NEWS
RELEASES
DISTRO
LINKS
Released: December '09
Released: September '09
Released: September '09
Released: September '09
Released: September '09
Released: September '09
Released: July '09
Released: July '09
Released: May '09
Released: Mar '09
Released: Mar '09
First time ever on CD for these early tapes by one of the most important figures in noise/electronic history, Maurizio Bianchi. These two discs were originally issued on tape in 1981 and have been bootlegged and cut into oblivion since then; this is the first time they've been made available digitally and fully uncut. Technology 1 has two long 25 min+ songs, both in a similar vein
and showing MB taking a more subtle melodic approach than a lot of his early works; analogue synth and organ combine to make some truly morose but ultimately uplifting music, whilst all the time reminded of the "technology" slant via laser gun blasts, hisses and bleeps. Technology 2 is a little more caustic in its approach: there are no moments of playful organ or robotic beeps, this is a
far more barren journey. It brings to mind very much a sense of alienation, like being marooned on some strange, distant planet. Almost like the nigthmare to "Technology 1"s day dream.
I'm incredibly chuffed to be putting out the music of such a legendary figure and very pleased with how this set came together. This is the first in a series of reissues of MB's early work on CD. *Please note that Technology 1 can also be found (in truncated form) of Vinyl On Demand's amazing LP boxset MB Archives. I highly recommend seeking it out.
500 copies.
Released: Mar '09
Very proud to get this one out! First time on CD for both these bands: Culver, possibly the most under-appreciated "experimental" musician in the UK who's been making some of the most awe-inspiring drone/noise for years. For those of you who don't know, Lee Stokoe plays bass in Geordie post-whatever geniuses Marzuraan as well as being the current foil to
Matthew Bower's walls of scraping guitar noise in Skullflower, but Culver is his "main" project. On this CD he gives us a 30 min+ deluge of harrowing.bassy drone. It starts off like the sound of the generator from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and similarly purveys a sense of crawling dread at what is to come. Soon things get more desperate before being crushed
into oblivion by a wall of crushing amplifier noise, which slowly develops into a more sedative shifting tone that wouldn't have been out of place on a Conrad Schnitzler record in the 70s. Perfect!
Seppuku give us two tracks in very different styles....first track "Inga" sees a full band play some unbearably heavy doom. Ushered in by what sounds like a tolling bell, this gives way to some Throbbing Gristle-esque hydraulic pumping before the guitars kick in and everything is laid to waste. Brutal low frequencies and inhuman low/screaming vokilllllls....heavy duty!
Second track Emanuelle is enhanced by the appearance of Deek and Stevie from Messiah Complex; sounds very post-industrial power electronics, with walls of bleak static forming the backbone of the track, interspersed with what sounds like post-apocalyptic winds of death, and some distorted lines of screeched vocal. Unpleasant.
Comes in a jewel case with a 12-page glossy booklet featuring pics of my favourite euro-babes. Released in tribute to the most beautiful woman to have ever graced the world with her presence, Soledad! 500 copies.
Released: Feb '09
At long fucking last! Finally glad to release this 12", which has been happening since over six months ago. Let's forget about that, though. What we have here are three tracks of old-style power electronics, reminds me particularly of the Sutcliffe Jugend "When Pornography Is No
Longer Enough" record. Very minimal in places, with periods of lull interspersed with piercing explosions, static bursts, and constant weird, heavilly processed vocals. Lyrics are very stream-of-consciousness stuff, and the delivery is bang-on, incredibly jarring stuff. Completely at odds with a lot
of PE acts around today who tend to go for the muscular beefed-up American-style approach, this is ery much more in the old Come Org vein, aesthetically in in the musical delivery. Good stuff.
300 copies. White thick card sleeves with old-school stick-on wrap-around covers with a lyric insert. Note: ONE SIDED 12", around 14 mins worth of music.
Released: Feb '09
First full-length studio album from one of the most consistently good bands around today, Chicago's Locrian. Drenched Lands is a beautifully thought-out piece of music, from a gentle guitar strum/synth opening (not a million miles away from Culver/Earth "Pentastar"-era
territory) which cuts out abruptly just as you're becoming entirely engrossed, only to give way to an epic cavernous drone. The whole thing brings to mind some sort of disused industrial factory or barren post-apocalyptic landscape. Dark tones, noise, keys and the odd well-placed guitar strum combine
brilliantly to evoke feeling of desolation, loss, a submission of will....it's almost like the logical conclusion of Neil Young's Dead Man soundtrack; almost tangiential in sound to Earth's recent(ish) "Hex" record.
1000 copies, co-release with Small Doses (US customers buy from them, it'll be cheaper!). Comes in a lovely fold-out printed Stumptown "Arigato Pack" with full-colour 4-page booklet.
