I’d not heard of Diemen Sniep before but my crib sheet told me that they are an experimental noise rock band from Liège in Belgium. I’d not heard of their label either but looking at the JauneOrange site, they look very busy. It just goes to show how much is out there that needs exploring.

A scary electronic ambiance runs through the downtrodden opener “Drain”. The urban nature and trip hop drum style reminded me strongly of Netra. Gloomily and woozily it rumbles on. All I can think of is sadness, depression and decay. Strangely, it has a touch of the Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever” but in atmosphere only. Any vocal touches are distant. Now “PEST” was the band’s debut single. A circular distorted riff gives way to a frightening and sinister scene. That riff returns. It is headache-inducing, enhanced by the cacophonous human outputs. The whole thing enters into harsh and anarchic territory. I don’t know if this is a comment about Belgium, Liège or just people who buy singles, but this area of the market has changed since my day. This is the stuff of nightmares and interesting it is too, unless you’re looking for a jolly song which in best tradition repeats for eight and fades. There is repetition, I suppose. My impression was that there’s danger and things have gone wrong. Well, they did say it was experimental. Hang on … I hear that nightmarish riff again. “NOIR” is an extremely appropriate title. Scary echoing voices accompany the noise, which sounds as if a gasket is going to be blown and to some extent this is what happens as the drum beats harder and the whole thing becomes more intense and surreal until its final electronic twirl.

The album takes another interesting direction with “The Heat”. 11 minutes in length, there’s a post-rock element in its deep tones and dark constancy. There’s a symphonic Middle Eastern type feel to the instrumentals which accompany the monotonous rhythm. This is hypnotic. In the background distant human voices appear to chant hauntingly as what sounds like a parade of trumpets take us to the climax. From this we head to the distorted depression of “Consequences”. Sadness is written all over this symphony. The story progresses darkly with sound-enhanced electronic progression. Those disturbing voices reappear obscurely behind the depressing wall of “Cavern”. The distant utterances of a disillusioned human voice can be heard in the background of the electronic waves, and the post-rock ring. Thus we are led into a trance of gloom.

Disturbed pieces for disturbed minds? It could be argued that way. At times I felt this was a series of experiments in sound rather than fully coherent pieces. Much of it is held together by the monotony and repetition which also serve to dish up the hypnotic, threatening and gloomy ambience. But “Life without Adrenaline”, which as a title perhaps gives a clue in itself, is far from minimalist as different elements crowd the scene, so making it creative, unique and interesting.

(8/10 Andrew Doherty)

https://www.facebook.com/diemensniep

https://www.facebook.com/jauneorange

https://diemensniep.bandcamp.com/album/life-without-adrenaline