prolific in the last few years. Two albums in 2013 (one was a cover album), two albums in 2014 (one was King Buzzo's solo album), two albums in 2016... Offshoot project Crystal Fairy have already released a quality album earlier this year too! At this point, Melvins announcing a double album seems like some kind of threat! 'A Walk With Love & Death' very much presents both sides of the Melvins coin in one release. The 'Death' disc is that classic Melvin's Sludge Rock sound. Whilst the 'Love' disc is a return to the experimental side of Melvins that made 'Electroretard' and collaborated with Lustmord. Truly a release for the die hard Melvins connoisseur!


DEATH

It's probably safe to say that Melvins have softened up their sound a little bit this decade *takes cover from a pelting of rotten fruit*. But seriously, Melvins' recent output has been closer to a Hard Rock sound, even if there are still some classy doomy riffs on show. King Buzzo hasn't quite given us a ferocious scream or a haggard, crushing deathblow of a riff that abuses stereo speakers lately, such as displayed on their seminal 1993 album 'Houdini'. But what Melvins' have done well is to keep releasing interesting stuff. Their run of albums on Ipecac hasn't always been gold, but have been full of varying sounds, line-up changes and lots of collaborative efforts. Considering they are releasing material at a yearly rate, their creative flow certainly hasn't diminished.

The 'Death' disc of this double album is such a fun and breezy listen. I wouldn't quite consider it Metal, although stand out 'Euthanasia' has a slow and heavy riff that could slay a woolly mammoth. Sounding like classic 90s Melvins (this song has been knocking around live sets for a long time now). But most of this album is much more in the Rock terrirory. Standout track 'Sober-dellic' has a Blues Rock stomp to it that seems to be challenging 70s ZZ-Top. Lead single 'What's Wrong With You?' beautifully channels their 90s Grunge/Sub Pop roots. This track sounds like the Beach Boys, Nirvana and Bubblegum Pop all mixed into a blender. The vocal harmonies sound so immediate and ear grabbing on this track. The vocal harmonies shine really well on the crunchy riff rocker 'Flaming Creature' too, another huge track. Ultimately the 'Death' disc is just so much fun. Melvins' have been trying to create more immediate, catchy and fun songs for a few years now and it sounds like they are getting better and better at it. They still totally inject them with that Melvins quirk and sense of humour. 


LOVE

On the tails side of the coin we have the 'Love' disc. It's been a while since the more controversial and experimental side of Melvins has been let loose but here we have it. 'Love' is an original score for a short film directed by Jesse Nieminen, also called A Walk With Love & Death. I've not seen the film yet, but judging from the score I imagine it to be a very surreal, arty collage film perhaps? The 'Love' disc is not a film score in the traditional sense. It is basically a series of noisy sound collages with field recordings, spoken word samples (presumably from the film) and little to no structure. Each track noodles about seemingly randomly, with the occasional pulsing electronics, banging drums, scatty guitars. All the tracks here sound like they are completely improvised in the studio and sound very lo-fi and barely mixed or mastered. It definitely harkens back to their 1994 sound collage album 'Prick'. 

I honestly really struggled to sit through this disc. It just... It's not good. The sound of Melvins messing around with instruments in their rehearsal room with no rhyme or reason might appeal to a small quota of Noise fans or Melvins die hards, but in reality, this is not enjoyable to listen to. It sounds like the band churned it out in an afternoon and barely looked back on it. It also has absolutely no connection to the impressive 'Death' disc in terms of sound, style or thematic content. I did not take away anything memorable or enjoyable from this disc, and I quickly want to forget I ever heard it.


CONCLUSION

These two albums really deserved to be released separately because they don't have any logical connection to each other. 'Death' is one of the best Melvins releases of this decade, and 'Love' might be the worst thing they have ever put out. If 'Love' had just been billed as a "bonus disc" I could have let it slide. But this package is not only being marketed as a double album, but priced as such too. And sadly, as much as I enjoyed the 'Death' disc, it isn't worth shelling out that extra buck (although the album packaging is superb). The 'Love' disc is something you will not want to listen to more than once... Ever! I'm going to leave this at a 6/10 (but in reality think of it as an 8/10 & a 2/10)

*Note: At least it lives up to the title. Feels like they got the 'Love' & 'Death' titles the wrong way around though?

