Frequencies Deleted #5: See Through Buildings - No Greater Love, No Deeper Loss (by Mikey Ortega)

Label: Self-Released

Format: CD/Digital

Release Date: 16 May 2021

 

Tracklist:

1. A Body So Small with An Energy So Big

2. An Explosion of Silence and Sadness

For many years, dogs have been known as “Man’s Best Friend”. They’ve been there for the good times and the bad times. Shared many memories and have always been there by your side. So you can imagine the loss and grief when you lose someone that close.  Someone that is considered as family. It’s as if a piece of you is missing. On See Through Building’s NO GREATER LOVE, NO DEEPER LOSS, Ben Rehling expresses his grief, after the passing of his dog, Hanna. If you’re familiar with See Through Buildings work, then you know how punishing and aggresive it can be and if you read the credits on STB’s Bandcamp page, you would know this is the first time Ben has delved into this subject matter.  For sure, this one is very personal and you can only hope to find some closure.

 

We start off with “A Body So Small with an Energy So Big”, which, by the title, tells you everything about Hanna. When Hanna was brought home as a small pup, she was full of life. It’s as if you knew she belonged. Especially with the way she interacts with the other pets. That right there tells you Hanna was something special and the soundscapes totally captured that. Like a little ball of energy, just running around the house, with no sight of slowing down. We then go into “An Explosion of Silence and Sadness”, which just hits you with a ton of bricks. Those low-ends just gets you in the feels and you can understand what Ben is going through. You’re so used to hearing barking and other noise, that silence just feels out of place and that makes your loss very hard to get through.

 

NO GREATER LOVE, NO DEEPER LOSS, is an album that anyone can relate to. We’ve seen our loved one on their last leg. We’ve seen them struggle and suffer. We do our best to make their last days in this World comfortable. We try to spend as much time with them as much as possible, because we don’t know how long they have in this World and even though they’re no longer with us, we do our best to keep their memory alive. I like to think NO GREATER LOVE, NO DEEPER LOSS is an album that can help us get through some rough times. To remind us that those we’ve lost, will forever live inside us and that they are never gone. NO GREATER LOVE, NO DEEPER LOSS, is a perfect send-off to Man’s Best Friend. R.I.P, Hanna. Always enjoyed those pics that Ben posted on facebook and Instagram.

 

You can download NO GREATER LOVE, NO DEEPER LOSS on Bandcamp. All proceeds goes to animal rescues in the Southern California area and also be sure to follow See Through Buildings on social media in the link below.

See Through Buildings - https://www.facebook.com/seethroughbuildings

Frequencies Deleted #4: Sara Ohm - Noise Creeps. (by Mikey Ortega)

Labels: International Ephemera

Formats: Digital/Cassette

Release Date: June 13, 2021

 

Tracklist:

1. Their Eyes

2. Noise Creeps

3. #nudesplease

4. Role Model

5. Alpha Maleing List

6. Your Porno Scene, Your Porno Dream

7. Shards Of Glass

  

Sara Ohm is one of those names that I’ve seen before from peers and a few music blogs.  But, I didn’t get a chance to listen to any recordings, until Troy of Negative Tilt Records (and various projects), brought Sara Ohm to my attention. It was definitely one of the most intense performances I have ever witnessed. I’ve always enjoyed some noise guitar and I feel like Sara Ohm brings something to the table. I was really excited to grab my hands on the latest release, NOISE CREEPS. Especially since it has “Macho Man” Randy Savage on the cover, but the album isn’t about “MACHO MADNESS” and testosterone. NOISE CREEPS pretty much confronts the abuse and harassment towards woman in the noise scene. With people coming forward with their stories, it’s a perfect time for something like NOISE CREEPS to come out.

 

If there’s one thing that I love about Sara Ohm, it’s that she always goes for the jugular.  Just like on the first track, “Their Eyes”. Though, I would say a chainsaw to the cock. And it’s just taking it’s time cutting through, piece by piece. The reverb on the vocals, gives “Their Eyes” a very welcomed atmosphere. The castration spree continues with the title track, “Noise Creeps” and “#nudesplease”. For a song called “#nudesplease”, I didn’t think it would have a dark and cold industrial sound. But, come to think of it, I can imagine some sad and desperate fuck, inside his dark and cold basement, asking for nudes. We then go into more of a dark ambient territory with “Role Model” and “Alpha Maleing List”. Both of these tracks bring me back to early Lustmord and other dark ambient projects – where it feels like you’re trapped inside an industrial nightmare and when you wake up, you realize you’re still trapped in that industrial nightmare. The ferociousness of “Your Porno Scene, Your Porno Dream” is what made me a fan of Sara Ohm. When you hear that buzzing sound, you know Sara is going for the kill. “Shards Of Glass” closes out NOISE CREEPS, and this track doesn’t let you forget about this album. Almost as if it left a scar on your face, and whenever you look into the mirror, you will always be reminded to not fuck with Sara Ohm.

