Burial Hex - Angelic Gematria

Blackest Rainbow, 2011

Master Ruby reports in chants of pale light from the nadirs of the heavens. Cannot recommend this work enough, his austere from-the-occult-to-the-ecclesiastical angle approaches the same kinds of realms as recent Xela, only with a more firmly blackened root; with hollow whispers from the corners of vast cathedrals and great organs ringing from the mouths of the saints' agonies. Moves on the latter track into black romantic synth work akin to a more Goblin-ish version of his work seen in tracks like "Go Crystal Tears." Brilliance.

DOWNLOAD

(thanks to The Radiant Now for the original post)

Consumer Electronics - Nobody's Ugly

No Fun Productions, 2007

Mentioned in the previous post. Sideways digitized power electronics/ drone from Philip Best's (Whitehouse) solo project. Demonstrates once again that Whitehouse and their closest ilk are about much more than producing the highest-possible-volume screechfest. Would like to think this album set the precedent for the new kind of PE seen in Yellow Tears, Halflings, etc., but it really seems everyone was arriving at digital-laptop-collage feedback hybrid sounds on their own around 07-08 and on.

DOWNLOAD

Bodychoke - Cold River Songs

Purity, 1998/ Relapse 2009

So far in my experience, when guys from decent power electronics acts turn rock, they rock OUT, i.e. Skullflower, Ramleh, Dominick Fernow's umpteen projects. Bodychoke, the 90s side project of Kevin Tomkins (Sutcliffe Jügend, ex-Whitehouse) is no exception. Hidden away for some reason, I unfortunately participated in its underrating, as I have often put Sutcliffe Jügend on the side and focused more on Whitehouse as the purveyor of high-quality vileness, a status SJ does not deserve as I am finding I like quite a bit of Tomkins' material more for sheer atmosphere and pro viciousness. Bodychoke was his rock fugue and continued his integrity; what you've got here is noise rock heaviness that's somewhere between old school Skullflower tactics (or moreso rock-era Ramleh), with an almost Swans-level sophistication (the celloist is amazing), lyrics schizophrenically going between Michael Gira and Oxbow drugged-up suicide crooning, and when it gets romantic (this usually means there's a knife in somebody's head) it even sounds kind of like a psychopathic Fields Of The Nephilim. The atmosphere is as thick as his main solo project, the themes as twisted, but a little more introspective (i.e. no "I never met a woman who didn't deserve to die"). Absolutely magnificent stuff, this is their magnum opus but the other two albums, Mindshaft and Five Prostitutes are not to be missed.

DOWNLOAD

The Human Quena Orchestra - A Natural History Of Failure

Utech, 2010

Ultraheavy sequel to The Politics Of The Irredeemable by the doctors of electro-sludge. Full-on intense negativity beneath the wonderfully grim cover art.

DOWNLOAD

Muslimgauze - Gun Aramaic

Soleilmoon, 1996

I put out a request on Last.fm for albums similar to Eye For An Eye and this was one of the replies. Spot-on, I was very pleasantly surprised, a real standout in the vast discography, thick Palestinian ghetto atmospheres permeate, the string drones and distorted sample on "Oil Prophets" (both tracks) is a real gem.

DOWNLOAD