#354: DEATH GRIPS - LIVE IN MANCHESTER

As I entered the sold out Manchester Academy gig room the place was already chock-a-block full of music fans of all creeds. Hip Hoppers, Metalheads, Indie kids, Ravers, Punks and Rockers all united for the most hyped up gig of the year. The giant room was a sea of bodies, and so dark it was hard to recognise anybody. An eerie, droning siren hummed away, creating a sense of nausea and dis-ease amongst the crowd. Slowly the discordant drone gradually escalated in volume. After a few mistaken round of applauses as roadies and sound engineers appeared on stage, eventually the lights went out completely and the trio of Zach Hill (on drums), Flatlander (synthesizers and sampler) and vocalist MC Ride emerged from the ether...

...What followed for the next 90 minutes was a sheer bliss of noisy and violent music. Death Grips blur the lines between Hip Hop, Hardcore, Electronic and Noise, explaining why such a wide array of music fans were in union tonight. The trio blistered through all of their best tunes without a single pause for breath or to talk to the crowd. MC Ride stood tall like a deranged killer in the fog, ranting and screaming maniacally into the microphone. Zach Hill was a force of destruction, battering his kit like it had insulted his mother! The man was a sheer ball of fiery energy throughout and was fascinating to watch, delivering a diverse performance from the Industrial battering ram of 'No Love' to the Black Metal-esque blastbeats on 'Giving Bad People Good Ideas'. Flatlander was perhaps the most focused of the three, combining samples, laptop and synthesizers to create dense layers of noise and waves of wild electronics, piercing eardrums in the process.

The mosh pit was extremely violent and painful tonight, and I've seen plenty of Extreme Metal bands that haven't even managed to conjure up this much chaos! I began the gig slap bang in the middle, and I ended up being swept right to the front and then all over the place. The room became a tornado where bodies would fly and people's belongings soon became lost. I don't think I've ever felt so exhausted at a show and I was soon gasping for air and water! I woke up today with a battered and aching body, with cuts and bruises on my legs and arms, but I'd do it all over again!

Death Grips were absolutely relentless and shredded through just about all the songs a die hard fan could wish for! 'Get Got' and 'Bitch Please' were absolutely thumping, 'Giving Bad People Good Ideas' and 'Come Up & Get Me' were extremely raging, 'I've Seen Footage' offered a rare breather where fans could dance their asses off, 'Guillotine' was a bizarre sing-along anthem, and the finale of '(I've Got) The Fever' certainly left everyone wanting more.

Public Enemy may have warned us not to believe the hype, but I'm sure almost everyone will attest that Death Grips' live show was sheer enjoyment and an experience that was almost too good to be true! 9/10.

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October 16th 2016 @ Manchester Academy.

#345: DESTRUCTION UNIT + SUPPORT: LIVE IN MANCHESTER

Islington Mill in Salford was host to an all-nighter event where 7 Extreme Metal, Rock and Hardcore bands played for the ridiculous bargain price of £5, featuring US Noise Rockers Destruction Unit as the headlining act.

BLOODY HEAD

Opening this evening of extreme sounds was Garage Punk quintet Bloody Head. They kicked right into noisy washed out guitar riffs with an essence of that Stooges raw power. Pounding drums and a bass that sounded like it was wading through a swamp were laced with their lead vocalist's indecipherable psyched out yelling. The whole band were pumped up and full of energy, with their lead vocalist walking around the crowd, screaming like he was in agony and at the most intense parts, even collapsing on to the floor, writhing around screaming with his shoes flung off his feet! Their set climaxed with a lengthier and doomier piece. Bloody Head kicked the evening off with very high quality, delivering a set full of tension, plenty of aggression and genuine passion. 8/10.

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AGGRESSIVE PERFECTOR

This Thrash Metal trio sound and look like they have never left 1984! Donning spikes and vintage Horror movie t-shirts, Aggressive Perfector set the Islington Mill stage on fire (not literally) with what they call Satan's Heavy Metal! Having seen them many times before, I think they had been given far too much reverb than what they are used to, sounding like they were performing in an echo chamber. Regardless, the band battled through it with their fast palm muted riffs and demented screams and wails. They almost had a bit of a Celtic Frost vibe going on tonight, but they got the strong crowd banging their heads and sweating. Closing song "Certain Death" is an absolute belter worthy of Slayer, whose own track "Aggressive Perfector" gave them their name. Satan was very much pleased with their performance tonight! 8/10.

