Noise Nazi is the enigmatic and often offensive harsh noise project of Matthew Bonk of Wisconsin. Noise Nazi boasts an intimidating catalog of over 100 albums, EPs, and split releases in a variety of formats. Bagman is a power electronics noise project from the United Kingdom. I have had limited exposure to Bagman's work, but he appears to have released almost 30 albums, EPs and splits since 2008.


Mind Altar is a CD-r released by Medical Malfunctions Records in a plastic sleeve, which is pretty standard for this genre. The album consists of 4 tracks ranging between 6 and 10 minutes each. The sounds presented in Mind Altar are dense and old-school: gritty, harsh, and dominating. This release captures Noise Nazi doing what he does best, creating a world of his own, tempting the listener to play Mind Altar loudly, but leaving the listener in fear of severe hearing loss. Bagman provides a vocal compromise to the noise that manages to perfectly match the intensity--sometimes yelling, sometimes talking, never decipherable--but ultimately becoming a source of comfort amidst the aggression.


Mind Altar album would fit nicely into any noise collection, reminiscent of Massonna or Merzbow, but with less churning and more cohesion. By the end of Mind Altar I actually have the impression the artists have reached into my brain and are massaging it for me with their violently soothing work. Certainly now that the album is over there is a numb feeling where my brain is supposed to be.

Earhate is the project of Ryan O’Neill hailing from Alberta, Canada. Planet Killer is Earhate’s first CD-r release by Smell the Stench Records, but appears to be a small part of an extensive discography. Planet Killer is, as the CD insert so delicately puts it, a forty-four minute wall of noise.

"Wall" might not be the best way to describe this sound, but it is close. I believe a better description would include a layer of brittle sandpaper. The sounds here are relentless, low-end/bass-filled, analogue static. The main layer of the song dominates and remains constant throughout the entire forty-four minutes. There are more subtle, higher frequency changes happening constantly throughout this track, but the listener would need to be masochistic to hear these in detail; even in low volume my cochlea is crying out for help.

Earhate’s Planet Killer goes all out on the noise side of things. Planet Killer is formless, chaotic, spiteful, and intense. This is the sound that originally attracted me to noise, and still holds a strong place in my heart. This is definitely a release for the more devout of noise lovers.

Ceremony of Innocence (C.O.I.) is the Neo-Classical project of Austrian Native, Alexander Weiser, who is also known for his Dark Ambient works with Bone Machine and B-Machina. Der Rote Glanz Der Flammenfee is the first release by Weiser under this project, following in the footsteps of a web-released single, Ich Tauche Tiefer. There are eleven tracks on this album ranging between one and fourteen minutes in length. There is also a video of the fourth track, Zeit und Raum, included on the CD.

C.O.I.’s Der Rote Glanz Der Flammenfee is constructed predominantly from synthesized choral sounds and percussion. These sounds evoke a very peaceful and enchanting feeling, but also impart an underlying feeling of imminence and necessity. This album reminds me of walking in a cold, lightly snowing winter’s evening, obviously alone, yet surrounded by moving shadows.

There is a mystery hidden within these tracks, one that will take me many listens to fully explore. The first half of C.O.I.’s Der Rote Glanz Der Flammenfee is a very thought provoking and beautifully sculpted orchestral work that reminds me somehow of the Myst soundtrack. The second half of Der Rote Glanz Der Flammenfee is lighter in nature and integrates more of an early 90’s ambient/IDM sound. The transition is surprisingly well-played, and the levity keeps C.O.I.’s Der Rote Glanz Der Flammenfee fresh and listenable throughout.

Corrosion Thrown Out is a dual effort between Audiocum and Occulto Digital on the label Symbolic Prod. Both artists, from what I can gather, hail from France. There are seven tracks on this release, 5 of them feature both Occulto Digital and Audiocum, and two tracks are exclusively Audiocum. Two of these tracks are live recordings.

To begin, Corrosion thrown out is as pure a noise release as you can find. This is a wall of pain from beginning to end: There is rarely a moment for calm or collection. The sound here is massive and violent, the bassy analogue crunches are in a constant struggle against shrill and shrieking feedback. Occasionally a rhythm pretends to find it’s way to the front, but is quickly overpowered and thrown away, a mere fraction of itself.

Audiocum and Occulto Digital are a good match. I don’t know enough about Occulto Digital to make any statements on their part, but the sounds here push what I am used to with Audiocum into very intense and damaging new territory. Anyone that is not a pure noise lover would probably compare this album to having a migraine surgically implanted behind one eye with rusty nails. To anyone that is a pure noise lover, well, they would probably enjoy that feeling.

In celebration of their 100th release, Canadian power-electronics label, DTrash Records, has released this DVD collection. This DVD collection includes 18 music videos of 15 artists and bootleg videos of another 6 artists from the label, including the perversely insane French band, Punish Yourself. And, not to outdo themselves, DTrash Records also celebrates their 100th release by including a track from each of their releases in a jukebox.

DTrash’s 100th release DVD collection is over 5 hours of content. Never mind that every band on this release is from a different corner of the extreme electronics genre?Gabber one minute, Digital hardcore another, and breakcore the next. Watching this DVD is like having my head kicked around and stomped on from Play to Stop, and I like it: I feel like a kid in a candystore?and it’s all mine.

So, if you are craving a nearly unlimited collection of new, aggressive electronic sounds, and four hours of eye-candy to boot, pick this up. There is sure to be something you won’t enjoy, but who fucking cares? DTrash has outdone themselves with their 100th release, which speaks quite a bit for their commitment as a label.