Maläd / Dekonstruktor split (Freak Friendly DIY, 2016)

We have split here between Maläd from Ukraine and Dekonstruktor from Russia - full east Europe noisecore attack! Side A - starts with some slow rhythm and very distorted guitar - very depressing and fucked up sound. I saw Maläd few times live and they always had some crazy aggressive stuff - this showed me that they can do slow stuff with same skill. But toward end we get glimpse of Maläd style chaos - beat start to be faster and slower and chaotic, and guitar goes from feedback to buzz and back - total massacre!  If i can order a song for i next live - i would like this one please!
And on side B we have - baby chicken? That is what is pictured on Dekonstruktor side of tape. Some mean chicken are those - following the style of side A - slow beat and depressed overdistorted guitar. I have never been a guitar fan myself - but this kind of guitar i could listen any time of day (maybe night also - but neighbors wouldn't share my enthusiasm i think...).  Dekonstruktor also push the pedal to the metal toward the end of song - and we have some more screeching guitar before we drift into some riffs that sound like its from some "normal" guitar music (that part i didn't like much - it remind me too much that i don't like guitar - but its good as a contrast i think).
All in all very satisfying split. You can buy that for 5 eur or whole Freak Friendly DIY discography for only 8.70 eur here
So don't be cheap - add those 3.70 eur and get them all!

Zyrtax - Reflex Ultra (Stront, 2011)

Another old one from Stront label - but since its still available - why not to review.
First time i heard of Zyrtax project, and since cover is very minimal - just split in half with two concrete-like textures on both sides i expected some minimal/ambient/experimental sound.
But it started with loud space like pulsing and many high pitched sounds, and soon after start howling voice started. Some nice effects on voice so its totally integrated in these space sounds...
For a moment everything stops and we just here some frog-like pulsating sound, which lead us into second part of this track, with some constant high pitched sound and some interference in the background. Everything sounds very sci-fi but don't worry its very noisy, but is not usual typical harsh noise sound, since its more electronic and futuristic)
All of a sudden some distorted voice,like from some radio transmission, gave us some message and lead us into some noisy sounds with very disturbing screaming that also sound like coming from outer space. I believe whoever made this tape had whole sci-fi script in his head before making this because all sounds like there is some logic and flow to it.
i will now stop writing and and rewind so i can listen to a full tape - its a shame that this detailed piece of work just play in background of my writing process...
So all recommendations to this one - if you like more subtle noise and more artificial/spaceship sounds in compare to usual pedal noise set...
Ask Stront for copies...

Vulvax / Odal "No-Norit / Back to the Basics" (Stront, 2004)

Found this on a shelf, and since i traded tons of tapes with Peter from Stront label (Odal project also) i don't have a clue is this new or old release (later discogs search revealed its 2004...) But who cares it comes from Stront label, cover art is full of shit and frontal nudity, so what can go wrong. Print is perfect for a noise release also, very low resolution, muddy colors, all coming from cheap color home printer. Oh how i miss the days before my cartridges dried out and became impossible to refill... But let put nostalgia aside, Vulvax already started with slowed down chanting over buzzes and bleeps. After some time i start to have a feeling i am in the middle of some Ortodox christian liturgy gone wrong. Too bad it was so short, but we have second track here, high pitched beep (in first few seconds i thought its my alarm clock - obsession that i have to wake up early for job obviously left a mark on this review too...) But this beeping is not like an alarm clock, its never ending with just slight variations. It seems i was lucky i put this tape on a speakers instead through headphones (neighbors wouldn't call this luck probably). So third track is here, mumbling voice preaching something, it seems our priest is here again... Where can i baptize for this church? Since i was checking discogs while i write and listen to this i found out this:

https://www.discogs.com/Vulvax-Odal-No-norit-Back-To-The-Basics/release/5017907

Yes 25 short tracks on this side, and yes i love the sound, but no i cant write about 25 tracks, i am too lazy for it, so i will just let you be surprised with 22 more... 

