Genocide Organ "s/t" CD
[Tesco]
Cryptically/undesirably "touchy" politics aside, I'm a big fan of the earlier Genocide Organ work that I've heard, so I was quite interested in purchasing this disc when it was released, as it contains rare tracks recorded between 1985 and 1990, originally intended to have been the group's second LP in between "Leichenline" and "Save Our Slaves". Some tracks have been previously released ("White Power Forces" on the "A Functional Chapter of Sexual Process" 7", "In the Ghetto" and "Sturmfieber" on the "Sturmgeweiht" compilation cassette), but it's great to have all of this here on one CD regardless. What you'll get is around an hour of thick, raw experimental noise that's core may be power electronics done the way I like it with a good blend of atmospheres that don't rest too frequently on the all out aggressive side, offering plenty of grating death industrial textures and of course some of the genre's token vocals, but in all truth this material very frequently opts instead for an eerie dark ambient approach. Even the vocals here aren't done in an over the top, borderline cackle of a scream, rather they're barked/shouted with a few more extreme screams and even some sort of a dismal, moaning delivery (see the well executed and disturbing "Zentralinstitut"). The bulk of these tracks are consistent and repetitive in their own right, though rarely to the point where it feels stagnant. "Swamp", for instance, is made up of a fairly simple loop with lots of overloaded low-end and a nice sweep of feedback repeating over a faint and indiscernible sample for nearly six minutes, but it works itself out perfectly in my opinion. There are weak moments on the disc - "Death to China IV" is brief enough but still rather unnecessary, delay is a little heavy handed during the start of "In the Ghetto" (an otherwise excellent dark ambient piece), and the vocals are sort of disruptive to the vibe of opener "Death to China I" - but as a whole this is still damn strong for power electronics. As is often the case with some of these staple acts, I tend to gravitate towards the tracks that refrain from using vocals, as they end up coming off as a bit more atmospheric and curious, perhaps due to the fact that they're not so "obvious" in some ways? "Born to Be Slaughtered" is an excellent example of this: Six minutes of droning ambient hums with a subtle rhythm in the distance alongside obscured accents and a melodic ringing that lends and ethereal (and borderline musical) edge to the highly uncommon style of the piece. That thread continues almost seamlessly in "Kindstod", a similar six-minute piece made up of pulsing low-end and ethereal chimes of treble. The 11-minute "Und Morgen Die Ganze Welt" closes in a similar but more structured manner, with some incredibly effective vocals, a surging low-end rhythm, and great use of harsh sounds almost as a form of loose instrumentation... quite possibly the best Genocide Organ track I've heard to date. The disc comes in a nice looking (though a little flimsy) slipcase package with a flap that opens from the front. The artwork is fairly minimal and effective, the titles appear in Japanese as well as their German/English counterparts, etc. It certainly pales in comparison to the aesthetics of some of the group's vinyl output, but looks fairly interesting nonetheless. I'd have to wager that perhaps the classic beauty of vinyl is indeed the best manner in which to experience Genocide Organ, as the smaller size of the CD/packaging and the digital format does feel somewhat out of place here (which I rarely say), but I'd gladly take this material on CD rather than collectors' expensive limited edition vinyl prices without blinking. Good work, all in all. I'm very glad this CD was put together... worth it for the superb back to back finishing run of "Born to Be Slaughtered", "Kindstod", and "Und Morgen Die Ganze Welt" alone. Truly fucking awesome. Were the entire record that strong this would be the best of the best. (8/10)
Running time - 56:17, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Zentralinstitut, Born to Be Slaughtered, Kindstod, Und Morgen Die Ganze Welt]
Tesco Organisation - http://www.tesco-germany.com

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