I'm trying to figure out to post again. My apologies 

While I'm doing this, in the background I'm listening to Oiseaux Tempete Tarab, and astonishingly enough this album should be heard, in fact their entire catalog is perfect in every sense of the word. (link below). It has a kind of blend of post-rock meets free-jazz meets psychedelia/krautrock/prog meets 70's Turkish psyche (a personal fave of mine). I have always loved the exotic sounds from the middle east, and the architecture as well, and recently through my migraines and other stuff have been on a post-rock, ambient, experimental and drone, and ethereal kick and so much of what I'm into as of now is in those realms, ironically WAAAY far off from what I used to be into, although then PE/death industrial/noise stuff is still an everyday listen but a lot more of my preferences have returned to original Detroit techno, IDM, and drum and bass ala Mick Harris and his many projects, a far cry from where I started but I am getting so much older and returning to my collection and unique finds as opposed to literally NEW stuff, especially metal (although I was neck deep into Aeturnus and Malignant Eternal this morning). 

You should check this stuff out: Agitation Free/Embryo and so much is present to some extent here

A lot of what I do review will be odd finds (a lot of this stuff is OOP and or rare now too), stuff that I dig out after 20 + years of collecting dust, and stuff that is experimental and bizarre all the way to people whose releases actually have value i.e. THEY mean something like Divide and Dissolve trying to dissolve racism or dark folk rock realms with Oldest Sea (incredible), or the spiritual realms of Edgar Kerval's Emme Ya (I greatly respect the man in not only his writings but also the energy that he puts into his work, if you can feel it- THAT is what it should be like,  a primal energy that radiates).

I finally feel that I've gotten this down again....HOLY SHIT.....this OT album is straight up Embryo/Can/Thirsty Moon territory here, this stuff is seriously great shit! How have I not heard of them until more recent times? I guess I just wasn't looking, in fact I even stopped buying albums almost entirely over the last 3 - 5 years or so and the majority of those were old Death Metal demo tapes and obscure LPs, nothing much to hit on because some Finnish DM from the early 90's isn't anything to review, just to listen to. I mean, it's been done to death, had the graves dug up and robbed and attempts at reanimating those corpses to nothing new, we need to think and create forward but utilize what was amazing but in different contexts. Now I'm sounding like an art professor, I am obviously old and tired...

 Helicopter fresh finds:

I cannot for the life of me figure out how to do this stuff again.

There is a lot of stuff coming, just have to figure this out.

honestly, I think that I will just have to type this stuff in here instead of copy/paste.

 New updates:

I haven't viewed this in years but many of you have and I thank you!! After recovering from a stroke , becoming a half of a person for almost a decade I have fought hard, especially in the last two years.
I have gained back fluid speech and  most of my physical capabilities, 95% + according to my neurologist, my right hand/side is still pretty much shot, but I can type and my hearing is great and I'm really getting back into stuff again and feel the need to review bands/artists again who choose to go the underground route, way under, and review and tell you all who's who/what/where to purchase (Bandcamp/Discogs). 

Expect more updates and reviews: Anchor (Aus), Drunk in Hell (I think US?), Bruised....you get the point, in the next few weeks. I go all over the map so never expect the expected, I don't waste my time with it. Some will be obscure 60'-70's garage/psyche, wacky Amphetamine Repitle-esque stuff like Steel Pole Bathtub, 80's LA indie/punk like Distorted Pony, others more sludge/noise rock/post punk grindcore like Sick and Tired and Water Torture, industrial, noise....past and new finds. Label highlights for some worthy mom and pops as well as sellers/stores who I buy from.

There will be no facebook or anything social about this except for the bands. If you would like to get in touch, send me something through here and I WILL get back to you. I'm really stoked to be doing this again and so expect some great stuff and a ton pf changes coming soon on here (all old stuff will remain here though, no worries there). Cheers and thanks for keeping up with this!!