Released: Feb '09
Unbelievably heavy and slow amplifier overload from France! Two long tracks of uber-doom which is seemingly devoid of any coherant structure and exists only to open up a black void in your stereo speakers through
which to suck out your very soul. Habsyll sound to me like a less happy-go-lucky Khanate, or Monarch without the hipster irony. Totally morbid!
Co-release with a bunch of other labels so loads of copies (well over 1000!). Lovely 8-panel digipaks with black-on-black printing.
Released: January '09
The 50th At War release so it had to be Vomir! First ever "proper" CD of harsh noise wall and it does not disappoint at all! I find it difficult to describe the sheer
brutality of either the concept of Vomir's music or indeed the sound of the music itself. It's long, it does not change, and it leaves me with a feeling of intense loss and
depression afterward. Truly some of the most powerful music I know. For Vomir there is nothing, and this is how he makes that statement. It's an ugly listen for sure, but well
worth the effort. Regular edition in normal jewel case.
500 copies, pro CD, great minimal artwork by Strom Varx.
Released: January '09
First full album on proper CD from these degenerates. Rape-X play scuzzy, filthy power electronics; all crack dens, backstreet abortions and low-life criminal acts. There's a lot of ridiculously over-the-top Bloodyminded-esque PE going on here,
delivered in a very metal style - but for me they're at their most effective on long, claustrophic passages such as "Arson" or the harrowing final track, "False". Dark, sub-industrial clanking in the background, behind walls of air-raid siren drones.
Powerful. often brutal stuff, and not for the faint of heart.
Released: October '08
First "solo" album from the incomparable Mike Page, he of Fire In The Head, Sky Burial etc etc. When I got sent the original cut of this record he put a note in saying something like "Here's my new record...no
PE, no ambient, JUST NOISE". Whilst this IS a departure from a lot of what he's known for, it would be a travesty to describe this as JUST noise. What you get here is one lengthy plunge into the depths of carefully-constructed
aural extremity, utterly loud and heavy as fuck and utilising as many extremes of tone that your poor lugs can take! Sometimes it all goes a bit quiet and you think there's going to be an extended period of aural respite...until
some shrieking high-end comes in and blows away any idea of shelter from the onslaught.
I was really disappointed when Mike announced he was giving up F/I/T/H but if he keeps up this level of intensity and sheer bloodyminded bludgeon the future's bright.
500 copies on CD. Great FEAR - MORE BEER rip-off artwork (brilliant band, shite album eh!). Low low price in opposition to the fucking credit crunch!
Released: September '08
First ever release on vinyl from the UK's most pummeling and heavy band, Black Sun. Having not let up in the past few years with several albums and having worked with notable producers such as Billy Anderson and James Plotkin, Black Sun come out of left-field with their most fully-formed body of work thus far, a raging statement of intent that doesn't let up or fail to engage from the opening guttural screams to the final thunderous crash.
The first track "Prison Of The Cross" takes up the entire A-side, starting off as a SWANS-esque lesson in harsh rhythmical battery, before a beautiful lull featuring Glasgow drone wizard Noma on keys, after which we go into a sort of post-Neurosis chorus which shows Black Sun at their most melodic, before reverting to a raging finale which has a vaguely mid-90s metalcore sound. Amazing!
The second side is compositionally more similar to previous album "Hour Of The Wolf"; "Hammer The Nails" has a very sub-industrial feel to it - cold and muscular - with the remix stripping the track to its bare bones and highlighting its pounding, rhythmic monotony. The whole side is very stylistically similar to Godflesh's "Slavestate" in both sound and execution. This is a good thing.
Black Sun are getting a big name for themselves and I'm incredibly proud that 1) a band like this was borne from the Glasgow scene and 2) that I'm putting the fucker out! Check them out live and have your head flattened.
500 copies. Comes with an A3 heavy stock, full colour insert with recording information/lyrics printed on one side and bloody wolfsangle on the other.
Released: May '08
These look fucking great! Prepare for the summer with suitably grim attire! These are limited as I need all the dosh I can spare at the moment to get the next batch of releases out, so act fast! Only black left, sizes S and XL
Released: Feb '08
At last!!! We've had this one brewing for months now and it's well worth the wait! What started off as a small run of CDrs has become At War's most ambitious release to date, and I'm totally fucking chuffed by it!!! This collection comprises demos, live stuff, rarities and rehearsals from the UK's most consistently interesting, forward-thinking, and just plain fucking great band of the last decade. Starting off from now and moving backwards through time to the early bedroom demo days, this CD shows Marzuraan's evolution from simplistic droning minimalism of the two bass lineup to the full-on rock beast of today.
The album kicks off with a cover of Loop's "Afterglow", putting it through the post-Ginn blender and coming out with something great. The other cover here is a raging, lo-fi recording of Rollins Band's "Turned Inside Out", performed at the inaugural Glasgow Implodes fest a few years ago. There's a fierce, noise-ridden performance of "Nice Wang" that I think I recorded on Julian Cope's last tour (crowd (un)reaction the MZ was hilarious), the epic dark drone rock of GMT recorded at the Lord Clyde in Byker, and the aptly-named Kraut-esque monotone riff of "Earth 3" from the confusing Manbyrd cassette.
