Sickness "I Have Become the Disease That Made Me" CD
[Ground Fault]
This is a series III (loud) release from Ground Fault, which the label categorizes as "extreme, harsh, noise, power electronic". Admittedly I've not heard much of Sickness' material over the years, though I am of course familiar with the name. Based on the work presented herein, I must say that Sickness has come quite a long way from his earlier compositions that I had been exposed to. In my opinion, this is harsh noise taken to a new level on several counts. For one thing, it doesn't just sound like a thick wall of distorted nonsense. In fact, the compositions are what I personally would consider minimal to some degree, but strictly in regards to the fact that the layering within the work isn't so "busy". There is a great level of detail, and every texture, every minute detail has room to breathe. Nothing feels lost in the shuffle. Secondly, these pieces are in a constant state of motion, and in a manner that is unpredictable. While one second your ears might suffer under some piercing feedback, the next you're assaulted with a barrage of stereo panning, then an unexpected rhythmic loop will begin churning forth almost out of nowhere, before things thin out and quiet down for a sort period of time (perhaps introducing the occasional sample). There's also a lot of work going on with the mix and the way things are arranged as far as fast changeups in atmosphere, fucked up left/right speaker manipulation that sort of messes with you in headphones, etc. I really like the tracks that use samples, it's probably just because it's my nature to look for something more in harsh noise, but even if for a brief time (such as in "Confessions of a Parasite" or "Psychopathia"), I think a well handled sample or two can really make a difference or add some sort of direction to a piece. It's stated in the liner notes that "Fracture Line (CD Loop Panic)" is a track that "should be played as a loop. It contains sub bass frequencies designed to affect the body on a physical level. It should be played at a high level. Some systems may be unable to handle the output." Apparently my system is one such system that can't handle the output of the frequencies, but the track is a standout nonetheless. I think that some of what I've already said speaks to the level of quality present here as far as the recording goes. Everything is superbly "clean" as far as the mixing is concerned, and I'm not quite sure I've ever heard such an obvious level of detail on a harsh noise CD before. I've heard clarity, but something about this seems to go above and beyond. Perhaps it's just the way I'm listening to it, I don't know, maybe this CD caught me on a good day... but it sounds fucking great. "Bloodletting" is a remix of an older compilation track called "Bloodhunger" and is not quite as bright and vibrant in the high-end department as the other tracks, it's muffled and suffocatingly thick to a degree, which I would assume that might be intentional since everything else seems fairly thought out? As with all Ground Fault releases the layout is simple and follows the same format of using blank white space with clean text and some black/gray textures and imagery of stone. The inner spread has an image of an x-ray with a small thanks list, and the back of the booklet has the tracklist/information and a description of the three different levels of the Ground Fault series of releases. Nothing overly exciting, but it is in keeping with the frighteningly consistent appearance and design of the label's work. All of those people out there who bitch and moan and accuse me of being biased against harsh noise, or claim that I don't know or appreciate anything about the genre, should pick this disc up and learn a few lessons in how things should be handled. Because this is one release of sheer harsh noise that I can easily classify as thoughtful and intelligent, and you won't hear such a compliment come out of my mouth very often. (8/10)
Running time - 62:43, Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: Kuranke - Tamashii, Confessions of a Parasite, Psychopathia, Fracture Line (CD Loop Panic)]
Sickness - http://www.sickness999.com

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