Moloch – Humane Too Sheeps (Prison Tatt)

A decade or so in the making  (2003) and very unusual to say the least comes Humane Too Sheeps, a noise based experiment with analogue recordings that was once issued but never in vinyl until now. The first side consists of two tracks taken from the Universum EP, the other side is a lengthy hypnotic noise experiment that results from the blending of two tracks into what superficially feels as one. I’m a fan of dark ambient/ambient/analogue etc. etc. but this is akin to a stripped down version of Richard Ramirez (?) rather than a drone/ambient/dark ambient release so fans of ambient black metal Moloch and black metal Moloch can either take it or leave it, I am the going with the former rather than latter here.

By a stripped down Richard Ramirez I mean that the use of random dissonance and almost music-like sounds is very impressive. There’s actually song structure there that resonates as something that stems far beyond anything guitar based, in fact it’s very death industrial/PE.  I can hear metal clanking and other swoops and wooshes of bass tones, and given that this is actual guitar blows me away. I seriously can’t stop listening to it and being limited to 100 copies this one should go pretty fast.

Prison Tatt: http://prisontatt.com/

Steel Hook Prostheses Take a Moment to Reflect on Their Latest Album with DOTD

DOTD: For starters you have a Hell of a discography, can you tell me how you keep the band going and what's new with Calm Morbidity? Perhaps even a few favorite moments in SHP history?

SHP: I've been life-long friends with my partner L. Kerr in SHP. It's been easy to keep things going since it’s just the two of us. We are all electronic based, so we get together every so often and record some jam sessions. We'll then go back and deconstruct the recorded material, manipulate it and start multitracking for songs. It's a lot easier producing music this way. No need for expensive recording studio time. We've been able to produce so many releases over the years using this method.

Calm Morbidity pretty much sticks to the same formula we always use. As we age and gain more life experience it affects the overall tone of the album. We never set out to say.. Hey we want this album to sound like this. We just start engineering tracks and let a natural organic process run its course. It is all based on intuition. Lyrics/Vocals happen last in the process. I will listen to the tracks and let my imagination take me where it will. I try to loosely stick with an archaic medical/occult theme. 

Probably my favorite moments in our history would be the relationships we've formed with peers in the scene over the years. Marco Corbeli (now deceased) of Slaughter Productions in Italy was a big influence in the start. He released one of our early albums. It was a collaboration with Richard Ramirez called Explorations Into Deviance. Also hooking up with Jason Mantis at Malignant Records was crucial to our career. He's released 3 major albums of ours over the years, although we have released a handful of things on other various labels. We consider Malignant our home base and will most likely maintain a close relationship with the label for as long as we can.

We've done some great live performances over the years that were memorable. I'm terrible with dates but Apex Fest in NY was a great one. Live performance is not my favorite aspect of the business. I prefer creating and producing albums in my home studio.

DOTD: I was going to ask about live performance but you pretty much summed it up. In terms of medical/occult themes in your music, where do you find your inspiration specifically? I read that you got hooked on Skinny Puppy in the beginning.

SHP: I just always gravitated towards that type of imagery. I was really into Skinny Puppy in my formative years in the 80's, also really into Carcass as well. I guess I've always been pretty open minded when it comes to extreme music. I was into Metal and Punk just as much as industrial as a kid. My mom worked for the Dallas VA Medical center and would make me volunteer during summer break from school. I saw a lot of nasty medical Shit there in real life that affected me profoundly.

 As for the Occult aspect, I always found it interesting. Coming Up listening to metal and watching horror films only amplified this. I am an avid reader and have read extensively on the Occult since I was a teen.

DOTD: As a long time fan of industrial/HNW/Power electronics it's kinda funny that I don't know too much about how it's made, I’m a straight ahead guitar and bass person myself. What type of equipment would someone need to start doing it?

