Gruntsplatter "Chronicling the Famine" CD
[Desolation House]
It seems like it's been an eternity since the last Gruntsplatter full-length was released, so I was very much looking forward to hearing this. Needless to say, it was worth the wait. As usual Gruntsplatter has achieved a masterful balance of dark ambient and death industrial soundscapes, at times leaning more in one direction than the other, but always maintaining a consistent approach that flows perfectly and never ignores the cohesion of the whole. In fact, this CD really plays almost like one long song, granted there are separations between tracks, but there are a lot of similarities between the compositions, and the atmosphere remains constant (perfectly reflected by bitter titles such as "To Walk the Earth in Spite of It", among others). Dismal synth reverberations, abrasive loops, soothing undercurrents, churning distortion... everything is in place. "The Slow Exhale of a Man Looking In" is totally twisted and completely disturbing. Suffocating density takes hold while tons of sickeningly eerie textures bubble forth on occasion. "Waiting Among the Dead for Death to Come" is similar in the darkness of its mood, but more aggressive. Very textured distortion tones are mingling back and forth while the ambient drones hum away in the distance. "Underneath the Luminous Poison" is the shortest track, even hinting at blatant melody with a musical pattern that repeats in the background. Piercing treble is kept very low in volume so that it just barely breaks the surface here and there. This time out the recording has taken a step up. That's not to say that prior work from the project didn't sound very nice, but things are obviously a bit more well rounded and clear on this outing. A lot of the detail involved in these pieces is very subtle, so headphones would be recommended, but the warmth of the recording along with it's distinct crispness and loud volume helps matters for sure. The disc comes packaged in a superb digipack with some excellent artwork. The imagery is collaged from photographs and mostly revolves around images of bird skeletons and bleak landscapes, all tinted a subtle purple-ish hue. Some of the imagery is very abstract, and I think that works out very nicely because you can just stare at it endlessly and still have no clue what you're looking at, but that makes it even more curious. There's also an illustration of a bird inside, and some use of silver metallic ink as well. A single Louis-Ferdinand Céline quote underneath the CD tray seems to sum up the attitude of this album surprisingly well: "The world only knows how to do one thing, to roll over and kill you, as a sleeper kills his fleas. That would be a stupid way to die, I said to myself, to let myself be crushed like everyone else. To put your trust in men is to get yourself killed a little." Very well done. Gruntsplatter definitely remains one of my favorites in the genre, and the quality of his work remains incredibly consistent. This is the first release I've heard from Desolation House, so I'll be curious to find out what else the label has/will come up with... (8/10)
Running time - 52:23, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: The Slow Exhale of a Man Looking In, Underneath the Luminous Poison, Methane, Extinction & The Absence of Divinity]
Desolation House - http://www.desolationhouse.com

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