Form and Void: News, the New Noise, and the somewhat New Noise
Lo, Death! Behold, the Great Equalizer. He comes to all, from the grossly rich, to the utterly impoverished, and to all those economically between. He comes to those with happy and contented lives, and to those who struggle during their whole meager existences. He comes to disease ridden third world villages and to the most technologically advanced metropolises. I do not believe in the afterlife. I do not believe we come back as someone else, or a tree, or a cow. No one is coming to save us. We have one life, and at the end Death, the Sweet Equalizer.
Step into His embrace, child.
Welcome back to Form and Void.
____________
First up, in important noise related news, Toilet Ov Hell favorite The Vomit Arsonist is gearing up to release Only Red, due out June 9th on Malignant Records. I discovered a teaser for Only Red on Soundcloud. It features one minute from each of the album’s eight songs. It showcases The Vomit Arsonist’s shredding vocal performance and an explosive blend of power electronics and haunting death industrial sounds. You can check out the tracklist here, check out the teaser below:
Update: This morning (05/07/15) Malignant Records released “Nothing Matters” for preview. Check it out below!
____________
You may be familiar with the work of Jay Gambit. Gambit, who previously worked as Crowhurst with noise artist Auditor was covered previously at the Toilet Ov Hell. Crowhurst’s self-titled Crowhurst of this year has been burning up the metalsphere with acclaim and praise, and with good reason. As Crowhurst has moved into a more musical direction, Gambit has continued with his noise experiments under the alias Girl 27. Haldol is one of the first releases under this new moniker and is named for a common antipsychotic. Interestingly, the release seems to embody the drug, creating a soft, ambient atmosphere interspersed with samples of dialogue. Thematically it regards the mentally ill sufferer, and song titles like “Let Me Die (DNR)” and “In an Unsafe and Frightening Place” further the concept. Haldol works as background noise or for concentrated listening. This album reaches its climax on the self titled penultimate track, containing Haldol’s harshest moments – a psychotic episode and subsequent restraint. Somehow I just keep thinking I’m the Devil.
____________
Matt Ibarra / Sharptooth was previously and indirectly covered at the Toilet Ov Hell. Ibarra was credited on Severe Disconnect for his synthesizer work. He is also a member of Rectal Hygienics, whose 2015 release has also been featured here. Position of Trust was released in March 2013, and sounds similar to the no coast power electronics project mentioned. What does that mean, Edward? Position of Trust could wake you out of a coma. Ibarra is responsible for the electronics and screaming here, except now a B. Cardwell is credited for any other sounds contained herein (in this case, guitars). This album opens with bombastic static and a dizzying high pitched vibration, with the noise here seemingly written in some horrible alien language, incomprehensible to men. It’s my position that power electronics rival (if not absolutely decimate) the hatred contained in most heavy metal albums. Anxiety meets a savage, desperate violence. Ibarra puts in a frightening vocal performance embedded into all this chaos – if you can make it nearly eight minutes in on Position of Trust. FFO: Machismo (so, all of you), John Carpenter’s In The Mouth of Madness, sheer sonic terror.
____________
Deathspell Omega have cast an impenetrable shadow over the world of heavy metal – mostly since their dissonant turn and with the inclusion of vocalist Mikko Aspa. Aspa has also been responsible for Grunt, a self labeled power electronics/industrial noise project which has been active for over twenty years. Grunt occupies a nearly unique space in noise. He’s not in the same camp as Swallowing Bile (even though Swallowing Bile cited Grunt as an influence), nor is he in the same camp as Machismo or Sharptooth, either. He doesn’t create dark ambient noise, and there are elements of death industrial in his music, but it doesn’t fit neatly there. I learned about Myth of Blood’s release by accident. Shortly after my discovery the Bear God included Grunt’s Myth of Blood in his favorite albums of the first quarter of 2015. Myth of Blood carries on where Grunt left off with 2012’s World Draped In A Camouflage. If you can get past the question should I listen to music created by assholes, and if you can get past the horrific shouts that share space with this bizarre soundscape, spend some time with this one. It’s haunting, esoteric, painful, and powerful all at once.
____________
What would a Form and Void article be without some mention of Swallowing Bile? For all of my time spent championing Swallowing Bile on this site, I have been painfully out of touch with his partner in noise Breathing Problem. Breathing Problem opens their 2015 split Highly Personal with an unusually rhythmic, trance inducing track accompanied by subtle spoken word. It’s reminiscent of the new-era Prurient. His second track “By The Hand of the Master” continues in that fashion, but becomes louder, faster, and noisier. Swallowing Bile lays waste to any sense of rhythm or music on his first appearance here “Splattered Over Their Belongings / Preying From A Distance” (that song title hints to me of sniper fire). It’s trademark Swallowing Bile – unrelenting harsh noise and grimy power electronics over its seven minute run. “Your Last Day”, the first of two tracks featuring both artists, is a surprisingly pleasant (you got that right) ambient track bathed gently in static. Highly Personal ends with a ten minute epilogue of sampled backwoods dialogue about sex – an unusual end of my introduction to Breathing Problem, but the artist still manages to creates compelling sounds here, and new noise from Swallowing Bile is always a welcome addition in the rotation.
Featured image via. All album covers are property of their respective artists and labels.
