This trio delivers. No matter how ya slice it, it comes up nuts...The first track on disc one, "Parish of Tama (Ossuary Dub)" starts with a classic John Zorn, Mick Harris, Bill Laswell intro which erupts into a spacey/dubby jazz fusion. Lots of fun. No shortage of high pitched sax wails and tortured screams and groans. The second track is just a way cool jam--no disappointments, no filler. The final cut on disc one, "Pashupatinath", starts out sounding like Dragnet with aperiodic space-outs, flanged samples, and grooving sax... Disc two, consisting of ambient remixes of the first disc, opens with the sounds of Tibetan Monks, but this sin is ultimately forgivable because it's still a grooving piece of heinous sound. The real drumset drumming in the remix is a refreshing change from the standard TR-808 and conga sounds usually employed... Who needs synth washes when ya have Zorn's saxophone? --S.A.

(first appeared in Reign of Toads #4)

Dense, ambient noise wash compositions that gush into white noise territory on currents of searing Learjet backblast and automated cinderblock factory malfunction. Falling asleep to this is challenging, though the Toil portion, from an older recording session, seeps into spacier territory--particularly "beckoning", a collaboration with Belgian electronic composer Vidna Obmana. Ominous and complex music, packaged in a beautifully-designed cardstock sleeve with raised, embossed design on the front cover. (Fuck jewel boxes, man.) --K.S.

(first appeared in Reign of Toads #3)

last update 1/17/97

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