I’m beginning to really like Cyclic Law as a label. I have reviewed a few of their discs and they have all been excellent. This one is no different. Their releases are the ones that you know that you should pick up eventually but you never get around to it – this is a problem because they are putting out amazing dark ambient soundscape material. As usual with Cyclic Law releases, this one comes nicely packaged in an oversized cardstock cover with dark visuals. Nicely packaged, now on to the music. This disc is a good addition to the pantheon of dark ambient releases. What makes this release interesting is the noisiness of it. For example, "Ruins of a Failed Utopia" features chanting layered over deep drones and clanging metal. For me, the standout track on this disc was "Post Oblivion Fields" – synth drones with metal bells and chimes interspersed. The only track that I did not really enjoy was "The Hollow Structures," which features a baby crying angrily. Some people may like that kind of thing, but I prefer my soundscapes without angry children. This is not dark ambient that fades into the background; it demands to be acknowledged. Because most people like comparisons, the best way to describe this album is as the middle ground between Lustmord’s "The Monstrous Soul" and Inade – not quite as noisy as Inade but with all of the heavy drones of Lustmord. Also, for those of you who enjoyed Terra Sancta’s "Aeon," you should enjoy this disc as well. It's heavy without becoming too oppressive, which is a tough line to walk. However, Hildebrand manages to accomplish this feat, maintaining well the tension between noise and drone. So if you like your soundscapes with some noise, this is a good album to pick up.

OK, I have been living in a cave for the last few years and have not heard Squaremeter before, nor had I heard any Panacea. First off, this was not what I expected from an Ant-Zen release. If you are looking for rhythmic noise, this is not one to pick up. But you should give it a shot anyway if you are in to engaging music that blends ambient textures with noise and the occasional burst of rhythms. The promo material states that "B. Lustmord was mentioned as a possible inspiration to Squaremeter and now it seems, Mootz’s intention for this album was to create a 21st century "Paradise Disowned" that is coupled with an imaginary soundtrack to a "The Seventh Sign" sequel." I would not really call this standard dark ambient. Although there are some Lustmord-like elements here (I’m thinking specifically of Monstrous Soul) this is a bit more complex and engaging but sometimes that complexity gets in the way. On to the music. I really liked the first half of this disc. For me, the standout tracks were "White Breach" and "Acr Flow" and "Gazed Radiation". All of these manage to use elements of dark ambient while adding just enough elements of noise, synth pad, and beat to remain engaging to the listener. Not quite the kind of thing that you could just put on and read with, but pleasant listening. "Second Angle" was also nice and would sound right at home in a science fiction film. On the down side, I was not too into the other tracks. "Diffraction" has a staccato synth line that gets a bit too repetitive. "Reanimation Limit" has good elements as well, but also has some synth elements that just didn’t seem to work. "Deviation" is OK and starts to get a bit more chaotic and noisy toward the end, which was a welcome change of pace after "Reanimation Limit," but it never seemed to let go and unload with both barrels. Overall, when the music is good, it’s really good. When it’s not so good, it’s still not too bad, because half of the tracks are structured in such a way that it is like having two or three tracks in one so the parts that are not terribly good are not that long. Squaremeter does do a good job of using silence in his tracks to add tension, which is becoming a lost art. So while this disc is sort of a mixed bag, it’s still a disc worth checking out. I have a feeling that this is the kind of disc that gets better with repeated listenings.

When doing reviews, I find it useful to have a point of comparison so I listened to Expansion Pack 2.0 and then listened to Blast Furnace. Blast Furnace was good, but this is much more varied in style and a lot less predictable. It also reminded me that Blast Furnace wasn’t just straight up rhythmic noise. That’s the nice thing about Scott Sturgis – it’s difficult to pigeonhole him into one category. If you get this disc, think of it in terms of not only expanding your collection of Sturgis’s output, but also in terms of expanding what you think of Converter. I have to admit that when I got these discs I thought that I was in for rhythmic noise – until I read the press sheet that came with it. I’ll quote from that here: "this expansion contains unreleased material, live tracks and remixes by industrial icons like Sonar and ambient masters like Architect and Displacer." Ambient? Converter? Yes, and it's really good. On with the music; let’s start with disc 1. First off, this opens with what can best be described as harsh ambient - voices talking about subliminal messages and bits of noise thrown in. About 6 minutes in you are reminded that you did not put the wrong disc in the CD player as it kicks into the rhythmic noise that you had expected. A nice opening to the disc. Track 2 is Domination which, from the press release is a something that people like in clubs. Because I’m out of the club scene, I don’t know, but it does sound like it would work well. The rest of the disc alternates between these extremes – sedate, more mellow pieces and harsh rhythmic noise. About the only real low point on the disc was "Witch Hunter (Burned Remix by DJ Burn)" which was a bit too repetitive with a steady 4/4 beat running through it. Even though Witch Hunter (Hanged) is not up to the rest of the disc either, it at least changes it up a bit and is a minute and a half shorter. Disc 2 begins with "Atlantis (1990 re-edit)" a shorter, more minimal track of some spoken word that is difficult to understand and eases into track 2, "Time Through Windows" which is a more sedate, tribal sounding track. Although repetitive, there is enough happening beneath the surface to keep it interesting. This was actually one of my favorite tracks. It’s not until track 5, "Electric Wizard" that the rhythmic noise kicks back in and I have to admit that I was enjoying the soundscapes more. The press sheet tells DJs to play Monster Death for the "party people" and I have to agree – this would sound right at home on the dance floor and at 9.31 it gives the DJ plenty of time to flirt with the clubbers (isn’t that what the DJs are actually after anyway?). This disc is also a good mix of less aggressive tracks (although keep in mind that this is still Converter that we’re talking about, so it’s all relative) and the rhythmic noise we expect from Converter. Overall this is a good set - and weighing in at about 2.5 hours of music, the discs are packed about as full as possible. The only real issue I have is that I would have preferred a set that had the low key stuff on one disc and the noisy stuff on the other to more easily suit the mood I’m in. Other than that, this is really good and both discs (especially disc 2) will be spending some quality time in my CD player.

