Genre: Experimental / Noise

01 Qliphothic Hollow
02 Day Before the Fire
03 Metsänpeittoon
04 Cheerleaders Untied
05 Fireflies I
06 Never Let Go (Rock & Roll)
07 Fireflies II

Today I gave up smoking. To be precise I actually only gave up 5 minutes ago prior to switching on my computer to write this review. Still…I’ve given up that evil weed. That’s what matters. Usually as I write a review I have a packet of twenty cancer sticks by my side along with a strong cup or two of coffee. The reviewers tools for successful thought processes. Puff write. Drag write. Sup, sup slurp. Spark up another coffin maker and repeat until finished. Devoid of these aids I am now slightly worried how this review will pan out. Fuck it. I won’t know until I start.

Reptiljan is the work of one Niko Skorpio. Niko of course has had a highly diverse career, he’s featured in many different bands, and not only is he a highly talented musician but he’s the founder of the Finish Some Place Else record label. ‘Archaeodermophagia’ is a follow up to the head scratching opus ‘The Hellbender Suite’ which was released in 2005. Now there was a record that left me totally flummoxed. I know because I wrote a review for it. You could say that there was a certain masochistic bent to my asking to review this follow up. Surely Niko had calmed down a bit since that last effort I thought to myself. You can probably guess the rest so I’ll not even answer my own query. Fuck me but I’m gagging for a smoke already.

This very limited, only 104 copies, CDR comes in a surprising piece of packaging. The cover is a handmade sleeve, looks like crap wallpaper as found in your grannies flat, which appears to be smeared with blood. Whose I don’t know, nor want to know, nor even want to guess what sort of blood we’re dealing with here. The insert is another piece of the same paper with assorted splodges. Each one individually different folks so my pattern is nothing like the pattern you’ll receive if you decide to purchase this piece of art. Reviews are all about the little details.

Seven tracks then. Spanning roughly 43 minutes. And having listened to this many times prior with my lovely tabs of joy, and now once more without my nicotine friends, I find myself once more dazed and confused…only this time because of the ferociousness of the music. For this recording Niko utilises bass guitar, or guitars, contact microphones, FM radio and delay and distortion pedals to create the music which assaults the ears. Assaults is such a good word. At its heart ‘Archaeodermophagia’ is a ‘noise’ release with experimental trappings. In certain places I am reminded of dear old loopy Lou Reed and his ‘Metal Machine Music’ release, which as we all know was a misunderstood classic way ahead of its time, and anything that can conjure up those happy memories sits well with me. Niko here plays on the senses by introducing diverse elements into the ‘noise’ passages that adds to the sense of the artist as pied piper leading the listener on an ever bewildering merry dance. Thus the use of samples culled from the radio which suddenly appear ad hock in the mix during a relentless barrage of distortion. Couple this with all the stop / go pieces that are seemingly at odds with the overall scheme of things but which, when you become accustomed to them, actually enhance the air of general cacophony that abounds. Other artists of similar ilk would just go for the easier option of skull fucking you over their allotted time span with a non stop repetitive barrage and leave it simply at that. Niko at least tries to be less clinical by deliberately forcing you to absorb the many variances he introduces throughout. These odd injections add to the atmospheres created making ‘Archaeodermophagia’ a release that will leave you stunned by its inventiveness. Something which we should all applaud in the long run. Or to put it another way. ‘Archaeodermophagia’ is the musical equivalent of German Expressionism film…only made in Finland. My withdrawal symptoms are now kicking in and I don’t think I’ll be able to withstand this much longer.