SHP: You really don't need a lot. Just a recording device and some effects pedals. A synthesizer is a plus. We have ammased a pretty nice collection of synthesizers, effects, samplers and stuff over the years. We use software to record. Software to further manipulate and design sounds. We are sound designers as much as we are musicians. But anything go's. Anything that can be recorded and manipulated in the computer is fair game. The possibilities are infinite with electronic music.

DOTD: Let's talk about some of the tracks on the album. Are there any that stand out in retrospect? Can you personally recollect some of what went into making them?

SHP: This album came together rather quickly. I've been dealing with some heavy duty life changes over the last 2 years. Going through a divorce. Reuniting with an old friend that quickly turned into a serious relationship. Lots of moving parts going on in my life. Some devastating, some fantastic. Music has always been an escape. A release of anxiety, depression etc. When Shit gets weird I always have SHP to escape to. I just let nature take its course and started arranging tracks. I'm in a new place with a new set up.. Sold off some gear and bought some new.. This album literally poured out of me in less than 6 months time. That's pretty fast from how it typically comes together. 

 One track that particular stands out is Cancer Maiden. Someone very close to me found a lump in her breast. Those were some very tense and scary weeks going through testing, waiting and waiting for results. It was gut wrenching. There is simply nothing to do but wait and wonder. Completely at the mercy of a Fucked up, cold and indifferent medical system. The test came back negative.. Thank Odin! But it was the inspiration for the track. The possibility something so insidious can take hold of someone so beautiful and whither it down to nothing.

DOTD: How about some of the collaborations such as Explorations Into Deviance with Richard Ramirez, Crown of Bone, or Tuskegee Syphilis Study with Breaking The Will and Nyodene D, any details on some standouts on those?

SHP: Explorations for sure.... Richard had sent up a cassette I believe of his trademark harsh noise wall sounds. We digitized it and used it as sound source for building tracks SHP style. It was a fun album to work on. We were super stoked to have it coming out on Slaughter Productions and really paved the way for us way back when.

We did another with legendary harsh noise artist Goat called Bloodletting The Altar Of Lies. Same type deal, deconstructing Goat's source material, layering in tracks on top of it. Even some black metal style guitar I recorded found its way on there.

DOTD: Do you have anything you'd like touch base on at this point?

SHP: No plans on stopping anytime soon. Will continue to create and record sound for as long as I'm able. I look forward to a day when I can retire from my real world job and focus only on art. I have a few irons in the fire but nothing that I would like to announce at this time. I'd like to make one thing clear. I don't have the time or the energy to work on things that don't inspire me. It's pointless to produce anything artistically without true motivational inspiration. At this point in life I believe I've earned that luxury.

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Stinger - S/T Demo (Prison Tatt)

I just literally stuck this into the tape player and immediately was enamored with it. It’s dark-hardcore with a punk metal vibe, sort of in a similar vein as Ride At Dawn and if the guitar were a bit muddier I’d say it’s black thrash metal demo to be perfectly honest. 

Opening with “In Fire” there’s slight angular riff of sorts and the drums, then suddenly the thing rolls out from under me in a fit of ferocity. I mean GODDAMN!!! There’s some fight in this little cassette! It’s full on hardcore at this point. Then “By the Fang” comes in swinging with another cavalcade of “AAAHH RRRRAAAAAWW” vocals and a barrage of drums. Sounds like a raucous but to me it sounds like fun. They even bust out a thrash-like solo that hits the mark. A lot makes me happy but not THIS happy. “Husk Life” is a little cleaner, not by much though, it has more of a thrash riffage but it breaks up the monotony with a hardcore blitz here and there so I’d say that overall it’s a ripper and leave it that. What a voice though, this guy can shout in this semi-guttural tone that amidst  “Grrrrrs” and words. The last two tracks are in a similar fashion, outrageous, wild and raging.

There’s only 100 copies minus mine so gotta be quick the grab them before they’re gone.

