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 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

Avmakt - Svart [AnarchoFreaksProduction - 2011]

"Svart” is the third release from one of Andreas Brandal (Flesh coffin, Hour Of the Wolf, Drevne Bolesti, and Museums of Sleep) more recent projects. And the four tracks on offer here mix together battering and rapidly storm shifting bound HNW, buried atmospheric touches, and cinematic Harsh noise/ junk metal sears.

First off it’s worth mentioning the great & grim black 'n' white cover which warps around the DVD case- it’s a stark and blurred picture of a series of  telegraph poles- this nicely fits the stark, battering and brutally hazed feel of the tracks with-in. As with all AnarchoFreaksProduction release the pictures taken by Gregory Henrion( AFP head man & the man behind French HNW project Å).

I’ll have to say on the whole “Svart” is some what of a mixed bag, as some of the tracks  really don’t work for me & often there seems little thematic or sonic connection between one track and the next; though the four tracks are called: “Ein”, “To”, “Tre”, “Fire”- which does suggest there is meant to be some sort of theme/ sonic story line running through the album.  It all starts out with “Ein” which  comes in at the 10.39 mark, and this track really just seems to consist of one bank of roar, ripping and battering noise shifting to another bank of roar, ripping and battering noise matter with very brief dips in thinned out and slightly slowed down atmospheric HNW texturing. I guess it’s meant to portray a stormy and brutal  night with chillingly/ mysterious undertones, but to me it just feels a bit too random and unfocused, sure there some neat elements like this drifting 'n' beeping eerier morse code tone- but like much of this track it just doesn’t stay in one place long enough to make any real atmospheric impact.

Track number two is entitled “To” and is the longest here at 13.34 mark. The track starts off with 30 seconds of wavering native American Indian like pipe work before smashing into this great brooding and sludge brutal mesh of eerier yet clanging junk metal, raging yet haunting noise billows, and this  great buried 'n' looped native American Indian looped pipe work. Over the top of all of this Brandal throws slowly churning 'n' juddering masses of walled noise, and the whole track gives one the feeling off been in some very manic and messed-up dream about a native American tribal ritual taking place in the middle of a tree ripping storm- very brutal, very strange but highly effective.

Track three is entitled “Tre” and it's the shortest of the bunch at the 6.27 mark, and it’s a  fairly uninspired mixture of juddering, wind grating, buffeting and battering noise matter with the slight junk noise undertones. Brandal wips it all up into a shifting, rageing and rapid storm of sound, but sadly like the first track it just does’nt grab me & seemingly just moves from one mix of noise tones to the next in a rather unappealing manner.

Lastly we have the track “Fire” which comes in at the 7.18 mark, and this track is built around a thin layer of stark and sparse electro texturing. It sort of sounds like someone rapidly attacking and prodding a piece of machinery with an arching & solder spitting soldering iron. It’s ok for the first 3 or so minutes with it’s lo-fi stark and electro vibe, but after that it just gets a little tiresome & pointless, and it also feels like there should have been another or element added into the track to make it a bit more interesting.

So all told a very bag of seemingly unconnected tracks, with the only real total success been track number three. So if you liked/ enjoyed this project brutal/ atmospheric noise attack in the past, you may find some enjoyment here, but other wise  this is best avoided- certainly not one of  Brandal’s best days in the sonic office, but I guess when your putting out so much material there are bound to be ups ‘n’ downs along the way.

Rating: 2 out of 5Rating: 2 out of 5Rating: 2 out of 5Rating: 2 out of 5Rating: 2 out of 5

Roger Batty
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