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For your personal delectation Subhuman from Russia (?) presents a limited edition 3" CDR, only 99 copies, 20+ minutes of martial / neo folk / power music spread over seven tracks. The bastard sons of Von Thronstall + Karjalan Sissit + As All Die + ACOH + anyone else you care to mention working within these genres.

Taking a variety of samples from the 30’s & 40’s and placing them over triumphant military marching beats and orchestrations or softly strummed guitar folk and fusing in the occasional piece of electronic noise doodling the result is a recording that stands on a level playing field with others working within the same musical boundaries. The samples used are varied and adds greatly to the overall atmospheres. When they strike up the pounding beats the recording comes alive but those moments aren’t carried fully throughout the CDR…mores the pity. There is though a general murkiness on some of the tracks, with lots of crackles and hiss, which I suppose repre sents the era covered but which detracts slightly when a cleaner and crisper sound would have been appreciated more and could have embellished the recording greatly.

Although intriguing in places there isn’t anything new to be found here that hasn’t been done to death before. That’s not to condemn Subhuman to the bargain basement bin of record stores (not that 99 copies will go that far) because they are worth a spin and the music shows a promise and grounding which, hopefully, future recordings will build on.

ANM