Author and Punisher - Drone Machines

   Full Length, Heart & Crossbone Records

   2010

Geniuses are not born everyday. They are born under (un)divine arrangements and carry a planned mission of changing the mundane visions of this world. This man, Tristan Shone is one person who falls nothing short from being an astute genius. Now you may ask that what is so uncanny about him. Well, he definitely does look like a human being with two hands, two legs, two eyes but not just one brain! You would seriously think that after hearing his profoundly surreal project, suitably titled as – Author and Punisher. The sounds emanating from this seemingly abstract entity are alienistic (sic) and unbelievably heavy!

Stylistically, Author and Punisher’s ‘‘Drone Machines’‘ is an experimental industrial/doom/dub/drone/sludge album but these sounds aren’t created using any real bass, guitars or drums! Yes, there are no traditional instruments employed here AT ALL! Mr. Shone has given birth to a few avant-garde ‘‘machines’‘ to create the sounds of unfathomable misery and disgust. He sweetly calls his babies as ‘‘Drone Machines’‘ which is an apt title in my eyes. Now one would imagine that from where the hell on earth can someone think of such a bizarre concept! I was driven nuts, until I found out that Tristan is an esteemed ‘mechanical engineer’ who also happens to have an undying love for low end doom metal and industrial music. Apparently, these two parallels were nastily amalgamated by him to conceive an abhorrent progeny, which was absolutely transcendental in the literal sense.

The sounds here are generated by his creations such as the ‘‘Headgear’‘, which was created to provide an output to his lifelong habit of creating beat-boxing melodies and rhythms. Tristan has created an eight microphone device which allows him to trigger eight simultaneous sounds as well as output eight different channels of his voice into the computer/mixer. Now even before you proceed to shut your already awe struck mouth , read about his next invention – ‘‘The Linear Actuator’‘. It’s actually an open source drum trigger which is been used by him to generate the drum sound. Its controlled by a handle which is hit on two ends of this machine to generate the beats. An absolutely mighty invention!

His arsenal also boasts of more such eerie instruments like ‘‘Throttles’‘ – A dual pitch controller, ‘‘Bellows’‘ – A beat-box sampler/controller, ‘‘Rails’‘ – A manual rhythm controller, intended to be the sequencer or metronome of the performances, ‘‘Big Knobs’‘ and the ‘‘Rack and Pinion’‘. Read his official website to get a profound insight about these machines and their technicalities.

Phew! Sounds like a set up for a Sci-Fi flick isn’t it? This is the primal reason why I referred this project as alien-istic in my above paragraphs. But more significantly, it’s highly noteworthy of Mr. Shone to execute these phantasmagoric instrumentsof doom to cultivate a horrendous collection of deranged sounds which were only known to be created by traditional instruments earlier. He has taken suitable influences from the bombastic sounds of Swans and Godflesh and has juxtaposed them with a menacingly heavy droning tonality to unleash an absolutely nightmarish sound. His vocal variation boasts of hardcore shouts, to maniacal howls to subtle low end growls which work wonders in enhancing the vile atmosphere of ‘‘Drone Machines’‘.
The production on the album is exactly how it should be. Heavy and muddy as fuck!

These sonic torments are plainly disgusting and sick! I just can’t think of any other words for describing my listening experience at all. Such is the magnitude of its disgust that he music totally sucks in all energy and hope from within. All that is left is a psychic craving to get butchered repeatedly by the ghoulish charm of this album. Ultimately, I would simply quote that Tristan has achieved a mark for himself which only a few could imagine in their wretched lives. This gifted person has done something which can never be appealing in front of a puritanic audience albeit, there are a few souls who are going to be touched with his work of sonic and mechanical brilliance. If you fall amongst the latter, then please do yourself a favor by hearing his music right away!

This is a rare example of metallic machines creating metal music (not always metchul though) so you need to open up your rusted brains at least once and drown within the splendorous sounds-capes of Drone Machines.

8/10

   Official Site - http://www.tristanshone.com/

Mitochondrion - Parasignosis

Full Length, Profound Lore Records

2011 

A band name as unusual and seemingly bizarre as ‘Mitochondrion’ might seem a bit odd to a few, especially to those who aren’t aware of these bestial Canadians. But let me tell you that this album is definitely one of the most disgusting releases you can ever hear. Its SO disgustingly heavy and chaotic, that it can easily demolish an entire scene with its gargantuan demeanor.

It is a well known fact that Canada has always been a major contributor to the underground extreme metal scene and has constantly churned out a lot of fantastic and unique-sounding bands. If Blasphemy taught the world how to play militaristic and uncompromising ‘‘war’‘ metal, then Cryptopsy wrote a new chapter in the codex gigas of death metal, stating new norms of playing intricate and complex brutal death metal.

When it comes to Mitochondrion, it is not just another ‘‘addition’‘ to the the abyssic pits of Canada’s extreme metal dungeon, but it is an addition to the art of extreme metal itself. I wouldn’t have made this bold statement until and unless I seriously acknowledged this fact after a thorough analysis, composing of many attentive listens. This young band, which started back in 2003 started to make an impression in the Canadian underground, with the release of their demo ‘‘Through Cosmic Gaze’‘ in 2006. The highly technical and brooding dark undertones on that demo turned a lot of heads and this encouraged the band to write their first full-length – the mighty ‘‘Archaeaeon’‘.

This release saw the light of day in August, 2008 and left my jaw split wide open with disbelief. That was the first time when I got acquainted with the band’s music and it simply rendered me speechless. Such was the dexterity and musical brilliance on that album, that I had started hailing these young turks as the next big thing in the underground, with a good reason of course.

