Atrax Morgue - I Vizi Morbosi Di Una Giovane Infermiera

Doesn't require much imagination to judge from the title that there's a 70' exploitation theme going on around here, does it? Heavy on samples from the film with the same name by gay socialist director from Spain Eloy De La Iglesia (haven't seen it), this wee little cdr by Marco Corbelli features minimal synth with hypnotic effects, devoid of any feelings with very few forays into more noisier territory, very reminiscent of early Maurizio Bianchi. 2001 cdr on Corbelli's own Slaughter Productions.

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Lotus Eaters - Wurmwulv

The second and last full-length (fourth release overall) of Lotus finds continuing their electro-acoustic drone improv experiments with a slightly noisier touch I'd say and a darker, more desolate feeling that is also similar to the Aethenor project O'Malley had started during that period. 2007 cd on Troubleman Unlimited.

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PS. There's another Lotus Eater release entitled Alienist On A Pale Horse. Opium Hum blog has uploaded it, so you can't find it there.

Lotus Eaters - Mind Control For Infants

First full-length for Lotus Eaters, and one of the very first drone/experimental albums I've ever heard. First two tracks focus on beautiful electro-acoustic guitar-based ambient sounds, while the following four tracks go further into more abstract/ musique concrete territory with found sounds, e-bows and some threatening bass sounds. The final track's drone static is just a liberating, glorious piece and I think that there's an underlying narrative approach through phases of sleeping here, or at least that's how I always perceived this album. A true masterpiece-if anyone could share the purported expanded lp version on Taiga Records I'd be more than grateful. 2002 cd on Neurot Recordings.

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Lotus Eaters - Lotus Eaters 7"

Lotus Eaters is a sadly now defunct project consisting of three of my high-school musical heroes, James Plotkin, Aaron Turner, and Stephen O' Malley. However, much to the consternation of most people who expected a mind-blowing sludge/doom monster, in this project they played immensely beautiful and dreamy drone/electro-acoustic improv music. There is excellent musicianship and production here, featuring both acoustic instruments like guitar and accordion and made sounds akin to a quiet form of musique concrete, and the whole thing revolves around a gorgeous acoustic guitar melody. More than highly recommended. 2002 7" on Drone Records.

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Unkerd Wood - Demo II tape

 

Second release for this creepy doom/black metal North-East England project, playing subterranean crawling invocations with slow funeral-like drums and guitar/bass creating a thick foggy noise that cannot be escaped from. It's great that these guys can invoke such enveloping darkness just by playing live with three instruments and making good use of reverb, without any keyboards or studio tricks. Track three has this extremely spooky and depressive e-bow melody morphing into black metal arpeggio combined with heavy gruff caveman vocals-definitely a must hear. 2012 tape on Legion Blotan.

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Unkerd Wood / Pact Of Ash / Gammal Sed ‎– Northern Retaliation split tape

3-way split tape by three projects with overlapping memberships: Lee Stokoe's Pact Of Ash begins the program with a 9-minute instrumental slow barrage of black metal riffing and dead-slow drums that somewhat reminds me of that awesome Murmuüre album in 2010. Unkerd Wood consists of Mike Simpson (Xazzaz, Oppenheimer, Dark Bargain, and Satanhartalt - all of which have been covered here) on bass & vocals, Jamie Stewart (Wrest, Fuckin' Amateurs Records, Oppenheimer, Dark Bargain, and Satanhartalt) on drums, and George Proctor (Legion Blotan/Turgid Animal Records, Mutant Ape, Inseminoid, ex-Skullflower) on guitar & vocals. I already liked their ultra-lo-fi, dungeon-sounding, black-hole black/doom metal, but this track is just UNBELIEVABLE,. It's a 16-minute epic of slowly grinding drums and bass, wailing and dissonant guitars, and some of the most seriously scary vocals I've heard invoking terrible swampy creatures and seems to me like a more structured version of the ritual darkness of Satanhartalt. At the 9-minute mark, everything stops and an ominous ritual dark ambient drone takes over, only to give its place after 2 minutes to one of the best riffs black metal has ever experienced, a reverbed cacophonous arpeggiated anthemic thing sustained by crushing drums and noise and a blurry psychedelic doom/blues vibe behind it that simply crushes everything. I think that this tape must be bought/listened to even just for this track. Finally, there's Gammal Sed, a solo (I think) project of George Proctor, where he plays catatonic, depressive but loud and noisy black metal revolving around a great arpeggiated riff eventually morphing into a noisy industrial/ambient chaos. All three of these groups are great, and they have released other stuff on Legion Blotan and Matching Head that deserve listening/buying. 2017 tape on Legion Blotan.

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Pact Of Ash - Demo tape (2012, Legion Blotan)

Yet another solo project of the ever-active Lee Stokoe of Culver/Matching Head, this time playing instrumentral, guitar-only black metal noise. This is a both sinister and mournful mix of cacophonous, oft-kilter fierce tremolo riffing with layers of fuzzy noise/drone in the background, not too dissimilar of early Burzum, but without the metally attitude. Late 2000s Skullflower is an obvious reference, as Lee played in that incarnation of SF, along with George Proctor who has released this tape. Highly recommended, as is the case with most of Stokoe's oeuvre. 2012 tape on Legion Blotan.

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