Jeez you really would not want to bump into this lot in some deep dark abandoned factory if you were off doing a bit of urban exploring. Dressed in military surplus survival cloaks and wearing odd gas masks as they pose in their photos around decaying machinery they look pretty damn scary. Musically this mysterious Italian ‘Industrial Esoteric Kollective’ are too! Going by names ‘0’ ‘00’ ‘000’ and ‘0000’ and calling this demo errr ‘0’ is ambiguous but further digging unveils that the group consist of several ex Tronus Abyss and current Nibiru and Silentia Luna members. They probably also stalk the sewers and places that people generally don’t go, making loud, strange noises. Best check out the music and see what it’s all about.
‘Rotten River’ is a good title, as it could well be something they found under the ground swarming with rats, used sanitary towels, shit, clogged fat, syringes and other unmentionables. A croaking noise masquerading as a siren and a theatrical voice take us into some cyber beats and harsh tones. Vocals (provided by ‘00’ in case you wondered) are surprisingly cleanly gurgled out to backing beats and noise distortion and it’s all pretty disorientating at first before a ranted out vocal clamour hatefully picks things up around some coruscating sounds and brooding, bouncing beats. It’s industrial with a black and filthy demeanour about it and it’s pretty damn addictive and does a good job of keeping you on your toes wondering where it’s going next. ‘Dead Meat’ is something they may also have encountered, festering with maggots no doubt, the beat to this and the jagged riffs and melody remind me of Bile’s Teknowhore and this feels a lot more structured although it throws out some manic samples and really fast cleaving parts that keep levels of insanity up.
‘Mr Grady’ sounds like the stuff of nightmares too. An old teacher who used to be merciless with the cane and went on to torture young children in a basement dungeon perhaps? Rigorous body popping beats surge out along with angry coarse vocals over this one and I am left wondering if this band play live? There are some more of those spoken spooky parts with the music quietening to allow them to really come through in an eerie and disconcerting fashion. Gabba sounding bounces unspool over ‘Flowing Time’ and there are some real slamming parts and a futuristic ‘machines gone amok’ sort of future cyber about the melody of this. Slowly and harmoniously finishing with keyboard weaves, prophet of doom vocals and trance inducing techno beats ‘Tetraktys Hermetica’ reminds a little of those other strange Italian’s Ensoph. There is a lot of mystery about the whole of this 28 minute release and it really leaves you wanting to both hear and know more.
Nicely packaged in a DVD case and with great production this was very impressive stuff, hopefully it won’t be the last I hear of Opthalidon.
(7.5/10 Pete Woods)
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