Quick Looks 12-22-11

Kristoffer Nystroms Orkester - Overlook Hotel
[Malignant Records]

New LP from KNO (Megaptera + V:28) released via Malignant Records. This is a really great record (unfortunately looks like vinyl only at this time) which I have been enjoying quite a bit lately. It's a fantastic mixture of deep drones and industrial percussion and noises. There are a bits of harsh noise, creepy vocal samples, and synth squelches, but never too abrasive or haphazard. Though mainly more towards the ambient end of things, there are two really good heavy industrial tracks. The songs are well crafted, and quite diverse in their makeup. Overall, the record has a good flow and the listener will not become bored. The album is called Overlook Hotel and I gather that the idea is to transport the listener into the inner workings of a disquieting, abandoned old building - and they absolutely succeed in this! Very dark, haunting moods are masterfully manifested. Definitely one to check out for fans of Megaptera's "The Curse of The Scarecrow", Steel Hook Prostheses, Stratvm Terror, etc. This is on the more atmospheric side of those.

Illuminoscillate - Legacy of Sodom
[Zero Noize]

On this free digital release Illuminoscillate gives us four kind of long, gritty ambient tracks based on 120 Days of Sodom. It starts off well with a heavy droning piece steeped in noise and filth, which is by far the best of the 4. This definitely conjures dark and unsettling moods. As above, fans of Steel Hook, Megaptera, and Stratvm Terror would dig this. The release drops off a bit following this opener, with less of the dark heavy drone, instead replacing them with "lighter" / weaker drones with annoying, overly loud spoken word bits. I always skip track 2, but tracks 3 and 4 are kind of back to the interesting sound of the opener. This release could have highly benefited from some mastering, but it's neat for a free release. Fans of creepy, kind of minimal death industrial might want to give it a shot. Nothing life changing for sure, but it's worth the price of admission. [download here]