Ice Bound Majesty - A Tomb To Erect

Over the summer I became acquainted with this killer and very DIY/indie label from the UK, Frequency 13, described as a label of " True Sheffield black Psychedelia ", so it was definitely something that I couldn't pass up hearing. The name is true to form, this is some experimental, black, electronic, and unique audio here. Raspy black metal vocals (Burzum/Xasthur style) with some great fuzz effects and distortion, add some catchy drum machine rhythm underneath with an almost cute keyboard/synth line throughout and you have the first track on this disc, "Book of Jelands". This stuff is about as eclectic as it comes.

"Untiethebestknot" is about 3 minutes long, most of which is just almost silence until the last mintue when this great reverb drenched guitar comes in...louder and louder, very heavy on the reverb, then for the last 20 seconds of the track some other guitar work comes into it and athen it just ENDS (?). Could have been even better if a bit longer, but really cool anyway.

"Wardragon Blues", this is one schizophrenic track. Starts out almost like drone/sludge, then really kicks it up a bit with some vocal work and drum machine effects, dark territory here and about as heavy as a meteor of distorted fuzz coming down on your head. Suddenly the track sounds like some neo-folk/post -industrial ambient thing for about ten seconds and then goes back into this reverb bit...sounds as though a record is being stopped during play (literally), then the track goes fully into this filthy raw jam similar in sound to Ride For Revenge/Skullfuck/Irritate. The track interrupts itself frequently to add in samples of sounds like explosives and metallic drums with heavy echo effect. This definitely takes experimental to the next level, but does it so well that I almost hesitate to call it experimental.

"Carrion (The Carrier Of All)", is like a warmongering Xasthur track. The vocals, still raspy, are way behind the mix, the guitar is so smothered in effect that it becomes a huge whirlwind of fuzz, and the whole track ends up feeling like a swirling sensation of fuzz. I love fuzz, distortion, effects and this is another example of an artist using them well to make audible noise. Not experimental to the point of painful, but still enough to scare most away and it damn well should. If you can't handle this, you shouldn't be trying anyway.

The final track " A Tomb To Erect " is another long experimental journey in effects, fuzz, well executed distortion, and the title describes it perfectly...this could definitely erect the pyramids if played at the right decibel level.

Thanks Dave for starting such a killer label and the artists on it for making such exquisite noise.

Ice Bound Majesty page: http://www.myspace.com/iceboundmajesty
label info: www.myspace.com/karaokevocaleliminator