I've been a fan of R4 since the late 1990s when Fusion Audio began the first time. I'm glad to see he's back and this disc shows that he's still in fine form. R4 is the work of Barry D. Scheffel, who is also the driving force behind Fusion Audio Recordings. He hails from southwest Ohio, which knows a little something about thunderstorms and this disc demonstrates this knowledge. All three of these tracks were created using source material from a rainstorm. I really enjoy field recording based work, so let's dive In and see what the weather is like.

“Rainmaker I” is heavy. Oppressively heavy. You have only the slightest inkling that this came from natural sources as Scheffel lays down massive oppressive drone. This has more in common with a locomotive running through a tunnel than it does rain. “Rainmaker II” is a bit more peaceful. You can hear birds singing and gentle rain. Still, there’s heavy bass drone that takes over as the track progresses. This serves as a nice counterpoint to “Rainmaker I.” “Rainmaker III” brings the thunder. You can almost see this as a combination of the two approaches with the natural sounds being heavily processed and layered to make an interesting composition.

The liner notes state that Scheffel “operates somewhere in between the ambient and noise spaces on the periphery of music,” and this disc is evidence of his ability to walk that line. Overall, this is an excellent disc for fans of field recordings but also for those that might enjoy a little processing with their nature. Very well done and highly recommended. This disc weighs in at around 21 minutes and is limited to 42 copies.

I had not heard of Francis Théberge, but he hails from Quebec, Canada and is part of the artist collective Global Noise Movement and Adventurous Music. He also does a lot of video work, which explains why the notes describe this as a "Film score for a non-existent film" and explains that "This album is an audio exploration of a film that exists only in fragments—a non-linear narrative constructed in the imagination of the creator... and listener. Inspired by the delicate balance between memory and the passing of time, Siteste Fatale is a film score for an unmade story, where shadows linger longer than light, and the lines between reality and dream blur." Sounds interesting, so let’s see what Théberge is projecting on the silver screen.

“Rituel d'automne sur fréquences nocturnes (micro-climat version)” kicks it off with field recordings (crickets and someone walking through grass) and heavy droning soundscapes that provide not quite an ominous feel, but rather a feeling of melancholy and unease. Nicely done. Now if you're looking for ominous, "les racines du doute (remix1)" is what you have been waiting for. If the previous one was a person walking along a trail contemplating where it all went wrong, this is the person scanning the darkness looking for the unseen eyes that are everywhere watching them. There is a sense of urgency here that was not in the previous track. The kind you get when you realize that you aren't actually alone.... "Les racines du doute (remix2)" provides a bit of respite to the tension by making it a bit more noisy. Lots of reverb gives it a bit of a hallucinatory feel. And the eyes are still following you, until suddenly everything is quiet. "Rituel d'automne sur fréquences nocturnes (catastrophique version)" keeps it noisy and oppressive. There is a general feeling of pressure and weight, like being buried under a massive pile of rubble, but the aftershocks of the earthquake that took down the building you were in keep coming. This would appeal to fans of noisy ambient like Inade. "Organes vitales" provides a kind of denouement to the drama that we have just experienced, while maintaining a lot of loose ends. The protagonist may have escaped the woods alive, but perhaps not unscathed, and is still looking back over their shoulder, unsure of the eyes they can still feel upon them. Waiting. For next time.

In The Nursery had a series called "Optical Music," and I think that Théberge is operating with the same impulse: the Aristotelian sense of phantasia, or “that in virtue of which an image occurs in us” (De Anima iii 3, 428aa1–2). One can easily imagine the non-existent film that we create with Théberge, and this keeps the listener engaged. The music itself is enjoyable on its own merits, and is well put together and flows well as a cohesive whole. Well worth checking out. This album weighs in at around 39 minutes.

I was not familiar with a.drift, but this is the work of one Brendan Michael Place, who seems to be connected to Wyrd Records, but other than that I could not find much about this artist. This is a live recording done at Warehouse Salon in Boston and that's all we have, so let's dive in.

This album consists of one track, titled "interference / live transmission [recorded live @ warehouse salon - boston 03.30.24]." First off, if you are expecting a performance with a guy with a laptop checking email or a guy with a million pedals that they turn loose, you will be pleasantly surprised. Yes, there is a ton of feedback noise, which I appreciate, but this also has a lot more going on. I especially enjoyed the percussive elements, which sounds like a snare drum being looped repeatedly. There are bits of voice and other samples thrown in for good measure. The composition is constantly shifting, and not in that "I turned another knob and now we have sawtooth wave" kind of way. I mean organically shifting over time in a way that the composition is noisy, but not really chaotic. It has a kind of internal logic and consistency to it that I appreciate.