Listen for yourself to "In Fire" here:

http://prisontatt.com/

Anu- Nighthymns (Wohrt Records)

About as obscure as they come Anu is non-other than Chad Davis (ex-Seven Foot Spleen, Hour of 13, Subklinik…) under the alias Drathrul. The world is littered with his works yet each one is as unique as they come, so when I had thought he was done with the project I got a bunch of tapes from WOHRT a few months back with this one and this was a pleasant surprise to say the least. I really enjoyed the EP III when it came out in 2011 on the same label and was surprised that it sold out so quickly, even my version is the downloaded version.

Much like the EP Nighthymns opens with an ambient track, “Risen…” and to set the ambience of the album, which is wintery and soulful. “Winterfall “ itself is one of the two ambient tracks in which subtleties of synth based blankets of snow fall evenly as a few additional layers unfold underneath it. Instantly I’m reminded of Moloch, with the half to full ambient black metal that is reminiscent of harsh Ukranian winters. One could easily write this one off as more one-man band bedroom black metal, but DON’T. With heretical nihilating screams of angst amidst a bombardment of fuzzy black guitar that cuts like ice against the cold bleak synth work, I can assure you that it’s more than worth its weight in character alone.

The “Shadowlands” kicks in instantly with a tortured cry and rattle of drums/drum machine into a torrential blistering cold. With so much of this out there that tends toward the raw and/or minimal it’s amazing to hear a release that is as composed as this. Take “Nighthyms” for instance where the synth almost sounds like a celestial hymn complete with what appears to be a chorus.  Then finally we end up with “Enter the Chasm”, another violent outburst of maniacal shrieks amidst a blizzard of buzzsaw guitar. What stands out the most here is the vocals are not buried in or behind the mix, they’re out in front and prominent. If you want freezing moonlit skies and desolation look no further. I hope Chad finds it in his heart to produce more Anu, the Encyclopedia Metallum says "split up" but I can't imagine him not producing more when he gets enough material together.

Youtube video of "Enter the Chasm":

https://youtu.be/aO0rx_PIohU

Steel Hook Prostheses - Calm Morbidity (Malignant)

Steel Hook Prostheses (SHP) need no introduction and once again are turning things up a notch releasing Calm Morbidity. As far as Death Industrial goes these guys are dead on target with this psychotic masterpiece of varied drones, synthesizer sounds, and extremely fucked up effected vocals.  

Opening up with “Doused with Acid”, one of my personal favorites, we have classic Death Industrial starting with ramblings of someone, possibly a victim, and then a minute into it you get a heavy loaded background of drone and whirring with the suffocating and terrifying treated vocals of the killer. Whereas “Parathesia”, which is essentially nothing but drone whirs to begin with, until about two minutes in and clanks of metal start knocking, it tries the nerves, then the sound of someone there begins to creep in with the black death eminence that likens to the sound of Lustmord/CMI Black Ambient. While “Deep in the Marrow” starts in with an eerie drone and then leads you down to an underground concrete bunker where an autopsy is taking while the person is alive and awake, although drugged…heavily drugged, but still conscious, the voice of death slowly renders something unintelligible amidst the backdrop of synth washes and grim colors.

With “Cancer Maiden” it’s a stretch of whooshing nestled beneath a spiraling industrial landscape of polluted static, vocals heavily treated and going back and forth between several personalities in an effort to distort the listener into a depth of depravity and unease.  And “Piss Prophet” is another hallucinatory venture into the world of controlled chaos. Its circular pulse of sonar and cloud of static are periodic and controlled but still manage to unleash another sense of unease in the listener, the vocals again being a central part of the soundscape, unintelligible, and an ending being something along the lines of a krautrock (Cluster/Harmonia/Tangerine Dream).

The overall level of malevolence here is heard and insinuated more so than outright, as most of the horror is undeniably in the vocals, whereas with HNW/noise it tends to be the reverse. If your looking for things that tend to be heavy in atmosphere and composition you really can’t go wrong with SHP.

https://malignantrecs.bandcamp.com/

https://steelhookprostheses.bandcamp.com/