All in all, Marzuraan do it better than anyone else going right now; be it bleak minimal droning walls of sound, controlled experiments into feedback or baws-out "post" rock, without the scene points. They sound like the late, twisted Flag stuff on a mid-period Voivod album, with Swervedriver on in the background. Played by Helios Creed. Or maybe I just talked a load of bollocks, fuck knows! Buy this record, dickhead.
Totally great packaging by the guys at Thumbprint Press (HUGE thanks to WT for all the effort put into this, and Pete for artistic vision!); three-panel chipboard sleeve, double-sided print, with
stark black letterpress and clear varnish. You may know these guys' work from the Sunn live album or one of the many Bastard Noise family releases, but this tops the lot in my opinion! Top banana.
Released: Jan '08
New collection of long out-of-print demos from the French master of bedroom black metal, ZBT! This is totally raw stuff, utterly devoid of production values and often, song structure. This disc comprises
some of ZBT's more considered, "musical" demos, from the repetitive dirge of "Primitive Era", the unrestrained wail and incoherence of "Apocalypse" to the thrash-esque precise riffing of "El Borak". While this
is often a difficult listen, the riffs are fucking great - opener "In Your Grave" is total Vulcano/Sarcofago-style South American-influenced filth - and the underground attitude and amateurish sound contributes
to the true black metal atmosphere that so may lack these days. ZBT is obviously influenced by Les Legiones Noires, with jarring tremolo guitar, off-kilter production and is as mysterious and just plain weird
as those bands were. For fans of bedroom BM like Striborg or cult LLN such as Mutiilation, Belketre etc.
Classic B&W art in tribute to the old masters! This is a full CD, NOT CDr.
Released: Nov '07
The first At War CD release is finally out!! Ohio's SLOTH have been creating some of the most fucked up, weird, funny music of the past 10+ years and this is their first ever CD full-length album! Known for
split records with bands such as Corrupted, Grief, Floor, Upsidedown Cross, Noothgrush etc etc, this album sees Sloth in a much more musically diverse frame of mind than usual. The painful sludge noise is still there
but there's an altogether more considered approach. There's piano on it for fuck's sake. Weird lo-fi songs that sound like they were written by a fucked up kid mix sit happily with garage rock high end jams and tar pit
slo-mo doom dirges. The "13 samples" are bang on and the humour is as bizarre and hilarious as ever.
Full CD (NOT A CDr) with full colour 4 page booklet, drawn by artist-in-chief Uberneecie and coloured in by a group of five year olds from Glasgow.
Released: December '09
Released: July '08
At last! It looked like it was never gonna happen but it has, and I'm immensely proud of At War's first LP release! This is the second album by SHIFT (first on vinyl), and builds on his much-applauded debut, "Unable To Abide The Silence Of The World". Inhabiting a dark world between noise, dark post industrial and power electronics, it's futile to try and pin down Shift - this record is just utter bleak, heavy-as-fuck, fist-in-your-face concentrated POWER. Four varied tracks ranging from sub-bass grinding drone to moments of near-silent lull, to all-out visceral static jihad, this is one of the most accomplished and expertly composed and executed albums of the genre I've heard in years. Features Lee Stokoe on bass (Skullflower, Culver, Marzuraan). Essential listening and made for vinyl!
300 copies. Heavy 180g vinyl in a sheer black disco bag, cased in a beautiful silk-screened folder and heavy-duty PVC sleeve, with a high-grade card insert/lyric sheet. Artwork by Pete White.
SOLD OUT
Released: September '09
SOLD OUT
Released: July '09
Released: May '09
SOLD OUT
Released: May '09
SOLD OUT
Released: July '09
SOLD OUT
Released: January '09
Just over 20 minutes each from both of these UK heavy-hitters, all recorded live. Seppuku start off with a psychy doom jam, at odds with the usual aggressive raped-cat vocals you've come to know and hate. Second track is dominated by a
clunky heavy metal bass riff, very slow and borderline bluesy sludge-esque. Slow, tar-pit doom. USI's side is a whole live show, where seemingly everyone involved in the Newcastle scene got on stage and smashed up whatever they could get their hands on.
At root is a repetitive Xaman riff loop, and it sounds like everything else is slowly burning in the background. By the middle of the track this has taken a back seat to a horrible hiss with some vicious screams in the background. Lofi as hell and
utterly fucking amazing! It's a real shame this band don't get the attention they deserve, brilliant stuff.
100 copies with nice glossy double-sided inserts and PINK tapes. Ray Lovelock looking kinda gay on the front too.
