He Would Drown "Music to Wreck To" CD
[NCC]
Something about the title "Music to Wreck To" and the cover artwork had me fearing that this might be some sort of beat heavy attempt at blending dark ambient and straight industrial music - which rarely has pleasant results. And, in a sense, that's what it is. The first track had me fooled with its excellent dark ambient soundscapes that blend thick, smooth low-end drones with some more aggressive distorted textures. But the "power noise" styled beats grow more and more prominent as the first few songs continue. Thankfully I wouldn't say that programmed beats are necessarily overused here, but when they do appear they are generic and distorted, which I find bothersome. Some of the distorted loops and textures interacting with the beats, or for example the twisted semi musical melodies of "Swarm" that keeps rhythms subtle, are really quite enjoyable, and I can listen to all of this material without really being irritated, but I can't help but let personal taste intervene, because I'm just not into very much beat driven noise at all. Repetitious tracks like "Staticide" and "Slowburn" (the latter of which brings in some glitchy electronics and searing distorted vocals) have an odd power electronics vibe going on, but of course the rhythms and subtle musical elements sort of detract from that aggression a little bit. The disc comes in a DVD case with some fairly cool black and white artwork and an insert with thanks lists and equipment credits and stuff on it. It's pretty straightforward. This artist has clearly got the recording quality and sense of arrangements that he needs, and this is a pretty strong piece of work for what it is, but I can't help but imagine what it could become without so much of a focus on those typically arranged and manipulated beats. Not my thing, but those who are into this facet of the genre would more than likely disagree with me. (5/10)
Running time - 58:28, Tracks: 13
[Notable tracks: Rurn, Swarm]
NCC Records - http://www.ncc-records.com

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