‘‘Archaeaeon’‘ had unleashed a platter of destructive riff orgies, coupled with an insanely low guttural vocal assault, intertwined with an equally insane and nefarious high-pitched shriek and stupendous drumming. It was an amazingly weird album, consisting of complex and unexpected time signatures, subtle atmospheric melodies and an intensely heavy and raw production. It was an independent release which was limited to 666 copies, reflecting a somewhat clichéd attempt at being kvlt but heck, the album got sold out in a limited time after its release.

After making quite a staunch impression with their kvlt strategies and gruesome sonic assaults with the first two releases, these occult worshipers are back with their latest magnum opus, cryptically entitled as ‘‘Parasignosis’‘. Clocking at almost one hour, this album has certainly taken Mitochondrion’s trademark sound to a newer realm altogether and ensured more worries for my ears and jaw. There are certain times where I am bound to say Fuck you Mitochondrion, I have to salvage my hearing ability! but then, I so love to get destroyed. Its dilemmasizing, but for the sweet bastard I am, I let Mitochondrion annihilate myself.

‘‘Parasignosis’‘ is an enigmatic voyage to the unknown realms of this world. It’s an esoteric collection of pestilential hymns which only assures of an impending apocalypse. What leaves me so astonished is the way in which just an usual concoction of two guitars, vocals and drums have been able to construct such a heaving mass of audio terror. It almost gives me a feeling which a band like Portal possesses, but this is just much more brutal and superior.

The instrumentation has been given a stellar importance on ‘‘Parasignosis’‘. Cacophonous and eerie riffage has been heavily emphasized and the subtle melodies of “Archaeaeon” are totally gone. Sharp and turbulent low-end tremolos, pinch harmonics, incessantly heavy palm muted riffs and militaristic percussion are the instrumental arsenal on the album. These sterile elements have been fused so grotesquely that it churns an unfathomably evil and bombastic sound.

The songs are usually over five minutes long, for the exception of the intros (Part I and II) and the interlude, and they consist of a plethora of riff orgies which are carved in a highly unorthodox manner. Such is the musical execution that it just doesn’t allow the listener to get a slightest idea of the upcoming signatures. These oddities have been beautifully put together to manifest a disharmonic and highly discordant maelstrom of abstract death metal. Tracks like ‘‘Tetravirulence (Pestilentiam Intus Vocamus, Voluntatem Absolvimus Part III)’‘, ‘‘Trials’‘, ‘‘Parasignosis’‘ and ‘‘Banishment’‘ are stellar examples of these innovative and shockingly unorthodox structures.

Mitochondrion have successfully been able to carve a niche in the underground death metal scenario with their brand of elite and experimental dark death metal, especially with “Parasignosis” and I can’t recommend this enough to the appreciators of bands like Portal and Impetuous Ritual. This release is a perfect example of how experimentation and technicality should be employed. The ardent followers of the abominable trend of fretboard wankery-induced ‘‘technical’‘ death should better be exposed to the ritual executions of “Parasignosis”. This is how it is done lads! Learn the art of splendorous death metal craftsmanship from the mighty Mitochondrion or else leave the hall NOW!

Now, since you have stopped reading this essay, then make a move and get this fucking release!


9.5/10
Official Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/mitochondrion137

Gnaw Their Tongues - An Epiphanic Vomiting of Blood (2007)

Full-length, Burning World Records
December 15th, 2007

There was a time in my life when I was on the hunt for the most extreme music possible. Music that would make you want to rip your face apart with your bare hands. The music that would completely fuck you up mentally. More often than not, I found solace in many of Mories' various projects. Mories is an artist who produces the most fucked up, abrasive, terrifying music that I have had the pleasure of listening to, the best bands being 'Gnaw Their Tongues', 'Aderlating' and 'De Magia Veterum'. I stopped listening to this stuff some time back so as not to burn myself out, but decided to give this album a listen a day back. And I have to say, what I heard literally grabbed me by the balls and flung me across the room.

I heard the first track and was very impressed, but being the idiot that I am, I decided to perform the acid test, i.e listen to it while taking a walk at 3 in the morning on a pitch black, winter night. And the experience was simply tremendous. I will not describe the music much, because it is virtually impossible for me to do so. The moment I pressed Play, I was sucked into a vortex of an inhuman howling noise, distorted seismic drone, chilling keyboard noise and an almost random drum pattern. Various samples are used and these add to the coldness of the music. Most of the samples are from horror movies about serial killers calmly describing the death of a few innocent people. This when merged with the music makes radiates a disturbing, ghastly feeling that can not be expressed.

On to the whole listening experience. I have to say, this was perhaps the most intense and difficult listening experiences I have ever had. The moment I pressed Play, I was possessed by some force. Something terrifying and foul. It felt like something nameless and shapeless just rose from the darkness and was just waiting to envelope me. On to the second track, 'Teeth That Leer Like Open Graves' and possibly my favorite one, I felt like time had stopped still. I was being unknowingly dragged into a void where I couldn’t rise up from. The 'fear' gripped me and I just ran. What I ran from I do not know, but there was something menacing about the night. I could imagine the shadows shifting and a strong force appearing. A force filled with the stench of negativeness and death. You almost feel suffocated by it. It was at this moment that I turned back because I was too terrified to go any further. By the time I got home, I had not heard the last track yet, but I simply could not bring myself to listen to it. Drained of all energy, I just went back and switched the music off; and my mind suddenly went numb and blank. As if nothing had ever happened.

All I can say is, this music is not for everybody. In fact, I dont think it is for most people. This band blows away every other band who claim to be the 'sickest' and 'most vile'. Don't listen to it if you are hoping to listen to some instrumental 'proficiency'. This is more than that. This is far more terrifying than any horror movie. This is pure audio terror. Disturbing and devastating.