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DENIM & LEATHER

Sporting a similar range of influences to opening band Bloody Head, Denim & Leather also sounded very raw, with a punky energy and haggard, bleeding guitars that rusted in agony! They were also lead by a very energetic vocalist who stumbled into the crowd. Between their primal Garage Hardcore songs they even threw in a couple of 1 second wonders, reminiscent of Napalm Death's immortal "You Suffer (But Why?)". Demin & Leather very much varied their tempos from song to song, finishing on a long Post Punk dirge. A difficult band to pin down, but I think Bloody Head may have just stolen their thunder tonight! 7/10.

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TV CRIME

Offering a slight breather in the running order was Nottingham based TV Crime, who were the most (and arguably only) melodic band of the evening. They certainly continued the theme of having a raw Garage Rock sound (or perhaps that is just the way bands sound at Islington Mill?) But TV Crime also sported a Slacker Indie Rock style, reminding me of bands such as Pavement, Dinosaur Jr and Parquet Courts at times, but I even heard a bit of a Buzzcocks influence too. Their sound was lead by chunky Power Pop riffs and sweeping melodic leads. Their lead vocalist had a soothing voice and their songs were fun and had a positive feel. There wasn't too much variation in their song formulas, but I think even the Extreme Metal fans seemed to really be getting down to their warm sounds. 7/10.

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EXXXEKUTIONER

Islington Mill's trapped reverb heavy sound worked wonders for Salford based Blackened Thrash Metallers Exxxekutioner. Islington Mill turned into Dracula's dungeon as the lights turned out with just a red glow creeping from the stage. A think fog of dry ice covered the whole room as the four Exxxekutioner's rose from the crypt. Lead vocalist Cliff's blood curdling blackened shrieks were terrifying and filled the room, as Ryan's lightning fast riffs pierced like daggers. The quartet blistered through a venomous and intense set, perfectly finding a meeting point between the fast aggression of Thrash and the cold misery of Black Metal. The front of the pit became a frenzy of moshing and headbanging. A cover of Celtic Frost's legendary "Into the Crypt of Rays" sealed the deal. This is the best I've heard Exxxekutioner yet and they delivered one of the best performances of the evening! 9/10.

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DESTRUCTION UNIT

Headlining band Destruction Unit have ventured all the way from Arizona, USA and they certainly have an apt band name! With 6 band members packed onto the tiny Islington Mill stage, Destruction Unit attacked the audience with 4 loud and noisy guitars all churning away in tandem! After deafening levels of noisy feedback, the drummer kicked into a fast and Hardcore influenced groove with pounding drums and choppy fills. The band's mixture of full on tremolo guitars and pedal worship created an impenetrably thick soup of chaos that actually hurt my ears even though I was wearing ear plugs!

Destruction Unit delivered a blistering set of raw and unrelenting noise that would have even made Sonic Youth push their hands to their ears! It started to feel like my head was being crushed in a vice at first, but there were parts were it also felt like my brain was being intensely massaged! Destruction Unit are almost like the antithesis of Sunn O))), achieving silly levels of loudness, but playing at breakneck speed. On the poster included inside the vinyl of their latest album "Negative Feedback Resistor" (released by Sacred Bones Records), it states "Destruction Unit have sacrificed their ears... Will you lend them yours?" This is the perfect tagline for the band, as their dedication to punishing loud noise cannot be faltered. One of the most intense and overwhelming live acts I shall ever experience! 9/10.

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GNOD

Gnoisemakers Gnod often record at Islington Mill and have something of a residency here. The multi-genre collective released one of my favourite records of 2016 so far, "Mirror", which saw them shift from a Psych/Krautrock inspired sound to full on apocalyptic Drone Rock, so I was very excited to see them obliterate the mill tonight. Coming on at 1am, to my surprise the 3-piece performed a purely Electronic set without a guitar in sight. Over the space of an hour, Gnod composed a unique single piece of music in a blackened room with black and white projector imagery and piercing strobe lights illuminating them on stage. Driven by a looping Industrial beat and Dark Ambient synthesisers, Gnod gradually built up a suffocating and Horror influenced atmosphere. Samples of laughter and creepy voices panned across the room. Gnod had a setup of drum machines, modular synth and lots of pedals as the trio stood around a large table with lots of wires covering it like moss. Occasionally one of the trio would scream into the mic and manipulate the sound into piercing feedback. As if Destruction Unit hadn't already shattered our minds into pieces, Gnod were here to vacuum up any remaining brain fragments. Their eerie droning was often hypnotic, but with so much repetition and glacial pacing, a little more variation would have made for a more interesting experience. 7/10.

