Bastard Noise and Merzbow have both made a welcome return to their former record label, Relapse, for their second collaboration, Retribution by All Other Creatures. Merzbow released his seminal album ‘Venereology’ via Relapse Records back in the mid-90s, while Bastard Noise previously released a collaboration with grindcore legends Brutal Truth on the label. Bastard Noise and Merzbow both have reputations in the genre of noise for being inaccessible and ultimately unsettling to listen to, so this is a pairing that doesn’t promise an easy ride, especially if their 1996 joint effort, Voice Pie, is anything to go by.

Eric Wood and Masami Akita are both outspoken animal rights activists and ‘Retribution…’ leans hard into this. Their aim is to provide a voice for the voiceless and the voice they’ve chosen is gritty, unnerving and, in places, an uncomfortable listen. Merzbow lavishes abrasive static across every track, while the demonic vocals of Bastard Noise crawl right under your skin. There are several moments on the album which serve to make you jump. It never really feels as though your heart rate is at its resting point for the entire hour long duration of this opus.

While Eric and Masami have definitely succeeded in inciting a sense of the fear animals often feel at the hands of humans, this would have been more impactful in shorter bursts – each of the four tracks on this album reaches the near 20 minute mark. While it will leave your heart racing, there is a genuine sense of relief that settles over you when it finally draws to a close.

(6/10 Angela Davey)

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https://bastardnoisemerzbow.bandcamp.com/album/retribution-by-all-other-creatures