Clocking in at 60 minutes Dream Decimator is an epic work with minimal packaging – a very deceiving release indeed. This is perhaps my favorite Sky Burial material to date with very detailed ambient/industrial sound collage and drone. This is where the elements that Page has been working with for years have finally come together perfectly.

I can only guess that this tape consists of one long track because there is no tracklisting mentioned in the insert. One thing that really catches my attention here is the excellent evolution featured in the composition. Not only are all the sounds intriguing, morphing, and growing but they are laid out in a way that makes sense yet isn’t so predictable as to be boring or generic. There are many smaller gestures within the larger form that play with the listener’s perception using tact and precision.

There are also some amazing moments that go where Sky Burial has never gone before. Howling tones mixed with rhythmic industrial clanging and always those glassy drones behind it all. Like swimming through a lake filled with shards of ice the sound tingles your nerves and just when you finally have found solace in the organic surroundings machine sound elements mangle the placid surface.

The atmosphere on here will set the mood to a meditative yet unstable place with hints of doom and moments of clarity. There is something in the way the sounds are constructed and treated here which really sets it above what many other dark ambient acts are doing these days. Excellent work.

Any day now, new tapes from The Rita, Clew Of Theseus, Dajjall, Theta, Flowerday, and LSFB should arrive. Keep your eyes peeled for this batch of some of the harshest material yet on CP, available in a lower quantity than past releases.

Airway “Live at the Telethon Revisited” CS

Niellerade Fallibilisthorstar (title TBA) CS (featuring the entire Dom EP and two tracks in collaboration with GAF)

V/A “Coagula” 3xCS (featuring Skullflower, L’Acephale, Haare, Josh Lay, Kristian Olsson, Voice Of Eye and more)

The Rita / Clew Of Theseus split CS (The Rita side uses sound sources from Daniel Menche)

L.S.F.B. CS (Longtime Arizona industrial madmen)

Dajjal “Metaxu” CS

Vesica Piscis “Imaginary Film Soundtrack #8″ CS (Flagstaff synth-builders’ transcendental noisescapes)

There is a new office/store space for Cathartic Process and Cabal in Troy, New York. People will be able to come by and shop by appointment only beginning in August. Thanks to everyone who ordered and promoted the liquidation sale.

PHBTK “Verfall” & “Melachoir” 2xCS – Buy
Skullflower “The Paris Working” & “La Noche De Walpurgis” C-100 (repress) – Buy
Sky Burial “Dream Decimator” C-60 – Buy

Two long tracks of organic, brooding drone with raw, darker undertones. Bleak and unsettling ambiances with a distinct oppressive, monotone edge. A comment on the nihilistic state of the world today. Side B a re-release of one of the tracks from the very limited tour tape from 2009. Edition of 215 copies in printed brown cardboard sleeves with insert.

On Verlautbarung. Order here.

I: Before The Span of One’s Life Is Run Out opens up with a blazing wall of fury, that gains intensity, before steadily decreasing into electro-acoustic junk sounds, crying modems, and field recordings laced with feedback as the glue. Rising and falling in notions between violent spastic harsh-noise, quieter ‘found’ moments, and decaying walls, the listener is whirled through waves of waxing and waining intensity. The track is heavily layered, which lends for great transitions between each movement, subtle textures become the main focus as other sounds rise and fall like wounded soldiers.

II: An Unnecessary Stain begins with an elongated modem loop, that evolves into strong glitches with phased white noise swashing, ultimately the glitching fading to emphasize the phasing. Metal scrap abuse cuts in, what makes it particularly interesting is that it isn’t the usual feedback drenched Japanese style, but clean. The atmosphere of the phased white noise meeting the harsh directness of the metal is an interesting juxtaposition. The simple metal object turns into several, and the clanking and scraping continues on before a huge bassy synth line weighs down the entire track into swamp territory, creeping and crawling, and continually glitching, gaining no momentum as the track moves on. Seamlessly the synth fades into the junk, which has only gained more force. It seems that field recordings have been layered transparently over the junk, giving a more detailed texture. All of this fades to subtle feedback and the junk slows down, glitching as each new element is introduced.

Black tape, white text, black and white J-card.

A great tape for those who have short attention spans, or just enjoy variety. A great gapless mix of HNW tendencies on side A, mixed with Japanese-harsh noise spats, electro-acoustic junk ambience, and overall just a great sonic mixture of layers.

5/5

from http://insidenoisereviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/valentines-listening-party.html