Caustic Barricade - Rites of Passion & A Promise of Wild Ecstasy [Absence Tapes - 2010]“Rites of Passion & A Promise of Wild Ecstasy” is a C20 tapes worth of often shifting, brutal and rewarding walled noise from one of the mysterious HNW projects connected to the Californian based Absence Tapes label. Like most HNW projects Caustic Barricade have an obbssesion/ theme to their work, and theirs is female glamour models from pre-war & mid 20th century period. The tapes black and white sleeve features two pictures of two separate models which are over laid with semi transparent & quite modern looking type faced text which gives the feeling feel of being both retro and edgy. On offer sonically here is a untitled ten minute track per side of tape. The first sides ‘wall’ start with a mixture of alternating ‘wall’ patters- first we a raging ‘n’ ripping storm like percussive noise attack which sounds like a twenty marching drums been pummelling in a vigorous manner. Then the second ‘wall’ pattern is a rushing/ tidal wave crashing texture- these two elements nicely switch between each other for the first half or so of the track. In the second half of the track it starts with a taunt, batter ing ‘n’ raging meets electro purring tone, but with in a couple of minutes this joined and often over run by this baying ‘n’ searing oceanic storm battering tone. And the track ends with this great dense and circling texture that’s a mixture of ocean wave ‘n’ old vinyl crackle. Over on side two and this side starts out with a great hissing and roaring tone, that’s over run by this revolving vinyl crackly like texture. Pretty soon the track starts to alternate between this juddering almost harmonic ‘n’ muffled & mid paced industrial noise like churn, and this hissing, billowing and searing oceanic texture. These two elements nicely alternate and often over lap each other in a great way; giving this side a more layered and less shifting feel to it. So this c20 offers up two ten minute tracks of extreme yet shifting and altering HNW matter, which nicely keeps one attention and offers up some quite original and distinctive textured tones and noise grain patterns along the way. Roger Batty
|