HEDORAH (s/t) CD-R
The conjunction of noise and heavy riffs can be an awful bore when it's execution is aimless and witless. Fortunately HEDORAH belongs not to this category, and so it was a real pleasue for me to review this copy from Crucial Bliss, a sub-division of Crucial Blast. HEDORAH is James P. Keeler and Dan Hall from Wilt, one of the most original bands in these times, but HEDORAH is another story, although I can find a few semblances in mood and texture. While Wilt is almost impossible to define, this is Keeler's and Hall's contribution to the world of heavy sub-frequencies, noise and drone. The opener 'From Beyond', originally released on a split cassette with The Fortieth Day by Orco, demonstrates in an effective manner that both musicians are well versed in their craft of creating an overwhelming heavy soundscape. A carpet of noise is the substructure for massive riffs, while a distorted voice is adding something weird to the perceptible sound waves and the monotonous drums sound as if they have been recorded on a roman galley.
'Planet of Doom' from the 'Dr. Who Vs. The Noise compilation follows the same pattern, although it's more psychotic and less calculable. 'Self-Medicated' is based on an amount of dialogue samples, backed by vocal chanting and ambient sounds. 'Crystal Smoke' is a further prove for the variety of this album. This is a good example for black psychedelia, combined with weird percussion and strange noise. The final track 'Black Walls' is the most intense track here, not only because it's about twenty minutes long. It's the perfect soundtrack for the end of the world or your daily meditation. After a noisy introduction, heavy distorted vocals break through a wall of feedback, before the song becomes unnatural peaceful. But this is only the quiet before the storm. Accompanied by crashing cymbals the entire sound slowly piles up and persists in a mysterious state before a heavy chord trudges through the net of overamplified noise. HEDORAH isn't the right band for conservative headbangers or rock 'n' rollers, but if you're not afraid to look over the horizons than you should check out this dark monster. I feel at home in HEDORAH's inconvenient world, and I hope this won't be their only full-length. The album is packaged in a wonderful 3-panel sleeve and there's also a small insert card included in the package. Released in an edition of 250 copies.
(KK)
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