Released: January '09
First full-length album from Andy Lippoldt AKA Persistence In Mourning, after a couple of EPs and a split 7" with funeral doom legends Worship. The Undead Shall Rise is a concept album on a zombie
attack, following our protagonist on fleeing the zombie hordes on the A side (which ends with him being bitten), and deals with his transformation into an undead on the B side. It's a hokey concept, but does it
work? YES IT DOES! There's a real soundtrack feel to the record, with funeral doom dirges interspersed with noisey, unsettling moments and fractured spoken word. Reminiscent of doom legends Thergothon on the more "conventional" pieces,
but in my opinion the stuff he's doing on this record is a million miles ahead of anyone in the genre right now. It's a very downbeat record and captures the spirit of utter hopelessness and despair (what I can only assume the "zombie" concept is
allegory for) perfectly. Features a host of guest musicians (including Ganzmord, M. Warjomaa from Aarni and B.Baphomet from By The Horns) who serve to each stamp their own unique talents onto the music. Proud as hell to be unleashing this on the
world, this is one of my favourite At War releases yet.
250 copies, each copy includes a blood-stained "last note" from the album's protagonist.
Released: Mar '08
Reissue of the long-sold out demo tape that Funeral Folk put out in an edition of 66 copies. These guys are getting a real name for themselves in the metal underground and this is a statement of intent that justifies that! This is some of the most filthy, disgusting stuff I've ever heard; one long track that goes from all-out black metal fuzz to passages of total low-end DOOM to seriously disturbed ambient passages, all sounding like it was recorded on somebody's walkman in a dungeon somewhere. 20-odd minutes of totally harrowing bleakness. True Belgian nihilism!!
Great three-panel foldout silver-on-black screenprinting by Tetedemort from France, all in a thick PVC sleeve. Grim artwork by the late great Aubrey Beardsley. 500 copies.
SOLD OUT
Released: Mar '09
New Culver tape. I've been asked to keep these releases shrowded in mystery!
50 copies only. Obtuse B/W art/pro cassettes.
Released: Mar '09
New Culver tape. I've been asked to keep these releases shrowded in mystery!
50 copies only. Obtuse B/W art/pro cassettes.
Released: July '09
SOLD OUT
Released: Mar '09
First in the Austrasian Goat split 7" series and it's a belter! TAG start things off with three tracks all based around the concept of WAR, split up with some conversation in french that I don't understand. The tracks are really fast and raw, pretty old school black metal and maybe not what some people would expect. Brings to mind a slightly more
musically adept Ildjarn. Afflictis Lentae hail from France also and their side starts off with the sound of machine gunning, which seems to continue through the whole song....totally brutal black metal battery; again, all volume turned up as far in the red as possible, total hell for leather stuff.
350 copies. Heavy vinyl in a black disco bag with screen printed recycled card covers, plus a double-sided lyric insert. This is a corelease between At War, 213, Krusty Le Clown, Nuclear Thrash, Carbonized Cells, Amertume, Wee Wee and CVE (phew!); I have 70 copies for sale.
Released: Feb '09
Two discs of incredibly minimal non-shifting tone from Lubyanka. The music is based on the Suprematist art movement, and particularly focussing on Malevich's "Black Square". Ultimately minimal, the first disc (3") is an unsettling low throbbing tone with
utterly no variation; the second "black" disc is a more harsh static robotic tread, white noise digitised crunching against a harsh noise wall bass backdrop. Warning: NOT easy listening!
100 copies. Jewel case with the CDs themselves as art, concentric circles against a transparent printed insert of a black square. Ultra minimal!
Released: January '09
The 50th At War release so it had to be Vomir! First ever "proper" CD of harsh noise wall and it does not disappoint at all! I find it difficult to describe the sheer
brutality of either the concept of Vomir's music or indeed the sound of the music itself. It's long, it does not change, and it leaves me with a feeling of intense loss and
depression afterward. Truly some of the most powerful music I know. For Vomir there is nothing, and this is how he makes that statement. It's an ugly listen for sure, but well
worth the effort.
100 copies, only available from me. Includes a second black/black CDr with over an hour of further HNW, in a black anti-static bag with a Vomir sticker. Sale only, no trades on this thanks.
Released: September '08
Black print on a yellow shirt. Design in tribute to one of my favourite Giallos, Torso AKA Carnal Violence...and of course the lovely Suzy Kendall.
In preparation for the forthcoming eurobabe attack of the Culver/Seppuku CD! Only SMALL left!
Released: November '08
Here we have two of the leading lights of the HNW scene, Vomir from France and Concrete Threat from Sweden. Vomir side is a very oppressive, suffocating wall; Concrete Threat seems to have a greater level of dynamism (is that the right
word? Probably not!) and is equally as much of an endurance test. At around 20 minutes a piece, this is relatively "wall light" but still packs a mighty punch. All hail the new breed!
