Angel of Decay - Covered in Scars

This is a heavy release. The apocalyptic fantasy art scene on the cover is perhaps unsurprising as this is released on Desolation House, the dark ambient imprint of Relapse/Release Entertainment. Angel of Decay is Jonathan Canady formerly of Deathpile, (his G.R. release also featured a cameo from David E. Williams) the US based power electronics outfit. During the nineties he was a member of industrial metal band Dead World. Canady has ventured into experimental music before with a number of collaborations (including Hollow Earth and Blunt Force Trauma) but Angel of Decay represents his first solo venture into drone based electronic music. Covered in Scars is drawn from his own pantheon of personal nightmares; each track accompanied by writings from his dream diary - a bleak collection of brutal, hellish and surrealist visions. Nothing within the music references the texts so it is very much open to interpretation.

The sounds herein were created from vintage analog synths and other old equipment. You wouldn't notice. It's a carefully crafted piece of work where sounds are almost teased out and drawn. Its a well of deep menacing reverberations with cavernous rumblings that unfold slowly. Ominous drones rise and fade, and collide with assorted industrial wasteland sounds. There is nothing particularly shrill but a feeling of sustained tension is maintained through-out on the drone based material. Only on 'Face Print' and the title track does the music take a more structured form with a series of deep synth stabs. The rest is nefarious, and comparable to drone artists and others such as Lustmord and Inade who have plummeted to the depths of the abyss for inspiration. Torturous drone music designed to chill and torment. For more information go to www.desolationhouse.com or www.malsonus.com