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Allegory Chapel Ltd., "Resurrection"
Elden M.'s electro-industrial Avellan Cross project was not only responsible for a few excellent tapes as of late, but also heralded the return of his legendary Allegory Chapel Ltd. guise. Founded in the mid 1980s and largely going silent a decade later, ACL has lost none of its distinctive, esoteric sound or mood during that hiatus, and still stands out as a singular entity in the world of noise.
ACL was one of the few noise projects in the United States that never succumbed to shock tactics or obnoxious violent imagery in order to convey a sense of extremity. Even the occasional appearance of Satanic symbolism and titles felt more like an esoteric examination rather than an offshoot of juvenile thrash/death metal. Extremity was never ACL's goal anyway, which carries over into the sound as well. The work was never about being as loud or as harsh as possible: it is about the pure examination of sound.
On a piece such as "Nazca Wormhole," he works rumbling low end with sheets of white noise, constantly shifting the two layers like tectonic plates, getting close to harsh noise territory without ever going all the way. With brittle synth melodies and low bit rate samples added in, it is a perfect example of masterful subtlety in a style that is defined by anything but. "Colony Collapse Disorder" is a similar example, where he mixes bass drones and churning, looped noise with jet engine roars. It is the ACL sense of careful composition that keeps far more compelling than most noise artists ever manage to.
The second half of the tape is a bit more experimental and sees Elden M. working with different styles without losing his uniqueness. "Lone Wolf Jihad" opens with news samples and rhythmic, wobbling noises in a manner that reminded me of Grey Wolves or Con-Dom in its power electronics style, but far cleaner and better structured than those two projects ever have been. Hypnotic and meditative, "Creeping Marrow" is more sound collage in nature, layering together disparate layers that work together perfectly. The whole piece lurches appropriately given its name, and is a bit indebted to Throbbing Gristle's early work (as alluded to in its title).
The noise scene has been a massive state of flux since the last time Elden M. released material as Allegory Chapel Ltd., but now, just as then, his work stands out distinctively. It is obviously a part of the genre, but Resurrection stands alone, embodying the best of noise while ignoring its shortfalls. Hypnotic and captivating without being harsh or cliché, it is another high water mark in his impressive catalog.
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