Box Set (Works for Abattoir Fermé 2007 - 2011)
Our affection for Pepijn Caudron's ghoulishly absorbing music as Kreng is no secret - 2009's L'Autopsie Phenomenale De Dieu and last year's Grimoire both made a big impression on us. But those two records, it turns out, are the tip of a particularly chilling iceberg: as a long-time member of renowned theatre troupe Abattoir Ferme, he's been crafting suitably arcane ambiences and gothic overtures for their theatre performances for several years now. Finally, the best of these works from 2007-2011 are being collected by Miasmah across four LPs, compiled here in one box set, and it's a hugely engrossing, occasionally disturbing haul indeed. 'Monkey' is particularly potent, with two movements that ratchet up the tension before exploding: Part 1's oppressive dronescape is gradually carved up to shreds by military-processional snare rolls, and part 2's bleak industrial drift breaks out into a totally unexpected bout of EBM-techno. 'Tourniquet' showcases a more genteel, classically informed side of Caudron's sound, with the influence of Badalamenti and Ligeti alike looming large, while the awesome 'Snuff', is perhaps the piece here most reminiscent of the previous Miasmah albums - a veritable symphony of undead marching band themes, swelling Caretaker strings and blood-curdling foley effects right out of the Berberian Sound Studio. Part 1 of 'Mythobarbital' is masterful, literally begging to soundtrack some impossibly stylish, ultraviolent modern-day giallo, while the distant vocal phantoms and sparse, skeletal drum hits of Part 2 make us think of Lustmord, Aphex's SAW II and even Raime. A magnificent set.
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Our affection for Pepijn Caudron's ghoulishly absorbing music as Kreng is no secret - 2009's L'Autopsie Phenomenale De Dieu and last year's Grimoire both made a big impression on us. But those two records, it turns out, are the tip of a particularly chilling iceberg: as a long-time member of renowned theatre troupe Abattoir Ferme, he's been crafting suitably arcane ambiences and gothic overtures for their theatre performances for several years now. Finally, the best of these works from 2007-2011 are being collected by Miasmah across four LPs, compiled here in one box set, and it's a hugely engrossing, occasionally disturbing haul indeed. 'Monkey' is particularly potent, with two movements that ratchet up the tension before exploding: Part 1's oppressive dronescape is gradually carved up to shreds by military-processional snare rolls, and part 2's bleak industrial drift breaks out into a totally unexpected bout of EBM-techno. 'Tourniquet' showcases a more genteel, classically informed side of Caudron's sound, with the influence of Badalamenti and Ligeti alike looming large, while the awesome 'Snuff', is perhaps the piece here most reminiscent of the previous Miasmah albums - a veritable symphony of undead marching band themes, swelling Caretaker strings and blood-curdling foley effects right out of the Berberian Sound Studio. Part 1 of 'Mythobarbital' is masterful, literally begging to soundtrack some impossibly stylish, ultraviolent modern-day giallo, while the distant vocal phantoms and sparse, skeletal drum hits of Part 2 make us think of Lustmord, Aphex's SAW II and even Raime. A magnificent set.
Our affection for Pepijn Caudron's ghoulishly absorbing music as Kreng is no secret - 2009's L'Autopsie Phenomenale De Dieu and last year's Grimoire both made a big impression on us. But those two records, it turns out, are the tip of a particularly chilling iceberg: as a long-time member of renowned theatre troupe Abattoir Ferme, he's been crafting suitably arcane ambiences and gothic overtures for their theatre performances for several years now. Finally, the best of these works from 2007-2011 are being collected by Miasmah across four LPs, compiled here in one box set, and it's a hugely engrossing, occasionally disturbing haul indeed. 'Monkey' is particularly potent, with two movements that ratchet up the tension before exploding: Part 1's oppressive dronescape is gradually carved up to shreds by military-processional snare rolls, and part 2's bleak industrial drift breaks out into a totally unexpected bout of EBM-techno. 'Tourniquet' showcases a more genteel, classically informed side of Caudron's sound, with the influence of Badalamenti and Ligeti alike looming large, while the awesome 'Snuff', is perhaps the piece here most reminiscent of the previous Miasmah albums - a veritable symphony of undead marching band themes, swelling Caretaker strings and blood-curdling foley effects right out of the Berberian Sound Studio. Part 1 of 'Mythobarbital' is masterful, literally begging to soundtrack some impossibly stylish, ultraviolent modern-day giallo, while the distant vocal phantoms and sparse, skeletal drum hits of Part 2 make us think of Lustmord, Aphex's SAW II and even Raime. A magnificent set.