I first heard Ikon on the compilation "Ceremonial" in which they provided an amazing cover of Joy Division’s "Shadowplay." I liked it, so I picked up Flowers of the Gathering, which reminded me of old Clan of Xymox - still kind of a rock feel, but with a lot of synth and atmosphere. I had not really thought of them for a few years until this album arrived in my mailbox. This album downplays the atmosphere in favor of a more gothic rock feel; this is a lot more guitar oriented than the earlier releases that I have heard. For the most part, this album is your standard gothic rock, sort of reminding one of old Rosetta Stone. "Psychic Vampire," the single off this disc, is pretty good for the dance floor, but I’ll be honest - I miss the old atmospheric sound.

But that’s just part of the story here. It’s not all just gothic rock and there are some standout tracks here. For example, "God Has Fallen From the Sky" is a nice track that sounds a lot like Death in June circa "But What Ends When the Symbols Shatter?" Considering the fact that Ikon has covered a few DIJ tracks, it’s pretty obvious that they have been influenced by DIJ and this track shows it. "My Crucible" and "Path of the Unknown" are also quite good, having a nice mix of synth and guitar.

But there are some tracks here that seem a bit out of place with the rest of the album. For example, "Ashes of Blue" is a softer track with female vocals that just doesn’t seem to fit here. "Slaughter" is a bit weird with some tribal chanting and whispers. Doesn’t seem to fit with the goth rock thing. But kicks into synth and keeps chanting and whispering going. I like the track - sort of like Dead Can Dance meets old Ikon – but it seems out of place here.

Over all, if you thought older Ikon was too mellow and wanted them to rock, you’ll be happy with this disc. On the other hand, if you want the atmospheric, dreamy Ikon, you won’t find a lot of that here.

I had no idea what to expect. With a name like satanicpornocultshop, you would think that they were going for shock value, sort of like Smell and Quim. When I put it in, I was pleasantly surprised. But most people who put this into the CD player will probably respond with "what the hell is this?!" Here’s the short answer. It’s a lot like Nurse With Wound and Negativland. If that sounds good, read on. One problem that I see with this album is that it’s almost too disjointed. In a review of a previous album, Anorexia Gas Baloon" David Cotner described them as follows: "While the pubicity touts Satanicpornocultshop as "surrealist hip-hop", it would be more correct to advertise the group as 500 channels with a beat." This album follows a similar recipe, which makes sense considering that this is a compilation of remixes. What is not cut up is reversed or stretched. There are 19 tracks on the album that wade through a variety of styles all mashed together. "Punusunic > Remix" is a track I could see becoming a hit at "Club Acid Junkies." "To Be > Feat. Electronic Café" moves us into weird lounge. Other tracks sound like circuit bent video games. And then there are the covers. The covers are a lot of fun. "Kylie Minogue > Arabic Belly Dance Music" is like a disco from hell cover. A cople of tracks rip off lyrics from Duran Duran’s "Save a Prayer" in interesting ways. The last track, "59054087 (reprise)" weighs in at 13:55, making it the longest track on the disc. However, it behaves more like several tracks put into one. It’s more mellow than the others and has a synth line playing the music from "Imagine" by John Lennon slamming into War Pigs by Sabbath and voice speaking about killing the President of the United States. There are a lot of other songs mixed in as well. This sounds a lot like smething Negativland would do. Political commentary mixed with pop culture references. The cover art is an interesting artistic collage (what else would you expect from a band like this?) Overall, this is interesting, but definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. If you like spastic cut up music that never quite descends completely into noise, this is a good place to look.