With previous and upcoming collaborations with the likes of Thou, British heavy electronic producer The Haxan Cloak and Full Of Hell, Portland-based ‘anti-Sabbath, anti-riff’ duo The Body are no strangers to merging their unique sonic maelstrom with that of another artist.
However, this self-titled collaboration with Neill Jameson, founder member of cult, primitive USBM entity Krieg, might just be their strangest yet – although not for the reasons you might expect. The story goes that during The Body’s recording sessions for Christs, Redeemers and I Shall Die Here, Jameson turned up at the studio with only an acoustic guitar, some peddles and whiskey.
These subsequent recordings, though, are more rooted in squalls of jarring, abstract noise (à la Merzbow) and semi-industrial, sturm und drang more reminiscent of early Einstürzende Neubauten than anything approaching the lo-fi black metal of Krieg or the deranged sludge of The Body.
Fracture varies the noise/static/horror formula to include brief, sorrow-drenched guitar, but it’s the lo-fi, hi-tempo electronica of Gallows that provides the most (un)pleasant and unexpected rewards.
