We don’t know who he is, and it’s highly probable that no one, except a few insiders, knows. It is MASKHEAD and he (or she) celebrates its 10th birthday by releasing this. A combination of a standard CD, a 3″ CD and if you want, a special limited edition T-Shirt. All information is provided through the label Aussaat, for which the link is included at the bottom of the review. Happy birthday!
The CD has four tracks totalling 35 minutes, and the added 3″ adds 20 minutes to the total playing time. My only question here is why not put it all on the same 5″ CD? The space is there, and after listening a few times – because I played this one a lot – I couldn’t think of any reason why these tracks couldn’t have been on one album. Probably a conceptual choice by label and/or artist. Not all players accept 3″s, and I’m just grateful mine does. The artwork is bright yellow and black, six pages, and the shirt is in the same colour. It’s all very well executed, minus that one thought that keeps on haunting me.
The 5″ opens with “Flesh Fluidity”, which is a celebration of noise with a drony character due to a few added layers. It comes pretty close to an HNW, but it has a bit too much variation for that. I like it, though. “Hogtied” is, with its 7:18, the shortest track on here. Erratic contact mics and metal sounds over some super-saturated basses leave you with a feeling of oppression. The small part where the amplification is left to a minimum reveals what sounds this track is composed of and lends it even more power. “The Cellar” was recorded in the boiler room of an abandoned house and is based around some “metal junk spanking” (promo sheet). It’s the least noisy track on the album, yet the atmosphere remains intense. The closing “Lustpain” leaves you grasping for air. Harsh Noise, in combination with strong analogue sounds, sometimes hits HNW structures; yet, here too, enough is happening to avoid falling into that category.
The accompanying 3″ has one track, 20 minutes long, titled “Somno Petite”. This could very well be a one-take live recording, but it does have some excellent preparation. There is constant movement, no dull moments, pleasant moments of feedback, as well as massive bass. And I think I heard vocals (ok, a human voice) as a sound source, but they were manipulated beyond recognition. All and all, a very nice release if you like it rough.
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