110 copies, regular tape cases with plain black j-card, black tapes. Glossy inserts and At War/HNW sticker hidden inside. *PS - you can tell which side is which because Side A is marked with one dot and Side B is marked with two!*
Released: Jul '08
The entire Glasgow Implodes performance captured on a wee mini CDr! And for those of you fortunate enough to not witness this epic set, it lasted around a minute and a half. Unholy violent vocal outbursts, blast beats a-plenty, and some horrific wall of noise from Lee Stokoe. Painful to listen to, but it doesn't last very long. Cover in tribute to the most handsome snooker player around, also featuring Greame Dott. Spot the spelling mistake on the back and win a pie.
200 copies. ***If you buy this with anything else, DON'T ADD ANY FURTHER POSTAGE, it's only wee and won't cost any more to ship!***
Released: October '08
First time on 7" for this black metal beast! Whilst the last release I did for Gnaw Their Tongues was very Abruptum-esque crypt-dwelling, chain-clanking noise, this release sees Mories go for a more "traditional" - if that can ever be said of GTT - black metal approach. Fast and raw as fuck but with some great melodies going on, there's even a trad metal wail on the A side. It's got the same basement production you'll be used to, reminds me a little of a really under-produced and less technically-adept Marduk circa-"Heaven Shall Burn...". Side B "Dead Bird Prophecies" starts off with some cryptic looping samples then goes straight for the jugular with a complete mess of drums and total black guitar, a total blown-out savage disaster. It all culminates in a chorus of wailing guitar solo, noise and shrieking vocal before settling on a weird keyboard line and some spoken word before all going mental again. Amazing!
300 copies, black vinyl. Pro-done colour sleeves with some unpleasant art by Mories.
Released: August '08
New 7" that I'm incredibly chuffed about! Sharing a split 7" with one of my favourite bands is the highlight of doing all this stuff so far, could only be eclipsed by maybe Maiden letting me go on tour with them, or perhaps Peter Gabriel playing some flute on our next record. Anyway, I digress. Seven short tracks of weirdness from Sloth; creepy, odd atmosphere to these and in a similar vein to the more obtuse approach of recent EPs they've been coming out with. Some great sub-stoner riffs in there and some ridiculously high-pitched screaming going on. Another winner. One long, claustrophobic and ultra-heavy track from Seppuku, not a million miles away from the recent split 7" with Mutant Ape, but more cohesive. Snails-pace riffing, unholy sarcophagus shrieks and sub-bass low-end. All in tribute to one of the most amazing women ever, Lina Romay.
Full-colour thick card sleeves and sturdy PVC wallets. 200 copies, split release with Sloth.
Released: August '08
When they're not bombing the shit out of small countries or pissing off the international community in general, Russia excels in making some of the most weird, off-the-wall noise currently around. VDVZH make some of the most painful, out-of-tune, ridiculously over-the-top and frankly brilliant noise I've ever heard. My good friend Phil Monopolka put out a tape by these guys a wee while ago and this is like that but multiplied by ten....nearly EIGHTY MINUTES of random smashing, guitar abuse, drums being thrown about, screaming......I think these things happen but it's difficult to tell. There's a vaguely noisecore element to it all but it sounds much less "focussed"...and by that I mean it could have been recorded by a bunch of tramps who'd happened upon some amplifiers in an alley after sniffing some glue and downing a couple of four litre bottles of White Lighting. Totally recommended if yer a fan of, say, "Instruments Disorder". Which happily I consider amongst the greatest things ever recorded. "Every gig is a dis-ass-terrr". Too fucking right!
Oversize card sleeves, stick-on artwork, some sage information on the album, and a picture of a guy's arsehole on the CD face. What more do you want? 100 copies.
Released: May '08
20 minutes of slowly building, grim and pummeling harsh noise. Layers of black static build on top of one another until everything is maxed out and it becomes a pure wall of droning bass-heavy morbidity.
Jewel case with minimal two-piece black/white card inserts. 100 copies.
Released: September '08
Two sided print, white on black. Front: Paralyser LP cover; HAMMER THE NAILS. Back: Wolfsangle / At War logo. Sizes S, M, L available. *No image, Photobucket cunts keep taking it down! NAZIS.*
Released: Mar '08
A new limited CDr from the current main man of torturous, necrotic black noise, Gnaw Their Tongues. This is some of his most noisy, "anti musical" stuff to date, all jangling chains, old samples of torture victims, cold synth and total NECROMATICAL SCREAMS. It reminds me a lot of Abruptum, but not quite as minimalistic. Whilst not overtly black metal in terms of sound, the aesthetic and general sense of utter misanthropy is abundantly clear. A perfect companion piece to his more "mainstream" releases. These won't stay around long so get 'em while you can!!
Put a lot of time and effort into the packaging on this one: A3-sized card sleeve with a black-on-black vellum insert, with a double-sided CD-size fully printed card sleeve inside, and printed silver
CDr with black bottom. All held in a DVD-size PVC wallet. 100 copies
Released: Mar '08
Black shirt, white front print (logo/woman with knife from the "Devotion" CDr), At War logo on the back. Fruit Of The Loom shirts.