 

NOISE CREEPS definitely takes Sara Ohm to new heights. You can just hear Sara grow and getting more creative with her sound. With every release, Sara brings in a new level of intensity, by building up her arsenal and becoming a force of nature. What NOISE CREEPS brings to the table, I hope it brings inspiration to a younger generation that wants to try their hands on experimental music. 10 years from now, I can see people still talking about NOISE CREEPS and how much it meant to their lives. Especially during these difficult times.

NOISE CREEPS cassettes are sold out, but you can still get a digital copy at Bandcamp:-

Also, be sure to follow Sara Ohm on social media:-

Sara Ohm - https://www.facebook.com/saraohm81 / Instagram - @saraohm81

International Ephemera - https://internationalephemera.bandcamp.com

Frequencies Deleted #3 - Monochrome Nausea - Monochrome Nausea

Label: Self-Released

Format: Digital

Release Date: 12 Oct 2017

Tracklist:

1. Someone Bent My Yucca

2. Disco Acrylics

3. Oh The Olsen Twins, They Play Power Violins

4. Don't Be Afraid To Bring Your Gazpacho To A Potluck

5. Pastels in a Passe Chevrolet

6. Pissing On Woods

When it comes to the noisy side of extreme music in Scandinavia, I always think of Sweden. Their feedback drenched crusty-hardcore was something that was exciting because it was so raw and in your face. When putting on Monochrome Nausea's S/T release, I was surprised to see they were from Oslo, Norway. They had that raw and in your face vibe. The guitar feedback which creates an anarchic environment and backed up with some killer tornado-like drumming.

Someone Bent My Yucca starts off like an air-raid, giving us a chance to take cover. We hear the bombs falling out of the sky. And once it hits the ground, a sonic blast of carnage starts laying waste. Oh The Olsen Twins, They Play Power Violins is a pretty sick down-tempo/sludgy track. For some reason I get the vibe of getting run over by a steam truck on a road made out of rubber. Don't Be Afraid To Bring Your Gazpacho To A Potluck is probably the most intense track on this album. Imagine a battle bot going ape shit at Burning Man. That's how much angst this track has. And to close the album, Pissing On Woods sludgy/noise is bliss. The guitar sound’s like its a knife fucking you in the ear very smoothly. And then starts getting very rough in the end, leaving a very sexy mess.

When bands have that freedom to be creative and not follow any standards, you tend to get something fresh. Or in most cases, something that's really out there. And it's the reason why I appreciate bands like Monochrome Nausea. It's the true definition of being nihilistic. There was definitely no FUCKS given while listening Monochrome Nausea. At times, the songs invoke a feeling of misanthropy and in others, it feels like good ol' anarchic fun. Monochrome Nausea are an awesome addition to the "noisecore" sound. I can only imagine them brewing something more monolithic in the near future.

You can stream and download "Monochrome Nausea" below:-

Monochrome Nausea - https://www.facebook.com/monochromenausea/

Thanks one again go to Mikey for writing this review. He's going to be contributing more metal reviews in near future, as well as some live reviews so keep an eye out for those.

Frequencies Deleted #2 - DSCORPR8S - Akashic Discrepancy (Mikey Ortega)

Labels: Self-Released

Formats: Digital Download

Release Date: 1/22/18

Tracklist: 

1. Fever Dream

2. Base Of Operations

3. Dark Times

4. Bug Powder, Bullet Breath

5. Rodent Claws

6. Seal of Gabriel

In sports, if you build of team with players who've won championships or awards for their performance, there's a good chance they are gonna have a dominant season. If you cast a movie with actors, directors, and writers who've won Oscars, you'll get a film that will do big at the box office. And when you get musicians from big established bands, then you're gonna get some killer tunes. In the experimental/noise scene, when you get a bunch of creative people with some fucked up imagination, you're gonna get something that's out there. And that's what DSCORPR8S brings to our innocent eardrums. The project features Jeremy Stilgenbauer of Small Forest, Verge Bliss of Dendera Bloodbath, and Zachary Paul (who has also collaborated with Dendera Bloodbath). What these three bring to us is “Akashic Discrepancy”. When I pressed play, it felt like I was in a French experimental film. And it's a trip I don't mind diving into.

