Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

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.

Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5

Roger Batty
Latest Reviews

The Sleep Sessions & Thirteen Fin...
Somnaphobia is a two way split between Polish based noise project The Sleep sessions and north Carolina  horror obsessed harsh noise and dread filled gr...
240424   Soma - Me Dais Mucho Asco
240424   Koobaatoo Asparagus - Onna-musha
240424   Magda - And Suddenly, Just L...
230424   Andrea Taeggi - Nattdett
230424   Seedpeople - SeedPeople(Blu Ray)
220424   Shiver - Shiver Meets Matthew...
220424   Elegant Beast - Elegant Beast...
190424   Zachary James Watkins - Affir...
180424   Ulvtharm - 7 Uthras
180424   The Bad Shepherd - The Bad Sh...
Latest Articles

The Music of Clay Ruby & Burial H...
Over the last couple of decades Wisconsin native, Clay Ruby has been creating some of the world’s finest dark electronic music under the Burial Hex mon...
280324   The Music of Clay Ruby & Buri...
290224   Sutcliffe No More - Normal Ev...
100124   Occlusion - The Operation Is...
181223   Best Of 2023 - Music, Sound &...
051223   Powerhouse Films - Of Magic, ...
181023   IO - Of Sound, Of Art, Of Exp...
210923   Lucky Cerruti - Of Not so Fri...
290823   The Residents - The Trouble W...
110723   Yotzeret Sheydim Interview - ...
250523   TenHornedBeast - Into The Dee...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2023. Twenty two years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom