Genre: Industrial / Harsh Noise
Split release between Psychonaut 75 andAesthetic Meat Front
Psychonaut 75
1. AhrimanAbn AZ
2. Babalon vel Thanatos
3. The Bornless One (Congressus cum Daemone)
4. Demonium of the Earth
5. Scarlet Woman (The Crimson Whore)
6. Lilitu - Dominance and Pain
Aesthetic Meat Front
1. Intro
2. Vortex of Blood (Life)
3. Conflagration Of Pain - Flames Of Evolution (Death)
4. Perfect Organism (Re-Birth)
See that picture above. The one of the cd cover. I’ve never seen that. Nor touched it. Haven’t read the booklet. In fact I don’t even know if this is the same recording of that release that I’m reviewing. I’ve searched the Internet for further split releases by both these groups…didn’t find any…so take it I must hearing the above recording. Can never be 100% sure though. What I got send to review was rather strange. A cheap cdr, the sort that
dodgy blokes in markets sell in bundles of 200 for £3.00 a pop, along with a message written on it. The message said: Full fill your deep desires. Or it looked something like that anyway. Spidery writing can be hard to decipher. I wonder who wrote that? Valefor from Psychonaut 75? Louis Fleischauer from AMF? Patricia Cram of VIAL Magazine? The head man from OEC records? Or was it from our own Malahki? Will I ever know? Do I fucking care? No is the answer to the last one. The knuckle dusters are applied. The Dr Martins laced up. Let’s kick fucking Psychonaut 75 ass.
But before blood is spilt on the floor here’s what the OEC website has to say about this release: ‘Split release by those 2 well known USA sabbatic & demonic projects! Psychonaut 75 deliver a pumping black industrial & high witchcraft & chaos also due to the presence of 3 witches in the group! Aesthetic Meat Front is involved with infamous deprogramming rituals, using the original sounds of meat, blood, fire & bones! Sex-magick & self-deification’…sounds great on paper. Not so live in the living room. The first six tracks were…I’m desperately trying to be nice here…of an acquired taste. Psychonaut 75...what the fuck have you done!! Gone was the EBM of the great ‘Hell machine’ & ‘Stealing the fire from Heaven’ releases to be replaced on here by a minimal Industrial musical style. The music itself wasn’t actually that bad.
Made even more remarkable by the usage of human skull & bone instruments. Very dark, original and atmospheric. But ditch those fucking witches. Jesus H fucking Christ those cat wailing bitches need a fucking good slapping. They ruined the whole thing by being far too much in the face. All the fucking time. A distraction that wasn’t needed nor called for. Just as I got into the music up they would start again. Screaming and wailing like their pubic hair was on fire. Flaming cunts from Hell. Literally. Be gone. Be gone. Never darken my doorstep…or stereo…ever again.
Thank the Gods then that AMF manage to save this release from the brink of disaster. Their four tracks were a joy to listen to after the debacle that Psychonaut 75 served up. AMF are the sort of act your mother warned you about when you were a kid. If you’ve ever seen pictures of their stage act you’ll understand what I mean. Lots of self mutilation and ritual abuse. A circus of horrors used as entertainment. Hang them high on hooks and let the pain begin. Certainly not without its charms but not for everyone. AMF music is an interpretation of this spiritual cleansing. Well I think that’s what they call it. Comprising of power electronics / dark ambience / ritual & tribal elements all rolled into one joyful bundle of fun. The tracks Vortex Of Blood (Life) & Conflagration Of Pain-Flames Of Evolution (Death) were created from a performance in London 2001 as the raw base material and manipulated further in the studio. There is an in depth piece on their website about how these sounds were created, but it’s not for the squeamish, so you’ll have to read it for yourself. Visions of the film Hellraiser came flooding back reading it. The sonic sculptures AMF create are a treat for the ears. A harsh noisy treat maybe but satisfying none the less. The excellent use of samples, superbly bleak electronics, technical aural wizardry and gut wrenching vocals something that you’ll never forget. Nor will you ever want to.
A record of two halves then. Psychonaut 75 failed to live up to expectations and scored an own goal. AMF stole the show with typical flair and invention. Worth buying purely for the AMF tracks alone. The fact you get the hags from William Shakespeare’s Macbeth as a bonus with Psychonaut 75 is something you’ll just have to put up with. Mind you. There is no accounting for personal taste and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of you actually liked shit like that. The mind boggles at the thought.
