Gangleri – music reviews

Of course I have known the name Throbbing Gristle for ages. They have been releasing material since I was born. I never really listened to them. I guess I thought they made this oldfashioned chaotic kind of noise and I have never really listened to the industrial music of before my time. Apparently TG still releases at a staggering speed and also partly on the same label as the early days, so I figured it was time to properly listen to TG. Not really as expected this cd contains quite tranquil soundscapes, slightly industrial, but quite ‘easy listening’. I cannot say that I really like it. There are a few tracks that are a bit faster, a bit ‘industrial disco’ even and these tracks already sound better to my ears. I do not know if this album is representative in style for TG, but I am sure that you readers have probably followed TG for ages and do know the answer to that question already.
Links: Throbbing Gristle, Industrial Records

Changes is not my favourite band, but they always have a few nice songs. “Lament” starts with a piano track and continues with a bit too usual Changes folk music. Fortunately furtheron there are some other styles such as an OFWATM like song and some more experimental and less (neo)folky tracks. “Lament” has new and new versions of old songs. I am not ravingly enthousiastic about this new album, but as always, there are a few very nice songs here.
Links: Changes, Hau Ruck!

I always thought that Land:Fire was a dark ambient project. I have some music on compilations and maybe I (unconsciously) heard that Herbst9 is another project of this duo, but when I recently heard a great noise track of Land:Fire it became time to really listen to this project. “Shortwave Transmission” opens brilliantly with very dark ambient noise with industrial rhythms. There indeed are a few dark ambient tracks, but the larger part is really my kind of noise. Great material!
Links: Land:Fire, Power & Steel

Fabian of Dead.Circuit brought this free download compilation to my attention. 5 Times 11 tracks and about 70 minutes, I suppose, since the files do not work 100%. In any case, about 6 hours of music, how do I write a review about that? Emissions is a dark ambient compilation, but there are also more industrial and even noise tracks. There are established projects such as Land:Fire (great noise track), Herbst9, Svartsinn, Northaunt and of course Dead.Circuit (a monotous ambient track, not his best), but most of the projects are new to me. I do not listen all that much to dark ambient, because it tends to be too monotous for me, but I must say that I am not disappointed about the majority of the tracks presented. There is enough variety with darker and lighter tracks, rumbling and rhythmical and quiet and noisy.
Links: Kalpmantra

This morning I heard of the sudden pass away of Arjen Grolleman (1972-2010). Dutch people will probably know him. Arjen was one of the founders of the alternative radio canal Kink FM on which he enthousiastically hosted the weekly show called X Rated. In the early days I listened to X Rated each week, since it was the one and only ‘public place’ to listen to ‘dark music’. X Rated plays neofolk to industrial and difficult dance music to neoclassical avantgarde. In recent years the style was mostly avantgardistic and not really my style, so seldom listen to the show these days. Also coming to concerts, Arjen was involved in our minor scene. An active supporter and on a relatively large scale too.
Let us hope there is also music in the next life………..

“Imperative” might not be a masterpiece, but it is a nice album. “Sect” creates music with orchestral samples that are usually very fast, cut and looped. This makes the music cheerfull in a way. There is drumming and marchdrums in most tracks, but I would not call this album “martial”. Besides the orchestrations there is usually nothing to hear. Just a few tracks have vocal(sample)s or speech samples.
Links: Sect, Rage In Eden

Yet another project of Dead Man’s Hill, Alle Sagen Ja, Eisengrau, etc. NDE makes a mix between black metal, martial industrial, bombastic orchestrations and noise. The result is a heavy pompous sound with distorted screamed vocals and raging guitars. Quite extreme, quite original, not alway quite good. There are some nice orchestral noisy tracks, but as soon as the guitars set in, I loose my interest. I think this album will appeal to people who like the later sound of Karjalan Sissit with the noisy orchestrations and screamed vocals, but then with guitars added.
Links: NDE, Cold Spring

Dawn & Dusk Entwined has never been my favourite project, but this latest album is still quite disappointing. I do not have everything that David released, this is the fourth album including the split with Golgatha. “Cathedrals of mist” is a soundtrack to a book and very minimalistic and repetative orchestral ambient. Only in the darker orchestral parts and the scarce martial tracks things get better, for the larger part of the 27 (!) tracks are not really my cup of tea.
Links: Dawn & Dusk Entwined / Aube et Crépuscule