Released: Feb '08
First foray into the world of vinyl and it's a belter if I do say so myself!! The incredibly busy George Proctor smashes us across the chops for the duration of his side of this slab with a punishing
six minute lesson in harsh noise brutality. It sounds like a large collection of faulty electric appliances being launched down the stairs of a building on fire. Fucking GREAT! On the flipside is a couple
of tracks by the band formerly known as TETSUO. This side sees a change of direction from the previous lo-fi clatterings of before and contains two mercilessly heavy tracks of full-on noise doom!! First
track, "The Sound Of Slow Decay" does exactly what it says on the tin...repetitive sub-Sabbath riffing which eventually kills itself, followed by "Vincent Price's Wife Is Dead", which sounds like a hokey 70s
nightmare sequence from a Hammer film gone wrong.
Stick-on laser printed sleeves and a confusing insert that doesn't really shed much light on anything. BLACK VINYL, 220 copies. This is a corelease with Turgid Animal and can also be bought from
www.turgid-animal.co.uk
Released: Feb '08
First (I think?!) record from this horrible meeting of the two unstable minds of Lee Stokoe (Culver) and George Proctor (Mutant Ape). This comes across very much as a great sum of parts
from this pair: vacuous tunnels of stasis and repetitive crumbling walls of horrific noise assault. It all sounds a bit like the beginning of Terminator II, y'know, when the big tank things are
crushing the MOUNTAINS OF SKULLS. To quote Donald Tardy of Obituary: heavier than a bag of donkey's balls.
Completely at odds with the holocaustal music contained within, this is packaged in sickeningly garish covers drawn by Tisbor in my kitchen as the cabinet collapsed on top of me. Bright
yellow vellum backs and full colour Girls Aloud tribute CDrs! 100 copies.
Released: Feb '08
First release (hopefully of many!) by this amazing new band from the US. I got this through the door one day a few months ago and was utterly blown away by how totally powerful and blistering it was.
Three tracks of completely bleak, unrelenting and totally innovative harsh black noise! There are some terrific moments of tension as everything boils down to a low simmer, before once again the high-
end kicks in and pummels yer napper into submission. There's a rather ambiguous Satanic theme running through this and there's a genuinely weird and truly unsettling undercurrent to the whole thing.
Bang on the second track and you'll see what I mean: distorted synth (?!) tones, echoed, unintelligible samples, cut through with the odd "Erector"-style ultra high-frequency laser blast. Properly
disturbing music.
In keeping with the tone of the piece, image for the front artwork taken from "Cthulu" by Austin Spare (the original of which I had the pleasure of viewing a couple of months ago in Glasgow!); wrap-around
black half-sleeve, back parchment insert, fully printed CDr. 100 copies.
Released: Feb '08
Around 30 minutes a piece from this pairing of like-minded post-industrial pessimists from Chicago and Bathgate respectively. Mike Kraus AKA Death Factory gives us four tracks of very varied noise/ambient.
There are a lot of different styles going on here, from straight-up harsh-head attack to weird flanger effects, more often than not all amalgamating into a sorta "noise orchestra" crescendo. A lot's went
into this and repeated listens really yield something new every time. Supoib! Messiah Complex's side is a little more typical of their sound than than
ominous dark ambience of their previous At War release, "Meniscus". This untitled track builds up from a crackling oscillation to full on blazing static fire and a wailing feedback chorus. It waxes and
wanes through solid rumbling noise wall and loud as fuck, in-yer-skull post power electronic battery! These guys are quietly plying their trade and putting out some great releases on many respectable
noise labels. Keep an eye out!
Some of my favourite At War packaging yet! All cassettes come in static shielding bags with double-sided insert/black stickered cassettes, all sealed with a wee sticker. All these tapes were pro-duplicated.
You think I've got time to sit every night dubbing an endless pile of fucking tapes? Nae chance pal!! 100 copies.
Released: Jan '08
100 Copies
These guys slayed Glasgow when they came last year and these new recordings are even better! Two mini CDrs, two new lengthy songs by this Anglo-Canadian drums/guitar duo currently residing in Tokyo, Japan!
First disc "Ikeburo Incinerator" is a total Jap-psych instrumental blowout, completely wild and unrestrained. The title of this track seems pertinent, in that it sounds like it was recorded in a sweaty room
with no fucking way out. Second disc - "Your Love Is A Fucking Drag" is more of an early 90s AmRep-style jam, yet feels more considered. Brilliant caustic lyrics and shredding screams give way to an
over-the-top instrumental crescendo, all heaving guitar and clattering drum wizardry. Really happy to be releasing this, some might think this is more "musical" than the usual At War stuff, but this is still as
in-your-face and NOISE as anything else.
Printed double mini-CDrs in nice "indestructible" double CD cases, with mounted thick-stock card inserts on brown paper.