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June 25th 2016 @ Islington Mill, Salford.

#334: CROWHURST & CAINA + SUPPORT - LIVE IN MANCHESTER

This evening I was drawn to Fuel Cafe in Withington, Manchester, for a free show of Industrial Noise and Dark Ambient, tugging on the very furtherest threads of the leftfield Metal spectrum. The double headliners Caina showcased their new direction from their forthcoming album "Christ Clad In White Phosphorus". Crowhurst has come all the way from Los Angeles, California on a self funded world tour to perform his dense Harsh Noise. Plus there were 3 excellent support acts to open the show.

First up, apologies to HEXAGON TRAIL as I missed his performance, which I hear was only his 3rd ever live show. Though I arrived to the show on time, before he took the stage I had some kind of outer body cross dimensional shape shifting experience, where every atom in my body fragmented into the spectral ether, leaving me a ghost trapped in a alternate universe for about 20 minutes whilst he performed... (it happens!) This experience left me unable to catch his set. But I can at least tell you that there was a strong crowd upstairs in Fuel cafe from the start. The lights were dimmed and this one man entity from the decaying abyss of Salford (you know, the one across from Islington Mill on the Crescent, easily my favourite decaying abyss in the UK!) opened up the show. His face was covered with a black hoodie and he had a table in front of him with a laptop, a switchboard and an MPC. Hexagon Trail's music covers many genres, mixing Dark Ambient, Harsh Noise, IDM, Experimental Hip Hop and even a Black Metal finale with screaming vocals. Apologies again for missing more of this mysterious musician, but please check out his debut EP "A Beginning (Descent)", released by Legs Akimbo Records.

Fortunately my physical body managed to escape from the black hole in which I was kept prisoner to catch the second support act of the night, ROASES. This one man act is one of the band members of Manchester based Punk band band Sump. He had an array of pedals set up on a table, and what looked like 2 old laptops facing each other. His speciality was a large metal chain that he would scrape and clang around violently. His choice of microphone placements strategically added to the sound, using amp feedback and different pedal effects to build a cacophony of noise. He also added raw screaming vocals here and there to add menace to the chaos he created. Roases was hindered briefly when the sound cut out, probably because he was hitting his equipment with his chain (or was it the curse of Friday the 13th?), but he carried on in silence without losing his nerve and eventually the sound kicked back in, causing some confusion in the crowd. His set ended with him whacking all his equipment off the table and onto the floor! Roases successfully created a piercing and unsettling set of sounds.

Sandwiched exactly in the middle of the show was RITUAL OBJECT in his debut live performance. Ritual Object is a new project by Caina's Andy Curtis Brignell (unless he has a spot on lookalike) favouring a calmer sound that draws from Electronics, Ambient and Modern Classical. From here on the acts performed in almost total darkness as night fell on Withington, meaning it wasn't possible for me to get any coherent photos any further. Ritual Object performed with just a laptop and he used the keys to trigger different layers, sounds and transitions. Though there wasn't much in an actual performance, thankfully the patient crowd all got involved and kept quiet during his set as you should at any Ambient/Classical performance, so it was lovely to see such respect from the audience. His music began with drawn out sorrowful synths and a hum of choral sounds drifted in and out of his music. Over about 20 minutes, his music grew in intensity ever so slightly, but without tipping into the extreme noise zones of the other acts. One of my favourite parts near the end was when more synthetic Electronic whirls and buzzes came into effect. His sounds were like a merging of Max Richter or Eno's "Music For Airports" kind of  sounds, but eventually grew into something more akin to Tim Hecker or Helm. There were a few glitches in sound and some of the transitions didn't quite hit, but nothing to majorly detract from the experience. In deep contrast to Andy's main act Caina, Ritual Object delivered something genuinely beautiful, relaxing and moving. The kind of music that allows you to close your eyes and relax, enterring a deep state of inner concentration. This could have easily been scoffed at by fans in the crowd wanting something more extreme and noisy, but thankfully it went down really well.

