Monolith
Brvciare Ogni Cosa
Il Sorgere Del Male
Cibo Per Piccole Larve
Tanzerloch
Holy Hole
Nvll

LVNVS were / are an Italian duo comprising deviLs g. of Teatro Satanico & Stefano B. of DSIP who released a couple of tapes on OEC back in 1993 & 1996. This CDR culls the best pieces from both those releases. I’ll hold my hands up here and plead ignorance on my part for never having heard either of these artists or their respective groups before but they may mean something to some of you reading this.

The first thing that came to mind on hearing this CD (and this is really fucking weird) was that I was reminded of The Swans circa "Filth & Cop" if Michael Gira’s mob used electronics instead of guitars. Sludge electronics if you will. Then after hearing it more the distinct resonance’s of early Throbbing Gristle & Non sprang to mind. Now that my friends is one hell of a combination in anyone’s book. But I honestly believe this is the nearest description I can think for the seven tracks presented here.

The early tracks feel oh so s…l…o…w and heavy and sticky like tar before suddenly hitting their stride and going into a more upbeat looped power noise and distorted whispered vocals style of music. Fascinating and quite a strange sound overall. There are some recordings you get to hear that knock you off kilter and have you searching for words to adequately try and put across the sheer vibrancy of the music on display. This is one such recording. Falling somewhere in-between the dark ambient / early Industrial / power noise genres yet floating in its own perpetual orbit of diverse angulated music that resonates creativeness along every line. Simple in structure the music may at first appear but by scratching beneath the surface veneer you’ll discover a complex and thoroughly invigorating listening experience.

Some blasts from the past aren’t worth revisiting as time has done them no favours as the music now appears stale, drab and outdated. Not so with LVNVS. If anything this timely release showcases a duo ahead of the game and on top form throughout . As essential a listen now as well as a historical document of past Italian Industrial culture.

ANM