Fail is one of the many monikers of Dan Fox, who also records under the names Loss, This is What I Hear When You Talk, and the man behind Inner Demons Records. In short, he has been around long enough to need little introduction. Fail is one of his noisier projects, but it is much more varied in scope than TIWIHWYT and less orchestral than Loss. So let's dive in and see just how unfortunate things can get.

We open up with "Tallypractice," which begins with some heavily processed voices that give way to lots of bass drone and squiggly analog noise sounds. About 6 minutes in, there are some unexpected noise blasts that are significantly louder than the rest of the track. This would be only the first surprise as we find that this was simply Fox opening the floodgate of noise and things get increasingly intense. We have a plodding thud over what sounds like a series of table saws running in unison. Towards the end, we hear more of the processed voice before it is all buried under the crushing noise only to re-emerge victoriously. If you like your noise with a lot of variety, Fail has you covered.
"Unadequacy" opens with what sounds like a dot matrix printer and some synth drone. Bits of static and reverbed metal noise interrupt it all like an unwanted dinner guest. We get a drum beat of sorts later on, but this is dismantled immediately in favor of screeching noise.

Overall, this is a fun ride and there is nothing unfortunate about it. If you found This is What I Hear When You Talk to be a bit too wall-ish for your tastes, this is one you need to check out. There is a ton of variety and the music is crafted well and things are clearly done intentionally. This is solid noise and well worth checking out. This disc weighs in at around 20 minutes and is limited to 42 copies.

I could find little about this artist, but the artist link is the Less Than One label, so I suppose that they are related somehow. There are also no liner notes to go on, so we can simply dive in and see what we have here.

“Wax Cylinder” opens with what appears to be a recording of a story being read, along with some heavy ambience and crackling noises. This then gives way to some noise that sounds like nails being pulled out of wood and other noises. The overall effect is cinematic and engaging. “Zones of Shadow” keeps the cinematic feeling going. This would be right at home in a soundtrack at the suspenseful part of the film. You're alone in the forest and you keep hearing noises behind you, but you turn and see.... nothing. But there was definitely something there, wasn't there? “Mi-Go” brings heavy, noisy dark ambient punctuated with crashing sounds and deep drones. “Dark, Dead Corners” lives up to its name with ominous spectral wind noises and staccato strings. This is rather unsettling music that would be perfect for your next haunted house display on Halloween. “The Semblence of Men” brings in foghorn drones and clattering noises, like being in a silverware factory, which makes this a bit noisier than the others, but still interesting. “Morbid Odour” closes out the album with a track that is a bit more dreamlike with a touch of noisiness.

I am reminded of Wilt's description of his work as "dark noise," and that seems an apt descriptor for what we have here. The overall feel is heavy and oppressive, but not in a cheap horror movie sort of way. Rather, this is the cold indifference of nature where death is just another part of life. Things eat other things and are, in turn, eaten. Nothing personal. Well done and interesting stuff. This is dedicated to Spooky, so I hope they enjoy it. I certainly did. This album weighs in at around 64 minutes.

I have enjoyed all of Andreas Davids' output on Inner Demons, so I was especially interested when I read the description of this piece: "My love for science fiction space adventures has been with me since my childhood and will likely continue to do so until the end of my life. Those stories, especially Star Trek or similar ones from the 1970s, have always been like a blanket to keep me warm in the winter, a comfort when things are going badly, and also a little trip back in time to the days when life seemed simpler. Back to the days when a radio play could almost vanish the fear of a thunderstorm and a movie could offer a fantastical journey on a spaceship when I couldn't fall asleep. This is a musical journey into my childhood." As a fellow science fiction fan, I can certainly relate. While most of my friends were reading Piers Anthony, I was reading Issac Asimov. There is something enticing about the final frontier that inspires both hope and fear. Despite the name of "Soundtrack of a Broken Soul," Davids seems firmly on the side of hope in this composition.

This album consists of one 20 minute track, and this track certainly lives up to its concept. From the beginning, it has a spacey feeling. There is a beat going throughout with bits of analog noises coming to the surface. There is a lot going on here and Davids avoids getting bogged down too much with one theme (other than the pulsing beats), which keeps it interesting. But this is not music for warp speed; it has a nice groove for those sub-light speed journeys when you just need to slow your roll.

Overall, this track is a nice excursion into the void of space where we hope that humanity will somehow have evolved to something better than we are here on earth. If you ever wondered what was playing in the dance club on the Enterprise, this is a pretty good approximation. Now go ask that cute blue person to join you for a dance.

I could find little on this artist, although the link listed is to a French site that simply describes it as “harsh noise from Belgium.” The bio states that "PRURIT is making noise not music with custom fabricated machines, toys, circuit bending, modified Walkman, feedback, contact mics, signal generator, tapes with homemade sound sources, distortion, fuzz, voices." Sounds like a good time, so let's dive in and see what the cats have in store for us.

The album opens up with “Dusk,” which is 12 minutes of ear cleaning harsh noise. If you enjoyed listening to the white noise static of a TV after broadcast had concluded for the night, there will be a bit of nostalgia at the opening. But this is not harsh noise wall, where the static nature takes over. No, Prurit is an artist after my own heart, giving us what I call "kitchen sink noise," where you throw in everything including the kitchen sink into the composition. It's harsh, it's noisy, but it certainly isn't boring because there is so much going on in this track. Tone generators, pulsing static, crackling noise, and a touch of feedback to top off the noise sundae. Definitely a good time. The other track, “Empty Hour,” lures you in with a false sense of security, opening up with subdued crackling noise, like listening to noise from a distance. Prurit then unloads with both barrels, unleashing a feedback-laced noise tirade that is a lot crunchier than the previous track. If you like high frequency noise, this will be right up your alley.

Overall, this is some excellent harsh noise. If you like it harsh, Prurit delivers. When I find myself thinking, "I would like to do a split with this person," I know I have found something interesting. Well worth checking out. This album weighs in at 20 minutes.

Substak is the work of Kostas Staikos, who hails from Athens, Greece. I have reviewed several of his releases on Inner Demons, and they all have different feels, so it is interesting to see what he has each time. The liner notes state that “Nexus Ep focuses on darkness not as a destination, but as the constant environment through which light must travel.” Sounds interesting, so let’s step into the shadows and see what we find.

This album opens with “Morning's Edge,” which is some mellow drone with a light hi-hat cymbal beat throughout. Rather peaceful. If the idea is to evoke the idea of a sunrise, this seems like a good representation. “Chasing Shadows” keeps the drone going, but with a slightly less peaceful feel. “Perpetual Dawn” closes it out with pulsing drone with some sweeping noises thrown in for good measure. This is the most interesting track on the album.

The entire album seems to be an exercise in drone, which works nice as background music. If there is a criticism to be had here, it's that they are similar and I would have liked to see it developed a bit more. On the other hand, they are short enough to enjoy without wearing out their welcome. If you like drone, this would be up your alley. This album weighs in at around 9 minutes.