Released: Dec '07
One of the most punishing noise releases ever. Period! "Claustration" is over five hours (spread over five discs) of the most harsh wall noise imaginable. Ominous pummeling walls of avalanche static
beating upon your brain until submission. This record will takes "wall noise" to the next level - essential!!
Here's a run-down of everything included:
5 CDrs - "Claustration"; over five hours of new harsh order from the french master of wall, Vomir!
Bonus CDr of old Vomir/pre Vomir material; very interesting disc compiled from old tapes/CDrs. See the origins of Vomir!
Vomir tshirt, white print on a black shirt
Glossy Vomir 5"x3" Vomir "Harsh Noise Wall" sticker
Vomir pin badge; black skull logo with red type
Released: Oct '07
50 Copies
Manipulated field recordings and subtle electronic oscillations from Adam Baker, who also runs the excellent and under-appreciated Dirty
Demos label. At times quite disorientating due to the chopped-up nature of the 13 short-ish tracks; snippets of conversation and street sounds
glued together by laptop fuzz.
Stickered black digipaks with gold spraypaint, insert and sprayed white CDrs.
Released: Sep '07
120 Copies
New mini-CDr from one of the most interesting and forward-thinking US "noise" bands out right now. The idea behind this release was to utilise no distortion at all, using
a lot of unorthodox instrumentation. The results are astounding and quite unlike anything WIO have done in the past. Some great tunes going on here; eight minute-plus "Now You
Know" is amazing; low-fi percussives and what sounds like some spanish guitar? Great ritual music nonetheless that comes as a big surprise and my only disappointment is it's not longer. Another
companion piece will be coming soon on At War, cannae wait!
3" CDr comes in a PVC case, wrapped in black material made out of flowers (?!) and a gold band, and a printed insert.
Released: Sep '07
100 Copies
Snotnosed has become a bit of a legend in recent years. Born as a "tribute" of sorts to Jap trash noise legends Hanatarashi/Hanatarash, this duo went
about demolishing several venues of northern England (and often themselves) with as little care for the consequences as their Japanese counterparts did in the 80s. What
we have here is a collection of live sets as well as remixed/remastered "studio" tracks which originally appeared on Traqueto Records' "Surrounding" complilation. Nothing
can compare to the total destructive onslaught that was Snotnosed live but these recordings are the next best thing!!
Painstakingly packaged in yellow card covers, with a full colour CDr (pink, green or yellow), a green Snotnosed pin badge, and a
twelve-page booklet, featuring live reviews, previously unseen photos, "An Oral History Of Snotnosed", liner notes and track info. Amazing stuff!!
Debut album from sometime Tetsuo member Rejectamenta!! Total robotic psychosis; there's far too much going on here to even begin to describe it after just a few listens. Adam Cresser is a total genius
of circuit-bent electronics and his mastery is on full display here. It's amazing to hear a "noise" album that's actually been thought out - nay, COMPOSED - that you can in fact hum along to. Well, maybe not.
Either way, this is totally intense stuff and I'm not over-emphasising when I say this is up there with the finest examples of the genre I've ever heard. Whilst there are so many noise artists out there today who
release 50+ albums in a year, it's refreshing to hear one who actually puts in a massive amount of time, work and effort to make something that just sounds devestating. Buy or die!!
There are two different versions of this record; I had initially only intended on putting out 50 since the metal cases were so expensive, but I've since decided to make an unlimited "regular edition" which is a lot
cheaper but contains exactly the same music. It's up to you what one you want to buy.
Packaged in a metal DVD-sized tin, hand engraved on the front, with shiny silver CDrs. Expensive but these cost a fortune to buy and will cost a fortune to mail due to the weight! 50 copies.
Printed in response to Sunn charging three thousand quid fer a CDr on their
last UK tour! Euronymous is spinning in his grave and that's why these shirts
are necessary attire! Tool up and help in the fight against the hipster
menace!
Released: May '07
100 copies
Finally the new Noma album is unleashed! I'm massively chuffed with this one; everything about this release is why I
decided to start At War in the first place!
Double album set that shows two distinct sides to the wonderful and often frightening world of Noma; the first disc "Lacrimosa" features
one long piece built up with layered harmonium and drones which slowly envelop the listener. As Dylan Carlson said, "...a physical presence in the room...I can almost touch the sounds". The second disc, "Nidus" collects a bunch of more "noise"-style shorter tracks built around heavily-manipulated found sounds, vocals, and field recordings. In contrast to the first disc, lots
going on and really benefits from repeated listens.
I'm very chuffed to be releasing this as Noma gets nothing like the credit he deserves when there are a lot more unoriginal acts doing the rounds right now being praised by the usual clueless
journo-types just cos their face fits. Highly recommended!
Packaged in printed vellum with wrap-around insert in over-sized PVC slipcase. These are all hand-made and have been in the works for several weeks due to every part of the process going wrong at some point.
