Wolf Eyes w/ John Wiese - Equinox

Artist: Wolf Eyes w/ John Wiese
Release: Equinox
Label: Troniks
Year: 2006
Format: CD
Tracks: 1
TRT: 44:31

A year and a half of recorded sounds in this disc. July 2004 - December 2005. Something tells me I'm in for a fucking ride. I'll start with the artwork. A cool looking black and white collage that looks very depressing and to make it better, it folds out into a poster to fit your highschool locker. This is pretty much a winner disc here. You like Wolf Eyes or John Wiese? Then fucking buy it!

"Equinox" features a 41 minute piece of digital delay, echo loops that fade in and out, heavy soundscapes that seem to change every 20 to 30 seconds. This is a disc that you'll never get bored of just from the simple fact that there is so many sounds coming at you. This isn't harsh noise but there are some good pieces of sonic blasts, just to check your head. A few times you get a high pitched kick in the ass and some hard ass looped bass hits too. The production in top notch as well. I will say one thing. There is a creepy feel to this long track and that being said it is my pick for that Halloween listen this year. This should scare those fuckers off my lawn quickly!

I won't spoil the ending for you but it's a blast!

Ctephin / Mystified - Diminished

Artist: Ctephin / Mystified
Release: Diminished
Label: Roil Noise Offensive
Year: 2006
Format: CDr
Tracks: 2
TRT: 32:54 / 36:10

A new spilt release dedicated to the infinitely small. Both of these artists have an extensive discography and most of their works are something to behold. To see these two working together is like Legendary Pink Dots meeting Big City Orchestra...wait, that did happen. To sum it up, this is one of the most beautiful ambient splits you will ever hear. This is coming from someone who has heard 100's of ambient pieces, so take my word for it.

Ctephin plays some tape speed manipulation of drones, a harpsichord, and even a Tibetan singing bowl. This 33 minute piece has it all. I will mention that his wife plays cello and his daughter creates noises with synths, pedals and teenage attitude. Ha! What a family! The track has great fades from one piece to the next and this track does make me think of how small we really are in the big bowl of space. The heavy drones mixed with bells and harpsichord tones showcase my brain into a place we dare look. The dark, deep vast that seems so far away....so small we are to reach it.

Mystified produces are great 36 minute piece with drones and water. This water recording isn't just him walking up to a beach and hitting record. These water drips echo in and out of this magnificent piece. The track starts off with a terrifying cloud that has broken through my eye's retina. A horrific drone that cascades with echoed water drips that fade in and out that go splashing about my brain. If you love the old works of DVOA then look no further, this is music for the eyes. And this track has bass too. Shook my damn walls it did!

An excellent split from two growing artists in the ambient field. Something for me to look forward to in the future for sure.

Federal Bureau Of Mind Control - Lord Of The Waste

Artist: Federal Bureau Of Mind Control
Release: Lord Of The Waste
Label: Roil Noise Offensive
Year: 2006
Format: CDr
Tracks: 5
TRT: 25:49

The new disc by FBOMC comes in a perfect little black 5"x5" case. Small and simple, just like this nice new EP. This is a different style of industrial/noise that I'm use to and I've never heard anything like it. At least the first two track anyway. I had to listen to this disc three times to give it a proper review. There's a lot of great sample pattern's mixed in each track with some looped noises and the first two track feature some great heavy drums. "Skull Peeler" is some scary shit indeed with it's heavy bass. It's truly a great kicker to any industrial terror mixes you might make this year. "Unremitting Error Cycle" is a great glitch style track with bouncing beats and switching rhythms. The last two tracks are of the noisy end and most of the sounds emanate from a static charge with hisses and washy blasts here and there. Not my favorite style, but effective to end this EP.

I would like something to be done to the first two tracks, if the artist is reading this. Please add some lyrics the first two tracks. These tracks are great and some harsh-ass lyrics would truly give it a great feel. Something anyone could listen to, even a zit faced fuck after a KMFDM concert. Anyway, a great EP from an artists with some awesome talents.

The Sunken - Toasted Victims

Artist: The Sunken
Release: Toasted Victims
Label: Obscurica
Year: 2006
Format: CDr
Tracks: 9
TRT: 63:22

A new offering from the label Obscurica. Toasted Victims offer a great variety of sounds here, and each track has it's own flavor. Vocal belches, PV (Power Vocals) noise, hisses, and tumbling scrapes in the background are some of the sounds you'll hear in this disc. The last track, I Don't Like Video Games, is the loudest on here and what I'd expect from this great act. All the tracks have that "live" feel to them as well. Performed live or not, idk, but it sounds like it and kudos to The Sunken if it is.

Track #3 (Reaper's Lunch) has a deep hollow push that pulls that track forward with no rest and the main sounds increase with some high pitched blasts. Very effective and one of those track that you need to listen to again because you know you missed something.

Track #5 (Zombie Heroin) features Pulse Emitter and this is a total noise wet dream come true. Soft noises and breaks sneak in the background with a heavy synth drifting throughout the track. I love it so! I've played in this territory of noise before and love this style a lot. This is a track that'll appear in my noise mixes each time now. Brilliant!

Obscurica has great packaging with some beautiful color artwork for the case and the CDr itself. My one beef is I don't see what the track titles and the artwork have in common. The artwork has Medieval pictures and tells me a story but then you read the track titles; "Lou Ferrigno Fabric Tear", and I'm stumped. It's not going keep me away from it though. Just seems odd to me to have such great artwork not follow the track titles. Good buy none-the-less.

Ghoul Detail - Monument

Artist: Ghoul Detail
Release: Monument
Label: Roil Noise Offensive
Year: 2006
Format: CDr
Tracks: 10
TRT: 74:17

Ghoul Detail brings a new approached to his already extensive soundscape catalog. This time he incorporates drums and beats to his ambient sounds. The disc starts off with a great little intro that has some unique vocal effects and a nice drone crumble. This track gives off a great idea of what to expect from the disc as a whole. Most of the disc contains a drone in the background, to carry the track through, with interlayer sounds and drum patterns beating the way till the end of the track. But it's not that simple.

Track #2 (Penis Enlargement) and track #3 (FYC) show off great examples of GD's approach in this album. Great looped effects and drums groove the way along with the ambient drones and this is a good way of getting someone new to ambient in for a listen. One never feels bored with these tracks and I think it's due in large part to GD's great drum patterns, which also change throughout the track. It isn't just a simple 4/4 beat.

Track #4 (What's Real?) has GD showing his true talents. This is something that I never would have expected and it is done very well. A trip-hop drum beat plays with this lovely ambient tickle in the background. Some great reversed samples and vocal quotes help lift this track to a higher state of the ambient field.

We than have another great track, Track #6 (Slice Me Some Green). This one gives off a jazzy-improve feel with the drums and there's some great use of echo and DJ style noise switching going on. A great addition to this already unique disc from Ghoul Detail. I won't explain all the tracks but this is some of the better one's that are on this disc and these few along are well worth the purchase. The only negative I have is that Ghoul Detail seems to be recycling some sounds in this disc. I don't know if that was intended, but it seems that some samples that appear in one track are used in another, just played differently. Whatever the case maybe I still love this disc and it's my favorite GD to date.