45 minutes filled to the max - and quality didn't drop much (there was few parts here and there that were not so impressive like first tracks, but 45 mins is long for noise anyway - i don't think anyone can pull that out...)

Second side brings us Odal, behind that moniker is Peter Zincken also known as Dr. Bibber and former member of FCKN BSTRDS. Very big name in noise scene for last few decades, so not surprising we have impressive track in front of us: arrhythmic drums, harsh noise with chanting tribal-like vocals over it. If first side was Ortodox christian, this side is some Amazon tribe that was exposed to harsh noise that totally fucked up their brains never to return to normal... This track can easily put you in a trance state if you blast it loud on your speakers - you lose sense of time and 30 minutes passed like second - and since it sounds like gig recording, i can only imagine how good it would be to be present in that space that day...

Well you can try to track down some copies maybe directly from Stront - even if its not original tape, i am sure you can get some kind of cdr reissue.

https://www.facebook.com/Stront-215326391865287/

Agathocles / Raven (Centipede Farm,2016)

Hmmm it seems i review only Centipede Farm releases... Somehow they all ended up on my "to listen shelf"... I wanted to change label for this one, but then i saw Agathocles / Raven split!
Great projects, so fuck it, i'll do another Centipede!
Side A is Agathocles, inside tape is written that it is a recording from 1986 - so lets try this blast from past. Some crackling sounds and spoken word in background - very raw, very lo-fi, from there it fades into drone guitar sounds with very dirty drum sound and deep barking vocals. Occasional screams break a sound that almost pushed me in some kind of trance state of mind. Really love this one - very aggressive, very enjoyable...
Speaking of aggression... Side B brings us Raven, like always straight-to-point approach, loud, uncompromising sound. Crazy mash of hiss, feedback, pitch changes, buzzing of DIY synths, and white noise in the background. Be sure that if you play on speakers you wont hear anything in your house or surroundings. Total auditory deprivation! And try to use at least headphones that go over ear - if you put this on earphones - be ready for tinnitus for the rest of the day. Tinnitus - best recommendation for noise release!  I'm already half deaf so i dont care - lets play this once more!
This fine release can be found at https://centipedefarm.bandcamp.com/album/agathocles-raven-split

Contraktor / Kolaps systému (Centipede Farm, 2016)

Another one from Centipede Farm. Kolaps systému i heard years ago on a split with Raven, and theme of album were animal rights. Fast discogs check lead me to  realization that  Kolaps systému had made another animal right album with Contraktor in 2015. That made me very happy - i think it is of a great importance to always put those topics in spotlight. So i came very relaxed into listening to this one, because that attitude is enough for me to be happy. And cover also promised same direction...
So side A brings us Contraktor with track called Self Worthless. It starts with some bubbling noisy sound which goes into more noisy crackling sounds with some vocal sample repeated in loop. Very fine, very dynamic and fun to listen, length of all those parts where sample is looped is just right to keep listeners attention - not too short not too long, also it brings me some industrial vibe to this (which in my case is good thing - remind me on my pre-noise days when industrial was my main focus). From there we go to more chaotic parts, very good executed noise, not too harsh but very intense and old school. I was never fan of big powerful noise sounds, always was more on this lo-fi side - so this fits me very well.
On side B we have aforementioned Kolaps systému - "Breaking the Locks" noise style is pretty much similar to Contraktor but we here have some various samples of animals screaming and suffering. From there we get into some metallic repeating sound, kinda like a rail, which is replaced by some far away machine-like sound. A lot of samples, lot of field recording sound (at least i think its raw field recording in some places) and again lo-fi - just as i like noise to be. Everything is covered in radio like noise, glass shattering, dogs barking. Everything is really well done, there wasn't a second of these both sides where my attention roamed away from sound.
So all in all - perfect release, both sound-wise and theme-wise...
Check it out at https://centipedefarm.bandcamp.com/album/animal-liberation-split

Boar / Genital Stigmata (Centipede Farm,2016)

Since i have many releases from Centipede Farm i know i can always be sure that some fine sound will come out of speakers when i put anything from that label.
So on this split we have Boar on a side A - starts very calm with dripping, tapping sounds with a big echo - and it makes me feel like i am in some sort of cave. Which was not best place to be - because suddenly cave start to crash on you - everything is falling apart and there is nowhere to escape. Very fine harsh part of track from which we unexpectedly go into spaceship noises, kinda futuristic and cold, and then all that slowly blend together into harsh sound again. All that alien abduction stop all of a sudden and some ritualistic chanting is heard,better say some distorted ohm chant. And that would be all on side A - maybe a bit on a short side, but so many things happening, you have ambient parts, you have harsh parts.. All very well blended together - so its very enjoyable and could recommend even to people who are not so much into noise but more into experimental waters because all seems to be nicely thought out and composed.
On the other side we have Genital Stigmata, project i didn't have chance to hear before. It starts very harsh with chopped out sound coming probably from shortest setting on delay pedal and then we have more and more abuse of delay pedal and some tape player rewinding and forwarding with occasional screams and unrecognizable speech. It has exactly all the stuff i love most both to make and to listen. So i will just sit back and enjoy this barrage of dead cable sound, tape hiss, and delay overkill. Not much else to say but - perfect! Whoever this guy is - i want more of it!
Its 60 copies edition, and its still available on
https://centipedefarm.bandcamp.com/album/boar-genital-stigmata-split

Bear Bones, Lay Low / Superskin (Feathered Coyote Records,2015)

So from this Austrian label Feathered Coyote Records comes this experimental/noise split. First tape after very long time that is in my player and that isn't pure harsh noise or noisecore... Which is not so bad for this very frozen winter day.
So side A brings us Bear Bones, Lay Low project. Track starts with buzzing sounds and piano(?) echoing and moving from left to right in my speakers - very nice for this silent cold day. Very atmospheric eerie track, could easily be used as a soundtrack for some movie. Second track comes in with violin like sounds and drumming in background. Very folkish and ritualistic. I must say i am not often in possession of this type of folk/experimental tapes and i rarely search for something like this, but sound is not to blame - its just my ignorance and laziness... But when occasionally something come to my hands, i enjoy it as something exotic to my ears. It is obvious that a lot of effort is put into this, and that sound as a whole is very complex and surely has some deeper meaning. But i am just simple harsh noise head and search just for more direct sound. Now we are in third track that is mostly based around very nice piano melody with a lot of tiny bleeps and peeps all around me - very relaxing. Last one is very rhythmic with horn sound following the rhythm, almost danceable. And side is over! Very good job, even if its not the type of sound i usually listen to, i wanted more - so i think that is best mark of quality of this project...
Lest see what side B brings us.... Superskin - austrian project that i havent heard before, but fast google check show me that its the same guy that is behind Baba Vanga project. I heard that one before and i remember its also some sort of experimental sound and that it was pretty good. This starts with very dry beat, almost like tapping on some simple object and repeating it through some loop pedal with slight echo (it can be of course some simple drum machine) over it some synth melodies are played. Pretty romantic sounding, not disturbing at all - would be very good as a background while reading some book and drinking warm tea after cold day outside.... Next track is also very calm and kind of hypnotic, so i just drifted in thoughts and i just heard click of my walkman when tape was over.
So to sum it up - if you search for something more mind engaging, more instrument based noise more atmospheric and ambient and not so loud - this is a perfect release for you! Also i must mention that cover art is very fine collage art, with quality print, so this package as a whole is worth to have in physical form. Also you will get download code with it - so it will save you an effort of transferring tape into mp3.
Since its 2015 release i dont know if still there are some copies - bandcamp page says that there are still some available so go on and take some!
https://featheredcoyoterecords.bandcamp.com/album/bear-bones-lay-low-superskin