Live noise is not something I get a lot of, so this is a breath of fresh air. I would absolutely check out a.drift if they came through town based on the strength of this release. This is less Merzbow and more Zoviet France, so highly recommended for those who like experimental noise. This album weighs in at around 21 minutes and is limited to 42 copies.

CrAwE is the work of one Adam Colman, who hails from Norwich, UK and describes his music as “Solo Improv Dark Ambient Guitar Soundscape Dronez with occasional contributions, the sound of the impending apocalypse and fridge buzz.” I had reviewed two of his previous albums, one of which I had compared to Lycia, which is always a good thing, so I was interested to see what we have in this installment. The label describes this album thus: “The primal star ep is about Sirius the brightest star in the sky from Earth. Using bowed guitar & bass, synth, field recordings and the subliminal radio pulse of Sirius A itself. The Dog Star goes by many names across different cultures and was once seen as the centre of the universe, the primal star ep is a mini sonic journey, to the dog days and beyond…..or as the Dogon people say “Sewa” (“everything is fine”).” The concept is intriguing, so let’s blast off and see what CrAwE has on the flight log.

We open with “SiriusA (TheDogThatFollowsMountainSheep),” with is spacey, dark, and majestic, like a soundtrack for a sci-fi movie where you are seeing a massive ship slowly moving across the screen. Nicely done. Next up, we have “DopamineForDollars-Sewa (everything is fine),” which is heavily layered drone, reminiscent of Troum, which is one of the highest complements I can pay to someone doing drone work. Really, this is good. “HeavenleyWolf (TheDogStarThatLeads)” is a slow moving number that builds over time. Finally, we have “Sinnesloschen (ThePathOfTheSouls).” This is a bit darker, with a feel like being underwater at the bottom of the ocean where light doesn't really filter down.

The last thing I heard that referenced Sirius is Legendary Pink Dots’ song “Needles (Version Sirius)” (well, OK, there is also Sirius by Alana Parsons Project, but this is Chain DLK), so CrAwE is in good company and this disc shows that he can hold his own. This is superb droning dark ambient. There are layers on layers, and everything is dark, but peaceful. If you are a fan of Troum, you will want to pick this up. This disc is limited to 42 copies and weighs in at around 20 minutes.

I had previously reviewed INFELIX's "Abyssal Despondency" and "Eternal Hymns of Entropic Darkness" and found them to be every bit the feel good party anthems that one would expect from such titles. I also enjoyed them, so I was interested to see what this installment had in store for us. The label describes the album as "a sinister harbinger of noise grinding and fracturing with dread. A hallucinatory, menacing collision of primordial analog darkness embracing a bleak, dystopian landscape of crushed circuits, and cosmic errors. INFELIX continues to forge into bleakness and alienation." Sounds like a good time, so let's dive in.

We kick it all off with “Nocturnal Desolation,” which features heavily processed voice over a grinding industrial soundscape. This is dystopian and the echoing voices only reinforce this. It is difficult to make out what the voices are saying, but it doesn't sound cheerful at any rate. The mix of drone and machinelike static make for an interesting counterpoint. This is what is left when the world has ended. “Gutted” keeps this feeling going, and acts like a continuation of the "Nocturnal Desolation." This has a bit more feeling of things falling apart. If the previous track was the end, this is the decay. In “Sanctum Obscurum,” the machines have completely taken over, with pounding percussion that sounds like a wrecking ball hitting a building with steel siding. The oppressive drone is still present and accounted for. “Crushed on the Shores of Hope” is a bit more spectral, with distorted voices and pulsing drone, making it not quite as industrial as previous tracks. “Echoes of Agony” has a slow, plodding beat and a static sawtooth drone keeping it all together. There is a lot going on in this track, which keeps everything interesting. “Apeirophobia” takes a different approach, with the droning synth pads coming to the forefront and the static moving to the background. Apeirophobia is the phobia of infinity or eternity, so the slow moving drone works well to embody that concept. “The Dreaming Dead” is a bit less industrial and more ethereal, like listening to a chorus of screams of the damned over the sounds of a derelict factory that has long ago lost its workers. Finally, “Weltschmerz” closes it down with a cinematic piece that would work well in an old sci-fi movie soundtrack with its heavy use of analog sounds. But it is the kind of movie where the hostile aliens win, leaving a charred landscape in their wake.

Overall, if you like it dark and gritty, this will be right up your alley. This is heavy and INFELIX manages to make it ominous without trying too hard. If you are looking for something bleak, this is one to pick up. Well done. This album weighs in at around 41 minutes and is limited to 42 copies.