DECAYCAST Reviews: UNSUSTAINABLE SOCIAL CONDITION “Pleasure Seeking Pacifists” (Phage Tapes, 2018)

On July 7, 2018July 7, 2018 By AdminIn images, Reviews, WritingsLeave a comment

DECAYCAST Reviews: UNSUSTAINABLE SOCIAL CONDITION “Pleasure Seeking Pacifists” (Phage Tapes, 2018)

Oxen label head-honcho Matt Purse is back at it again with another no holds barred harsh noise ripper, released by another veteran in the harsh/death/industrial hellscape, MN based imprint Phage Tapes.

“Pleasure Seeking Pacifists” comes right out of the gate with alienating brutality, not even wasting a second on some unnecessary intro and belts right out of the speakers with crunchy, ear splitting harsh noise with very little variation. To the casual or unsuspecting listener, sections of this cassette could potentially even fall under HNW category, though i think not to the discerning listener as their is some pretty interesting variations happening if you can make them out once the blood crusts over dried crispy inside the listeners ear and an entire dead sea of chaotic violent manipulations of the sounds become more articulated and present .

Thick scraping nails pull against a dead chalk board which shimmers into the listeners ear with a whistle meaning its time to eat the static and then death is the logical next step. This cassette is unrelenting, it;s the style of undulating static, mid-high frequency harsh noise that I would blast on the subway to alienate the morning commute into isolation, Did I say relentless yet? Because it is. Brutal, pummeling and alienating . This is top notch psychedelic noise. Purse holds nothing back with this sonic assault and with each release, further solidifying himself as one of the masters of new North American Harsh noise. Short review for a short but HIGHLY IMPACTFUL release. Highly recommended.

ORDER THE TAPE HERE ,

DECAYCAST Reviews: Reverent – “Live Exorcism 2017” (American Damage, 2017)

On July 2, 2018July 2, 2018 By AdminIn Events, images, Writings1 Comment

DECAYCAST Reviews: Reverent – “Live Exorcism 2017” (American Damage, 2017)

Reverent is the Chicago based project of Jordan Reyes and, for the duration at least of this release, focuses on strictly voice- based industrial / loop based rhythmic works. The sound of Reverent oscillates between traditional primitively rhythmic based industrial, drone, and ritual music / chanting and experimental noise. This specific release is titled “Live Exorcism 2017”, and functions both sonically and conceptually very much in that realm. In one section the listener is being led on a more pronounced almost spoken word / beat section of the performance and then things begin to shift to a slower, more abstracted version of a similar piece. Reverent never stays in one lane too often throughout the piece, always keeping the dynamics and composition shifting in an interesting and unique way. Technically speaking, a rather full vocal range gives the artist the ability to construct full sounding works from just the voice, I’ve heard other vocal based acts which can come off as gimmicky or contrived in a way but Reverent is absolutely not that at all. Every bar, ever loop, every breath seems intentional and carefully places, there’s never really a slip up, we as the listener are presented with a polished, dense, articulate set of vocal explorations, which are no short of songs unto themselves, but also they exist a much more; an exorcism, a nervous, manic cleansing of the performer.

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Reverent is truly a unique project, sound and concept wise, as I cannot really compare it to anything else. Stylistically, it could exist in similar realms of drone / percussion pioneer Z’EV, NURSE WITH WOUND, COIL, but could also operate in a more contemporary undiscovered space/zone as well, blending dense layers of vocal processing to an almost fever-dream style of symphonic production. The sound of Reverent is nervous, trance-like and for lack of a better tern, darkly triumphant. Reyes really does craft all of the parts of a traditional “song” with just the human voice, bass lines, poly-rhyhms, leads, and more traditional vocal layers; an entire band is born from the esophagus; come alive. Even if you are dead, you will be reanimated by the ritualistic chanting drones and oscillations of Reverent.

Reverent is about to embark on a short tour and here is the information below. Make sure to catch one of these live rituals if possible; if so much can be gained from just a live mic recording of these works, imagine what they must present like in the flesh and in the ear; NOT TO BE MISSED.