Our first of tonight's double headliners was Salford based CAINA. Though the band have performed as a 4 piece Black Metal band in the past, this tour has seen them reduced to the core duo of Andy Curtis Brignell on electronics and Laurence Taylor on vocals. If you caught my review of them supporting The Body at The Ruby Lounge last month, you'll know they put on a very awesome and intense show. Whilst their sound at The Ruby Lounge was incoherently vague, tonight's performance sounded fantastic and I could hear every part of their dense, layered sound. Andy had a whole table of various pedals, allowing him to manipulate waves of extremely harsh layers of fuzz, noise and blips and beats, backed up with Industrial synths from his laptop. Vocalist Laurence Taylor emerged from the darkness wearing a balaclava and black face paint, bare-chested with cuts on his body. Like Roases before, he grasped at chains, swirling them in a bowl to add eerie dungeon-like sounds to the mix. He then got right in the faces of the crowd, screaming like a mad man, with his microphone wrapped around his neck like a noose. There were times when he was flat on the floor screaming, and he even was hitting the microphone into his head in a display of utter rage and inner torment. His lyrics from what I could decipher sounded very abstract, political and thought provoking. What I love about Laurence is that in person he is a really calm and nice guy, but when he takes the stage he takes on a complete transformation into a disturbed and confrontational mad man, like he has just escaped from the asylum.

The highlight of Caina's set for me was a cover song (I'm told it was a Ministry cover). Above the pulsing Industrial chaos, both Andy and Laurence came together, adding blackened rasps and growls. The way the pair's vocals bounced off each other and traded off was magnificent and for me this was something that took their performance to the next level over their Ruby Lounge show. Caina is genuinely one of the most intense and extreme live performances I have ever witnessed in my life. Laurence especially is the ultimate physical performance, pouring everything into his craft. The way he gets right up into the faces of people in the crowd is genuinely terrifying. When you see Caina live it is more than just an experience of live music, but also something that verges on watching a Horror show unfold before your very eyes. Approach these maniacs with extreme caution!

Finishing a fantastic night of violent noise was CROWHURST (aka Jay Gambit), one of the modern masters of the craft. This extremely prolific Noise artist has already built up a vast discography over the last 10 years or so and is flying the flag set by artists such as Merzbow and Lustmord before him. Armed with just a microphone and a laptop, he sat before us, shrouded in darkness, building dense layers of buzzing noise and swirling layers of piercing static that seemed to grab at every corner of the room. Like most of the acts before him, he added in blackened shrieks over his music as well as ethereal tribal chanting. Just as I was really getting into it and zoning out into a hypnotic trance it ended way too briefly with a set that felt about 10-15 minutes long. This lovely dude from LA certainly left me wanting more and I hope that next time I get to hear more sides to his sound as my ears and my brain weren't quite molested enough!

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Big thanks to promoter Brandon Smith, plus an excellent sound engineer and Fuel Cafe for putting on this show. There was a great turn out and the best part was that people left this show having their expectations shattered by noises and sounds far into the leftfield of modern music. Tonight I saw some of the most extreme acts in modern music.
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May 13th 2016 @ Fuel Cafe, Withington.

#327: THE BODY + FULL OF HELL + CAINA - LIVE IN MANCHESTER

THE BODY

FULL OF HELL

CAINA

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Having already seen Conan demolish my eardrums at The Star & Garter in Manchester the night before, I chose to subject myself to further physical abuse like the sadomasochist I am! Whilst Conan were unbelievably loud and heavy, I think this show at The Ruby Lounge may have been even more loud, noisy and extreme! The two headliners Full of Hell and The Body, both explore new levels of extremity in Metal. Though they played separate sets tonight, the two have just put out a collaborative album "One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache" through Neurot Recordings.

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CAINA

For about 10 years, Caina has been the recording alias of Andy Curtis-Brignell, but with the release of last year's highly acclaimed "Setter of Unseen Snares" album (one of my personal favourites of 2015), it feels like vocalist Laurence Taylor (also of Cold Fell and UVB-76) has become an official member. Being fellow Salford residents and genuinely lovely dudes, Caina are a duo I have a lot of respect for. The last couple of times I saw Caina perform live, they played as a 4 piece Metal band, hitting their stride with a fantastic main stage performance at Temples Festival in Bristol. Since that time, Caina has embarked on a bold and drastic change in sound, working with cult L.A. Harsh Noise artist Crowhurst and exploring their love of noise and Industrial much further.

