Merzbow - Tombo [Fellacoustic Records - 2009]After using a fair bit of percussive matter and bombastic live improv drum battering on a few of his recent albums, Tombo finds Merzbow returning to a dense, psychedelic and swirling noise attack that’s total striped of all percussive matter. Tombo is made up of 3 lengthy and dense noise attacks that total just on the hour mark of material. With the tracks taking in analogue roars and melts, guitar and Merz-gitar cluttering and rapid scuttling, electro junk over-boils and pitch shifting chaos. All the tracks have quite an primal almost nature based elemental feeling to them with Merzbow building up amassed water like rushers and nail like raining tones, to roaring flame tone singer, and ripping wind tears and violent buffets. With each track here been very active and shifting, yet memorable in it’s make up and each been it’s own clattering, psychedelic and boiling sound nirvana. The release also sees the return of Merzbow’s own artwork instead of that of his wife Jenny who has designed many of Merzbow's cover artwork over the years. The albums artwork is made up of two full colour photo collage piece that spread across both side of the releases digit-pak and rather fitting in with the albums varied and psychedelic noise sound take in all manner of earths landscapes, insects and reptiles. If you enjoy Merzbow in his long form texturally varied, psychedelic, shifting and sonic Rollercoaster form you’ll heartily enjoy all of that Tombo has to offer you. Roger Batty
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