Review Summary: If you've been thinking about trying to get into industrial/noise, this is the place to start.
This is simply the greatest industrial compilations (hell, greatest industrial release in general) in recent memory. I have to go all the way back to the 1980s to find something on par with this (Rising from the Red Sand Vol 1 - 5). Posh Isolation has been cataloging the excellent emerging new industrial/noise/power electronics/darkwave revival/black noise scene in Denmark since 2009. All of their releases are quality, but this one is special.
All of the tracks are by different artists, but this 80 minute affair has the flow and cohesion that an LP by a single artist would. The sounds are noisey, but exercise tasteful restraint. Tight industrial rhythms keep this album from becoming too chaotic (boring). In some songs, the rhythm dominates, in others, its barely there underneath the wash of sound. Every song is a stand out, but some stand out more than others. The label head, operating under two different monikers, contributes the opening and closing songs, and man, they are perfect bookends.
As I said, this music is not pure "noise" or "power electronics." There are elements of both of those styles, but the industrial influence here is strong, and is what makes this release so powerful. If you've been thinking about trying to get into industrial/noise, this is the place to start. It has several trademarks of the harsher styles, but doesnt get lost in harshness and noise for its own sake. These are songs that have been written, not improvised. It is masterfully done and has the most replay value of any contemporary "noise" release I've listened to.
For instance, "Tarring Rope" takes typical power electronics style vocals and buries them in the mix, which only adds to the atmosphere the song creates. "Dispense" by Puce Mary takes typical sounds that you would hear in a noise song and arranges them in a relentless and brutal rhythmic pummeling. I'll probably get flack for making this comparison, but it sounds like an extended breakdown that one would hear in post-hardcore, but only in the most abstract, structural sense. Mix that with early Swans percussion sped up really fast, and you kind of have an idea of Puce Mary's excellent contribution to this compilation. Alleypisser's track might be the most challenging here. Some interesting feedback delay is going on with the vocals, and it kind of
hurts. Really weird frequency, which are always interesting to find.
All the songs have a common theme revolving around the child sex slave trade. However, it doesn't quasi-glorify it or try to make it as visceral as possible like most Power Electronics acts that use this motif. Instead, it is "dedicated to the boys and girls that got lost." There are tracks that act like a window into this depravity, but youre always viewing from a distance, which is much more unsettling. There are tracks that almost seem like a protest statement, and there are tracks that deal with the emotional aftermath of the victims. However, this imagery isnt overbearing, you kind of have to look for it. There is a sort of narrative that flows through the sounds and the titles of the songs (and I imagine lyrics, if you could understand them) but I'll leave that nugget for you to discover and try to piece together. Its much more rewarding that way.
In conclusion, I rec you this x100000000000000.