Tonight's opening performance saw Caina reduced to the core duo, with Andy performing on stage with a laptop and array of pedals and switchboards. Throughout the whole show, vocalist Laurence stood bare-chested, often circling the crowd and getting in people's faces. The sound that they produced was insanely dense and loud, creating an aura of vibrations, rumbles and bone rattling, ear shattering noise. Underneath the overwhelming noise I could hear layers of pounding beats (reminding me of Haxan Cloak), ominous synths and I think Andy even grasped at chains to create a creepy and sinister ambience. Laurence is a vocalist who pours absolutely everything into his performance... His heart, his soul, his anger and his sweat. At one point he was on his knees right beside my feet, screaming in agony into the microphone. I even saw him wrap the microphone lead around his neck like a noose. He certainly channelled his inner Iggy Pop by delivering a very intense and scary display of pure rage and emotion.

As much as I enjoyed this bold change in direction, I did pick out a few shortcomings. Because their sound was so loud, noisy and dense, at times I found it very difficult to pick out the details and the intricacies that I know are in those compositions. This could have been down to the sound mix, though I did not experience any hindrance with The Body or Full of Hell, who also used noise and electronics in their sound. Also because Laurence spent the entire set doing vocals from within the crowd, I did notice that some people in the crowd were giggling awkwardly, especially when he confronted them face to face with his screams. Because he was on the floor level, I felt myself getting distracted from what Andy was doing on stage. Whilst I definitely see what Laurence was aiming to achieve, I think it would have been better if he had spent some more time on the stage too (which worked well the last times I saw them). Caina definitely give you 110% when they play live and this was one of the most intense and extreme performances I will see this year, but when it comes to extreme levels of noise and physical performances, sometimes less can actually be more. 7/10.

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FULL OF HELL

With each new generation of Metal bands, it feels like the genre keeps finding new ways of getting more extreme. Enter Full of Hell, a Noise/Grind quartet from Maryland, USA. Their sound perfectly managed to balance itself between Harsh droning noise and spastic bursts of lightning fast Grindcore. Each song they performed would typically go from insanely speedy blastbeats and visceral, dissonant guitar riffs, straight into abrupt dronings of fuzzy, buzzing noise created by vocalist Dylan Walker. The way their music would be lightning fast one moment and then super slow the next was sheer magic. This could have risked stopping the momentum of their set, but I thought it was a brilliant touch that added a real sense of nausea and unpredictability to their sound. During the Drone parts, I noticed their guitarist would add pinches of feedback, adding to the cacophony of noise. The band members were so in tune with other, making every sudden burst into Grind a seamless transition. There were even a couple of heavy as fuck Sludge sections thrown into the mix.

Full of Hell have found a way to take the blueprints of acts like Napalm Death, Pig Destroyer and Converge, and take them to a new level of extremity. They recalled cult Powerviolence/Power Electronics crossover band Man Is the Bastard. Full of Hell are one of the craziest and most dedicated bands I have seen in recent times, and I think they stole the show tonight! 9/10.

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THE BODY

The Body is a colossal sludge duo from Portland, Oregon. Sonically they had similarities to Conan, who performed in Manchester the evening before. A slow as fuck performance of Droning Sludge and Doom riffs. Vocalist and guitarist Chip King opened the set with an escalating noise drone, performed on a nearby box containing pedals and switches. After a lengthy punishment of dissonant electronics and guitar feedback, the drummer finally kicked in with a slow and pounding beat. Chip's sole guitar roared to life, drowning the Ruby Lounge crowd in a wash of miserable Sludge chords, with piercing sinewaves and feedback iced on top. Chip King belted out a loud and ferocious scream that sounded like a mad parrot squawking!

Though Chip's guitar chords were relatively minimalist, the drummer in contrast was a bundle of energy, putting in techy fills and attacking his cymbals. His high energy kept the momentum of the slow riffs going. When both musicians were really going for it, there was an extremely thick wall of sound surrounding the room as noise levels probably verged on illegal. Though there was not much in the way of variation in their songs, the delivery was superb and really smacked you in the face. 8/10.

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A big thanks to all 3 bands, The Ruby Lounge, the sound engineer and promoter The Beauty Witch, for making this one of the best gigs of the year so far and certainly one of the loudest. Extreme Metal has a very bright future indeed. Lord help anybody who didn't wear earplugs tonight!

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April 12th 2016 at The Ruby Lounge, Manchester.