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

Nar - Vlad [Self Release - 2014]

Vlad is a c30 tape that offers up two fifteen minute slices of dense, dark, yet damn entrancing walled noise from this highly mysterious project. This project started in October 2012, and I’ve enjoyed pretty much everything they’ve put out thus far( I’ve heard five of their 13 releases)- and I’m happy to report this fairly recent tape is up to the quality of the projects past work.

The Blood red see-through cassette comes in a monochrome sleeve which takes in stark splinted tree like landscape on the front cover. And on the inside sleeve we get another grim black ‘n’ white picture of the small figure of human standing in front of a walled structure which has weird angled splintered spikes coming out of it, with the words ‘I hate Every One, I love Myself’ writen underneath the image. The tape comes in a edition of just 12 copies.

Both tracks here are Untitled, and the first sides track is built around a fairly rapid yet muddy 'n' sludgy sounding mix of the following elements: A slightly slower low-end moody ‘n’ bleak semi liquid churn. A more rapid ‘n’ constantly battering judder. And a selection of jittering ‘n’ bubbling yet muffled static subtones. The  ‘wall’ brought to mind images of been buried in a constant stream of lumpy ‘n’ slowly suffocating concrete, while at the same time been lowered into the darkest, deepest, and lifeless water filled abyss( I know this description rather defiles logic & gravity etc, but that’s the best way I can describe this track). The ‘wall’ remains firm, unrelenting, and extremely bleak yet highly compelling through-out.

Flipping over to side two & this second sides track is built around a thick, bleak, and truly impenetrable sonic weave of the following elements: A rapid ‘n’ focused bass bound deep rolling tone. A fixed slightly higher ranged monochrome jitter, And possible some thinner & worming static sub-tones.  This track feels a bit more stark yet crudely polished compared to the first side track, but once again it’s damn brutal & body pining in it’s attack.  This track brought to mind something( or someone) been feed through a vast twin roller, as a constant yet controlled current of pure electricity archs 'n' dances above it( again, I know how/ when could this type happen.., but thats the image I get). Once again the tracks an extremely effective mix of textures that are both face battering in it’s intensity, yet at the same time very entrancing too,with the tracks runtime just seeming to slip by way too fast.

As a HWN project Nar seems to have the ability to create some of  the most intense & bleak walled noise ever, yet at the same time he mangers to imbed each ‘wall’ with this extremely addictive & total entrancing feel. Vlad is yet another excellent release from the project- through it’s a pity really it has such a small edition, as more people need to be bleakly brutalized & yet total absorbed by this projects take on the HNW form.

Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

Roger Batty
Latest Reviews

Nar - Vlad
Vlad is a c30 tape that offers up two fifteen minute slices of dense, dark, yet damn entrancing walled noise from this highly mysterious project. This p...
160424   Rien - The New Source Recording
160424   Worship - Thoughts
150424   Lion-Girl - Lion-Girl(Blu Ray)
150424   Waidelotte - Celestial Shrine
150424   Iron Monkey - Spleen & Goad
120424   Spider Labyrinth - Spider Lab...
120424   Colosseum - Elegy- The Record...
120424   DJ Marcelle / Another Nice Me...
110424   Mad Dog Killer - Mad Dog Kil...
110424   By a Man's Face Shall You Kno...
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