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If
any of you bothered to read my review of the MZ412 VS Folkstorm release
[read here],
which I suggest you all do, you’ll know that I made certain pertinent
points about ‘live’ albums. Here’s another one for you
to digest. What constitutes a ‘live’ recording? Going back
many years Throbbing Gristle released "Heathen Earth" which
was a recording made in one take in a studio with assorted guests to witness
proceedings. Does this qualify as a ‘live’ recording? The
reason I ask is that "Deadtech" is a ‘live’ recording
from Chicago in 2001 but the sound quality and clarity make it appear
very much like a studio recording. Either the engineers are magicians
or "Deadtech" was recorded in the same way as "Heathen
Earth". Of course it doesn’t fucking matter one way or the
other unless ‘obsession’ is your middle name. All we the record
buying public want is the music to be something we can enthuse over and
lose ourselves into.
The first Veil of Secrecy recording, titled rather imaginary "VOS",
on the Triumvirate label I gushed over and said it was ‘Beautifully
rendered dark ambience’ and ‘Utterly fantastic and an absolute
joy to behold’. Read it for yourself [read
here]. I stand to this day by every word. "Deadtech" is
much more of the same. The difference here though is the four pieces of
music are more drawn out length wise and have drone / dream / nightmare
/ hypnotic like structures to them. The passages of music seem to float
for an eternity moving impartially from the darkest recesses into light
fragments of heavenly euphoria. As none of the tracks are named or listed
here is a quick breakdown of the running order of "Deadtech".
Tracks 1 + 2: bleak, foreboding, generally fucking scary shit music. Track
3: mechanical slow burner with eerie claustrophobic overtones. Track 4:
Amazing Zen sleep inducing piece that takes you to a higher plane of consciousness
and understanding. Fitting that the best was kept for last.
Sometimes a record will come along and just bowel you over completely
with its intensity and vision and this is one such record. The fact that
it was supposedly recorded ‘live’ makes it an even more outstanding
achievement.
ANM