The third release in the stash of 999 Cuts is a lovely little 3″ CDR, which this Vital has already seen 7 of earlier. This one, however, isn’t part of the Taalem advent calendar; it’s a fresh new project out of France heavily influenced by 90’s death industrial, death ambient and experimental minimal noise. Softenon Babe is the project of Emma, who – in her own words ‘tells stories, grim and desperate ones, mostly about disability and how Society treats it. And I bury them deep in gritty soundscapes adorned with some synth lines.’ So why should I change anything in her words?
This 3″ had three tracks based on the theme of death by food, and no, this does not always mean food poisoning. Emma studied several themes, and most of us, a bit older, remember Mad Cow Disease very well from the mid-90s. Initially a disease, sheep could jump the barrier to cows simply because another way of cooking leftover meat was cheaper. And it was turned into food for cows, and they got ill. Spongification of the brain to certain prions, and those can remain hurtful probably through the Big Bang. And if you ate red meat, there was a chance you could get ill. And die, Creutzfeldt Jakob, until then only seen in the Fore tribe in Papua New Guinea due to their ritual cannibalism. So it’s happy times here with cheerful death ambient!
Without kidding, these three tracks form the first solo release by Softenon Babe after an earlier split cassette with Survivalist. This one is mastered by Thomas Garrison and will appeal to fans of Murderous Vision, old Megaptera and the heavy beats in “Ignis Sacer” will even make BDN fans happy. These tracks, however, are more nihilistic and minimal than the older stuff that – imho – was more in-your-face obnoxious. So it’s a fresh take on a genre you thought couldn’t change any more. Surprise, it can.
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