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DECAYCAST REVIEWS: HEY EXIT “Else” Cassette/Digital (2015)

On July 10, 2016July 10, 2016 By AdminIn images, Reviews, WritingsLeave a comment

“Else” was recorded by HEY EXIT, in Brooklyn NY in 2015, but you’d never really be able to tell as it comes off as this sort of timeless drone recording. “Else” starts with a low, slow, cloudy drone and slowly builds and destroys subtlety across the entire album. The first sounds that emerge are delicate. spacious, tone poems of humming synths? guitars? who knows? but the source a1533371763_16 isn’t really that important and the sounds create a sonic space that exists somewhat outside of codified instrumentation, structure, rhythm. The sonic palette of HEY EXIT is largely of a similar toolset, at least on Else, and the cassette is broken up into five tracks, however they all function as one breadth, decaying and gently bleeding into each other. “What Role, If Any” is probably the track that feels most complete on its own in terms of a moving composition within itself and offers arguably the most sonic density and variety on this EP.

The sounds themselves are a plush mesh of drones, blissed out and stretched out orchestral swells, slow attack guitar swells, strategically placed crunches of rumbling distortion, and wind. The tempo of Else is made up of slow, delicately offered pulses, as if someone was breathing out the notes, blowing ou

t the tempo on a single flickering candle, but not through a wind instrument, the attack is gone, the breath has transformed into a slow, churning, crawling, beautiful sound. The slow, crawling , glossy pillars of sounds , at times almost seemed to sync up with my breath as i was sitting in the dark listen

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ing to the cassette on repeat. This is excellent “meditation” music, or at least music that begs of slow action, slow thought, slow body movements, and slow listening. There are moments that get “noisy” in the traditional sense, but they never obliterate or destroy the more quiet, subtle tones that dance and breathe as he main life source of the piece. “Else” is a delicately crafted ambient drone offering for fans of slow, delicate, breathing music to listen to on a foggy, crawling confusing day. Highly enjoyable.

You can check this release and more from HEY EXIT, here

CORAL REMAINS (formerly Styrofoam Sanchez) On tour NOW! check dates below!

On July 19, 2015 By AdminIn Events, imagesLeave a comment

CORAL REMAINS (formerly Styrofoam Sanchez) is a post industrial sound and sculptural installation personifying the trash island in the pacific gyre. Spawning from a hybrid of human DNA and trash, CORAL REMAINS is a dystopian, amalgamated magnification of failed civilizations, spliced rogue technologies gone awry spawning dark pulses of technological neurosis and inner psychosis . When fish put fin to sand then you’ll understand, fish can carry guns. CORAL REMAINS represents the last molecule before total conversion of humans into futuristic trash receptacles. Human, your skull will be in a museum.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1582825008659649/

STYROFOAM SANCHEZ Announces US Tour , LP/DVD Preview

On July 11, 2014July 25, 2014 By AdminIn .Episode Downloads, Events, images, mp3Leave a comment

Oakland’s Styrofoam Sanchez has just announced a month long North American Tour from August 15th – Sept 14th. Styrofoam Sanchez is a post -industrial performance art unit based in Oakland, CA spawned from the trash island in the pacific gyre. Rouge spliced human DNA with proto trash receptacles spawn a dystopian landscape dark sonic and visual mayhem. Here’s an excerpt from the unit’s first official full length release, titled “Empire Underwater, featuring a 12” LP, DVD, and book to boot, released on Ratskin Records August 15, 2014, Sanchez reaches past the normal “band” format often having as many as ten or more participants, and has pending proposals to for site specific installations/performances at the plastic island and Pleneau Bay, Antarctica. Don’t miss this act coming through your town, cruising with limited but effective audio and visual documents for interested parties and allies. Your skull will be in a museum.

“STYROFOAM SANCHEZ is a post industrial sound and sculptural installation personifying the trash island in the pacific gyre. Spawning from a hybrid of human DNA and trash, Sanchez is a dystopian amalgamated magnification of failed civilizations, spliced rogue technologies gone awry spawning dark pulses of technological neurosis and inner psychosis . When fish put fin to sand then you’ll understand, fish can carry guns. Styrofoam Sanchez represents the last molecule before total conversion of humans into futuristic trash receptacles. Human, your skull will be in a museum. The post apocolyptic outfit presents a high intensity, often interactive onslaught of sonic and visual mayhem, utilizing rogue-manufactured styrofoam instruments , voice, synthesizers, custom microphones, as well as live projections and customized light sources ”

STYROFOAM SANCHEZ “Empire Underwater Tour” 2014

August 15-21 w/ support from GREG GORLEN (Sf)