Omistettu Suomen Kuninkaille

Omistettu Suomen Kuninkaille

reviews Oct/2012

I've put together a new outline for reviews, in which I post shorter reviews than what I would normally do, and group them together into one large collection, posted bi-weekly. But each of these reviews will still be decent sized write-ups, just not the large 3 paragraph reviews I normally post here. 

This months reviews are dedicated to some recent tapes, records and CD's from one of the strongest countries within the Power Electronics/Noise and Industrial genres. Of course I am speaking of Finland; a country who is at the top of their game within the "scene".  This is Part 1 of 3 and features 2 albums I have been listening to most often lately.

First up is a newer act, Unclean, that actually retains the oldest sounds that is most faithful to the late 80's crumbling Power Electronics scenes, which is more than fine by me. Albums like "Fetor" by the great PURE and the oldest works of Kleistwahr without the "paint by numbers" approach that so many of these "throwback" units/artists play by. This is just simplistic, minimal post-mortem at its most direct, the feeling of something in its infancy before the naive masses began to amuse themselves by piling on as many sounds, rumbles and flanged-to-fuck vocals as they could. And it failed, miserably, it was Noise but in a different sense of the word, like "agitation". Unclean does no such thing. This is traditional, this is monotonous in the best sense of the word. These 5 tracks with titles ranging from "Homophobia" and "Salo" will give you an idea of the type of scum you are dealing with. Each track washes over with constant, usually mid-range, currents of polluted tones. Feedback bursts and shortwave experimentalism that is sometimes reminiscent of "Dedicated To Peter Kurten". I feel like any track from this tape could have fit perfectly on "Axis Sally" or "Trial by Ordeal". If you are into that sound than get this tape.

My stomach churning from the what I had just heard, and my head in need of some pounding drums and riffs I decide to try Chains of Death Command, who just released a new beast 7'' with 4 short tracks of mid-paced Garage Punk shit. Have you ever watched one of those documentaries on Skinheads where they have little cut scenes of some party in the woods with like 12 drunk guys in a push pit listening to some semi-melodic RAC? Well that type of band, slow them down a tad and run it through a Filth & Violence blender and you get Chains of Death Command. This 7inch features 2 older tracks and 2 new tracks. Side A is the old stuff, which is boisterous and infectious in a strange dirty sort of way. Then Side B offers up 2 new tracks. One of which is titled "World Wound" and is my favorite. Some mid-paced snarling punk mashes on for a good minute and then a melody break through and some smashing "White Rider" worship spills out. It's wistful, nostalgic RAC meets Noise Punk sound changes the entire climate of this record, yet retains its disjointed and near-sighted anthems. And yes, these are Noise Rock anthems.