Released: May '07
Unlimited Press
One long track of unrelenting filthy monoto-noise from these mysterious noise perverts. Faceless
and unrelentingly harsh avalanche of pummeling noise and low-end bass rumble. Truly unpleasant black-on-black packaging that's as hard to see as the music is to listen to.
I'm going to do this one as an on-going press so no limit on numbers.
Released: May '07
100 Copies
A torturous bleak industrial noise soundscape that could only be borne from Bathgate, Scotland! Totally bereft of joy, this is much more dark ambient than this two-piece's usually more harsh noise output, but there are definite METAL undertones to the whole thing. This will suck your soul! Think Death In June, the "Eraserhead"
soundtrack and the first Fear Factory album (!)
Pro-printed sleeves in DVD-size polythene covers
Released: Mar '07
100 Copies
One long track of unshifting "harsh noise wall" from prolific frenchman and Maison Bruit head Vomir. Overwhelming white noise static that takes no prisoners. Fuck music! No tunes, no compromise!
Comes in an oversize hard "CD safe case" with some pretty horrific artwork.
Released: Mar '07
100 Copies
Reissue of the out of print Finnish noisecore classic originally released four years ago! 56 songs of discordant, screaming out-of-tune mania from a solo Beip. All done in nine minutes of sheer aural torture, brings to mind the best finnish noisecore band ever, AUNT MARY!
PS - for an excellent resource on noisecore, check out this excellent info site:
http://www.cfprod.com/noisecore/
Packaged in a 3" PVC wallet, pro-printed card and wrapped in pink Cromatico paper.
Released: Mar '07
200 Copies
One lengthy track from then two-piece improv punk dicks Tetsuo partly recorded live in a manic performance in Aberdeen last summer. Inhuman screams, jazz drumming, samples from old Toshihiro Mifune films and some J-pop to finish it off. What more do you want?
The other three tracks come from Japanese Blondie tribute band BRONDIE, recorded in rehearsal space in Kanazawa, Ishikawa in 2004. Fucking ace!!
3" CDr comes in a mini hard DVD case with nudie image of the goddess who is Debbie Harry, as well as a picture CD. Small but perfectly formed!
Released: Jan '07
100 Copies
The best release At War has done yet!! Remember the opening track on Corrupted's "Se Hace Por Los Suenos Asesinos" and how you didn't think the world could get any bleaker? Prepare yerself for this! One ultra-lengthy piece that builds up from minimal strumming to a total wall of white noise VOID and then back again. Brings to mind Ulver's masterpiece "Kveldssanger". Totally epic!
SOLD OUT
Released: Dec '06
100 Copies
Live set recorded with amazing improv guitarist and Enlightenment records founder Lars Myrvoll last summer in Oslo. The addition of a guitar makes this a much harsher proposition than some of this duo's previous material, but's fits perfectly with Jan-M Iversen's electronic backbone and Sindre Bjerga's buzz and howl. Some great heavy moments of apocalyptic doom amidst the lull and squall. Fully hand-made paper wallets hold the CD, only 2-3 of each design! Hand numbered, includes watercolour paper insert with art by Alec Cheer.
SOLD OUT
Released: Nov '06
50 Copies
New set of intensely personal tracks by one of the most under-appreciated soloists working today. Edited together from recordings made up to a decade ago, a lot of this is more caustic than recent works on Lefthand Pressings but there are a few moments of wonderful lull in there too.
At times dramatic, resonant and jarringly emotive; his best work yet. Packaged in printed gauze paper at the front/tracing paper at the back.
SOLD OUT
Released: Oct '06
50 Copies
30 min plus harsh noise workout incorporating bizarre samples, loops and vocals (?!) from this reclusive german cave-dweller.
Coming at it from a very unique angle: mad, atonal blasts of sheer noise evolving continuously battle with tortured cows and piercing feedback. Comes in suitably zany packaging, all spraypainted differently.
SOLD OUT
Released: Sept '06
50 Copies
One 60 minute+ exercise in minimal drones and layers of dense, tidal
tone.
A total trip of wavelength experimentation and low frequency
oscillations of white noise, gives the same effect of the classic "Earth 2"
record. Very minimally packaged in two sheets of printed translucent heavy-stock
paper.
Released: Sept '06
100 Copies
Brilliantly bleak free-drone from grimm necrowizard Ruaraidh Sanachan. Three
very varied tracks of dense megalithic tones and penetrating feedback.
Comes
in a jewel case with half-size back insert and black-bottomed CDrs, and filled
with dead wasps.
Released: Aug '06
120 Copies
Track 1 recorded @ Glasgow Implodes Festival, 23/10/05
Tracks 2 & 3
recorded @ Leckie's flat, 27/02/06
Track 4 recorded @ Stereo, 24/02/06
A track each from each band and two collaborations recorded on Monopolka's UK
tour. Harsh high-end assault from Kylie, confrontational drum/vocal fight
instigation from Tetsuo.
Fancy dan packaging