Hey all...
I'm guessing a few of you may be aware of the Cyclic Law label (Mr. Battema most likely) but most of this stuff was new to me. The label is pretty niche to the dark ambient side of things and occasionally veering into the more extreme power electronics realm. So far, everything I've heard has been at the very least great but more often than not...outstanding! I've been hitting the label fairly hard lately and have heard the following:
Taphephobia-Ghostwood
Taphephobia/Kave-Monuments
The former is short to mid length not quite fully fleshed out "songs" (if you will), but I found them to be more about moods and atmospheres that are introduced and then, too soon perhaps, concluded...leaving the listener fending for themselves to navigate the murky, vine and weed strewn path leading to god knows where that was only partially constructed. Maybe this was the intent, maybe not...but I found the constant mood changes less satisfying, albiet beckoning.
This shortcoming (well, not really) was corrected in "Monuments" which is a split between Taphephobia and another artist name Kave. This release is comprised of two long form drones, heavy on the subsonic bass moves (seems to be a given on this label) that tell a tale. What kind of tale I hear you asking??...well, it's a tale of disturbance, a tale of disruption in all things good, a tale of scorched earth in the Shire and a tale of the eviscerated, violated, half aborted body of whatever prog artist you choose to imagine laying drawn and quartered on the rusted steel table in your basement. It's really good.
Visions and Phurpa-Monad
This one has four 10-12 minute drones that can very well be the soundtrack to Guillermo Del Toro's unmade Lovecraft film (instead of that POS Shape of Water that really just wanted to make me gag). Deep bass distortion was sometimes prevalent which really just made me turn it up louder. Occasionally there was the human(oid) chanting of what could only have been emanating from the re-animated larynx's of long deceased monks from the monastery of Our lady of the Fallen Souls. This was an enjoyable listen on this pleasant valley Sunday.
...and finally...
Dodsmaskin-Ingenting (the "o" in this band has a line through it but I didn't know how to do that)
This one was really really excellent!! Apparently it was released in 2015 with zero fanfare and has since been extremely difficult to procure...until Cyclic Law re-released it. It's certainly the most extreme of the lot, sometimes exhibiting power electronics tendencies. I read that a part of this was done by putting recording equipment on train tracks and waiting for trains to travel over it...yeah, I can see that. Other parts sound like the grainy interior of a slaughterhouse made specially for Elves and Dwarfs while the ruined body of JRR Tolkien was suspended in chains above the proceedings forced to watch the defilement of his masterwork. I can see that too! Regardless, it's all excellent and it presses all the right buttons for me having a balance of dark ambient, power electronics and even some acousmatic/electro acoustic moments happening. Highly recommended!
So is anyone else familiar with the CL label that can recommend some easy listening on a sunny spring day?
TIA
best
Michael
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