Bastard Noise "Skull Report" 7"
[No Fucking Labels]
Here the Wiese/Wood lineup of Bastard Noise throws out two tracks that were recorded on May 17, 2002. "Unleash the Cataclysm" starts out with a flurry of distortion that sounds not unlike a drum roll before introducing some nice ambient hums with frequent bursts of various distorted attacks from straight harsh noise to jutting feedback and high biting treble. There are also some weird sounds at the beginning like animals in a zoo or something, and at the end it sounds like there's an air horn going off. Of course I like the calmer moments better, but they cover a lot of ground and tend to keep things moving. "Punishment Legion" starts with some of the slow, guttural vocal shouts for which Bastard Noise is known as twisted disharmonic textures fade into the background - exploding into chaotic harsh noise at the close of the vocals. There are actually a few variations on the vocal approach. You've got the totally burly low shouts, the even lower shouts, and then some fucking nutty high-pitched screams like I've never heard. As things twist and turn they hit on some tones that almost sound like musical notes, albeit under massive distortion. The recording seems fine by me, about the norm for Bastard Noise. It's not at all polished, but not muddy or weak either. The quality level of vinyl no doubt helps the tracks retain some clarity. The sleeve is a simple xerox in classic Man is the Bastard fashion: The skulls, the bold text, and that's that. The lyrics are on the back with the tracklist and such, dealing with political issues, which has always been one of the reason I've appreciated Bastard Noise over some of the non-thinking harsh noise that's out there. "Partisan or otherwise, your closed door negotiations are oral copulation to wealth, Lazy, greedy congressional circle-jerk, our money spent, our spirits raped..." This is a solid release. I feel like it needs something more, but it's not a disappointment. The vocals did it for me. Without those vocals I think the record might have been a little bit boring, but alas, they did the trick. (6/10)
Running time - 10:00 (approximately), Tracks: 2
[Notable tracks: Punishment Legion]
No Fucking Labels - http://www.globaldarkness.com/csmd/

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