Reviews Search

Locrian/Katchmare, "Drosscape/Scarab"

This odd little multicolored 7" record puts these two relatively young projects together, and demonstrates just how diverse the so called "noise" scene can be.  While both mix elements of contemporary drone, Locrian layers and moulds sound into structured chaos, while Katchmare focuses on simple, singular sounds to create an oddly toned piece of noise.

 

Pilgrim Talk

The Locrian track "Drosscape"” first begins with bass drone and modulated guitar feedback, building tension before dark, clanging sounds and processed screams stab sharply into the track, followed by a traditional wall of electronic noise and guitar pedal abuse that straddles the more subtle underpinnings, taking what was once a guitar drone track into harsh noise territory.  Just as some headbanging loop-centric elements begin to really dominate the track, it immediately drops to complete silence.

The Katchmare side sticks with stuttering overdriven noises, early on resembling the loping chug of an old lawnmower before amping up into the traditional overdriven harsh noise style, but rather than sustaining the blast, it begins to uncomfortably cut out, fade to silence before roaring back in, or get chopped up into tiny delays of sound that lead me to question when the track was going to actually end.

If I had to pick a side, it'd go to the Locrian one because it has a wider array of sound and a more dramatic build, but Katchmare's track is a good piece of raw noise crunch that sometimes is just needed to aid in digestion and clearing off shelves, so it is by no means ignorable.