"Akashic Discrepancy" opens up with Fever Dream. At first you think you're getting a n electronic dance track. Then out of nowhere, a sonic blast of distortion comes blaring out of your earbuds. Base of Operation sounds like an old-school video game that David Lynch came up with. As if Dig Dug took some high-level LSD, and started going to town on an Indian burial ground.  Bug Powder, Bullet Breath is one heavy track. For some reason, the image of a banshee coming right at you with a wrecking ball comes to mind. You can feel the sound just crushing your rib cage, and puncture your lungs. Seal of Gabriel is a perfect way to end “Akashic Discrepancy”. It's as if you're sitting in a field with a jack-in-the-box. Just cranking and cranking the rod. And right when the box pops, the ground starts rumbling. Fire falls from the sky and everything around you starts to disintegrate.

What gets DSCORPR8S rolling is that each member brings something to the project.  Jeremy brings that electronic sound, which at times can feel dreamy, but then takes you somewhere surreal. Verge brings here pedals, which makes DSCRPR8S a harsh noise juggernaut.  And then you got Zach, who's violin skills brings that avant-garde element to the sound. When you get creative minds together, you'll pretty much get something that's a crushing apocalyptic bliss. The soundscapes creates a World that feels like a Dystopian-Industrial graveyard. If you're a fan of these individual artist, then you're gonna dig what they brew up on “Akashic Discrepancy”.

You can purchase “Akashic Discrepancy” on Bandcamp and follow DSCORPR8S on Facebook in the links below.

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/dscorpr8s/

Thanks again to Mikey for taking the time to write this. I hope you enjoy it. 

Frequencies Deleted #1: Crowhurst - Snuff

This is a new feature/review series that I've tentatively called "Frequencies Deleted", featuring guest reviews from my friend Mikey Ortega. He's been a great supporter of my blog for a long time now and knowing that he's a fan of noise and power electronics, amongst other genres, I asked him if he would like to contribute his thoughts on releases new and old. Mikey's from California and has a noise-doom band called Diclonius. For his first review, Mikey's revisiting an album by Californian harsh noise act Crowhurst.

Label: Self-Released

Format: Digital

Release Date: 14 Feb 2014

Tracklist:

1. Child

2. Immolate

3. Brick

4. Throat Rope

5. You Owned A Store

6. Cartel Warning Shot

7. Imagine John Lennon

8. Torture

9. Punishment Park

10. You Were A Person

Violence is something that everyone has some interest in. Whether it's in the news, on film, music, comics, or in the arts in general.  As humans, it is embedded in us. I know that's pretty much cliche, but watch a MMA fight, and you'll see the crowd get rowdy when someones face is busted open. Or go on Facebook, and see people post grisly images they found on the deep web. And of course, if you're in the metal scene, we see violence on album art and hear them in the lyrics. Most try to shock. And only a few try to make a statement about the World we live in.

Here enters "SNUFF" by Philly-turned-LA project, Crowhurst. If you read the description on the album's Bandcamp page, Crowhurst mastermind, Jay Gambit, talks about how the noise like to talk about violence over loops of feedback. As if to make themselves seem edgy. Well, Gambit ups it by having real audio of torture and murder, backed by a wave of Power Electronics.

The first track, Child pretty much made me take off my earbuds off. The sound of a woman crying and begging for mercy was just gut wrenching. If anything, that's the one that's gonna be a struggle to get through. The fact that the audio came from someones video camera, and not clip from a horror film, is just bone chilling. Brick gives you the feeling of being tied up in someones basement, while watching a love one getting dismembered by maniac. Cartel Warning Shot is another track that is very unsettling to listen. The crushing electronic noise makes everything hopeless. And then you hear that chainsaw, and it's just game over, man. When Punishment Park comes on, you just want to roll in a ball and hope these atrocities will just end.

If you heard of the movie August Underground, director Fred Vogel, talks about when he was teaching make-up/special effects, he was shocked how his students were glorifying serial killers. So he went out to make August Underground, in which the film's antagonist made you feel sick, and wasn't someone you root for like a Michael Myers. To me, "SNUFF" is to music, as August Underground is to film. Crowhurst doesn't glorify the violence on "SNUFF". It is presented as it should be; ugly, unsettling, and disturbing. Even though "SNUFF" is Jay Gambit's least favorite album, I believe "SNUFF" is a important release, in a time where it seems the young generation are desensitised to violence.

You can stream and download "SNUFF" below:-

Crowhurst - https://www.facebook.com/crowhurstnoise/