The Sleep Sessions & Thirteen Fingers - Somnaphobia [Somolent Shelter Records - 2008]Somnaphobia is a two way split between Polish based noise project The Sleep sessions and north Carolina horror obsessed harsh noise and dread filled grey drone project Thirteen Fingers with each party offering up six tracks each. Things starts off nicely droning and sleazy dread soaked with the Thirteen Fingers track Awake (Part I) which utilizes eerier feedback hums and heart beat pumping texture. Before opening up in the next Thirteen Fingers track Cruel Morpheus which is one bombardment after another of crunching static matter, roaring textures and shorting elements- it’s effective but nothing special. Then we’re into two Sleep Sessions tracks; over and over again and continuously – the first track user a great manic rhythmic crunching noise texture that feels like it’s banging you into the ground before opening into more manic searing collection of shorting rhythmic noise textures. The second track starts off with a ripping wall of one tone noise before whipping up into a semi harmonic noise storm which tears stretches and screeches back and forth with some nice amped up and boil synth like throbs- it’s a great track that stretchers and melts all over the place. Next we have another two Thirteen Fingers ; Dreams like Broken Glass and Recurrence (the Horror). The first track is a nice deep subterranean amped up noise rumble which seems to grow and grow, at times tearing/ growling up in places giving in a nice tensed manner. The second track starts off with a sinister purring tone which is sadly ripped away too fast, before going in a collection of rumbling, electro snorting and tumbling tones- it’s ok but doesn’t really jump out at you, it’s just a pity he couldn’t develop the more sinister and dread soaked elements. Next are another two Sleep Sessions tracks; It keeps Coming back & Reappearing. The first track opens with a nice single feed back pitch with chopped up dialogue elements before opening into slamming, semi harmonic, semi rhythmic slapping of noise tones that nicely thins down into a sharp point of perching noise towards the tracks end. The second track starts with searing electro peddle tone before opening up in bombing and accelerating airplane tone that zooms back and forth, boiling and making one winches as it goes. The next two tracks are another two Thirteen Fingers track Awake (Part II) and Behind Dead eyes. The first track is very effective sinister and sleazy throbbing tone with growing static underbelly- it brings to mind slow monition footage of human bodies hung under side down been slowly disemboweled. The second track is more about boiling and rumbling up noise tones, but as the track progresses it moves and shifts into more interesting and grimly sleazy tones though still keeping damn violet and unforgiving. Lastly we have two more Sleep sessions tracks; Never Stop and always near, the first track users a selection of speeding up and mingling ear perching high tones that really drill into your head, though at the same time are quite claming and trippy. And the last track goes straight for the throat opening with a raw 'sandpaper your ears' static boiling tone that works in great contrast to the last tracks perching tones. Towards the end it opens up into this great seesawing harmonic/ yet slightly eerier noise pitch which end's the split off nicely. So as a whole this split is enjoyable with all the Sleep sessions tracks been great and varied, though the Thirteen Fingers tracks are competent enough noise constructions some rather lack dynamics and tension, though the two more sleazy and atmospheric tracks are spot on and his noise tracks succeed more when he’s tries to add in that undercurrent more. Roger Batty
|