Um, time was, a few years ago, when bands would spend every waking moment of interviews in the big mags discussing their "hatred" of "this miserable planet." The end of Earth was cause for celebration because, apparently, we'd be rid of all those folks in
motorized carts flocking to Sunday morning buffets and worshiping The Lard. I mean, I've seen Mike Judge's Idiocracy and it has swept fast and furious fear into my heart the way a sexy maid sweeps broken glass into a dustpan. But I'm in no hurry for
Armageddon or Cindy Crawford (whichever, as Chuck Biscuits once said, comes first) and thus the torturous but artful representations of outfits such as Stalaggh aren't manifestos of hate as much as they are curious statements about the state of music and
the state of mankind.
What we have here is a 35-minute, single-track exploration of what it must really sound like in a haunted house or a haunted hell. There's minor rhythmic variation, not much in the way of harmony or melody and certainly not much in the way of toe-tapping goodness. But it is intelligent, it does come across like John Cage and maybe Xasthur getting together to compose music for an art opening featuring paintings by Mayhem's Hellhammer made from the blood and brains of his fallen bandmate Dead. A niche record
to be sure, but an artfully constructed one that, as they say, rewards repeated listens. Just don't take more than one dose in any one 24-hour period.
Track Listing
1. Projekt Misanthropia