Complete Discography...

 

Below are excerpts of some of the interviews I have done since I started. Rather than posting the complete interviews, I decided just pull some of the bits that were less likely to become completely outdated. Most recent comments will be at the top and it will get older as it goes...

MUSICWERKS (US)

In describing your music to those who aren’t familiar, I end up telling people that your style is too noisy to be considered ambient, yet not harsh enough to be considered noise. Did you consciously set off to create something that was categorically different?

I set out to make music I wished I could buy, music that had layered detail, that was different things depending on how you were listening to it and your frame of mind. Music that was obscure and grainy yet precise in some ways. I found the best way to do that was to use as many kinds of textures as I felt were needed and not worry about what sub-genre I was working in. Heavy Noise has more detail for the most part, but it’s so overbearing at times that you can’t find a lot of the details, they become blurred. Dark Ambient music has more feeling and atmosphere, but can be too static at times. By combining the two elements I feel like I can pull the most intriguing elements from them and that gives me the best chance of accomplishing what I want to do. I don’t worry about being different I just worry about doing something I can feel proud of that comes as close as I’m capable at any given time to my intentions.

A lot of themes of death, pestilence and decay figure prominently in your works. What is it that attracts you to explore it?

I think ultimately it is that regardless of what you do personally or what the world does to insulate itself, nature will snatch everything away either with slight of hand or a resounding crash and the bottom line is that you don’t have much say in the matter. I’ve had a long running interest in these things and done a fair amount of reading on them and then I try and frame those ideas in a more personal way. I did a record called “The Death Fires” that tried to focus on the way that different people approach their mortality. This was based on the reactions of those in my life I’d seen die and the way that they treated their lives when the end of them came more into focus. You know it will end, but it’s not until that time starts to come into focus that you live your life like it will end. How do you deal with that? In my experience anyway, it is an extremely diverse reaction from anger, to surrender to exuberance and so on. The record was about death secondarily, it was more about the psychology of the dying really. The release I did based on the plague was again looked at from a more personal standpoint, it wasn’t about science and statistics and bodies piled high. I had read DaFoe’s “A Journal Of The Plague Year” which is basically a fictional account that uses facts as its base (and was actually debated whether it was non-fiction or not for some time) to paint a picture of what day to day life was like in the face of this indefinable menace. So I tried create soundtracks to that environment. “Chronicling The Famine” is about decay, but a decaying humanity, psyche, and passion in favor of the more superficial goals that seem to consume the modern era.

One would gather that there is a distain for humanity as an underlying current in your works. What is your philosophy that directs you?

My philosophy at its most basic is simply one of personal responsibility. The importance of maintaining one’s dignity and strength and convictions… of doing something that represents what you stand for that will outlive you and cast a shadow on the world no matter how small. My disdain comes from feeling like there are far too many people who don’t agree with that. At the end of the day, at the end of your life, if you can’t feel proud of who you have been or that you have been genuine to the things you held as valuable than you have failed. Regardless of what you owned or exerted control over or were witness to in your life in those quiet times of reflection you must be able to feel proud and confident with who you are in this world and whether or not that is the person you intended to be. I feel like if you live your life based on the things I mentioned than you have fewer regrets, a much stronger sense of self and firmer understanding of the world around you.

How do you see yourself in relationship to the rest of society, and in what ways do you keep from killing everybody in sight? What defense systems do you employ for dealing with humanity?

I have learned over the years that I can go through life constantly being angry and outraged at any number of things, or I can choose my battles very selectively and feel much more calm. So many of the things we get angry about over the course of the day have nothing to do with us. People’s insensitivity and selfishness are a given every time you open your front door, but a vast majority of the time that behavior only happens in front of you and not to you. When that kind of thing is thrust upon me I will react to it, but my expectations for people have diminished so much that I am not shocked or surprised by anything I see anymore. There are very few people in this life that genuinely mean something to me and those are the people that I focus my energy on. That is not to say I carry on unaware, I am a constant observer of the things around me, of peoples behavior of politics and the sociological and anthropological dynamics of the world, but it is out of the individuals hands to shape that in any significant way. Those ingrained attitudes and expectations are established and no amount of sloganeering or histrionics is going to change that. So I try to live my life by the ideals I mentioned and face the direct challenges to me and those I care about, and I observe the rest of it with a ravenous eye to learn what I can. Society in general makes me mad frequently, we do horrible things to each other all the time. As arrogant as the worlds population is about the things that have been achieved it has not used the knowledge and resources toward a path of self preservation. I would say my reaction to it is disappointment more than anything else. There is anger and all of those other things, but it comes from a disappointment at just how stupid the greatest minds of the time can be whether they be politicians, scientists, whoever.

Besides busying yourself with your musical project, your magazine, graphic design and other creative pursuits, what else in life do you do that you find satisfying?

Simple things really, film, documentaries, art, books, and being with the people I care about. I like to travel but I haven’t had much opportunity to do that in recent years. I love Hockey. Going out and taking pictures when I can… seeing things I haven’t seen… learning things I didn’t know… watching people.

Do you advocate violence to overthrow the government?

I don’t think any small faction, or for that matter fairly large country is capable of mustering the level of violence it would take to overthrow this government. So any violence wrought is a waste of energy. Smashing windows, burning a cop car all of the small scale things that you see protesters do is futile and impedes those not already like minded from hearing any argument they might have. In theory I am not opposed to the idea, but the reality is that it is a method that can not win in this day and age, at least not in this country. Look at something like the Oklahoma City bombing, or even the World Trade Center… all those did was cause the government to clamp down even harder, repeal even more rights and privacies. It didn’t threaten any element of the power structure and ultimately was a detriment to the people. The governmental network is far too vast, you could level Washington D.C. and it might be hectic for a bit, but it wouldn’t provide an opportunity to seize any actual power. I advocate education to overthrow the government, the more people learn and think the more likely they are to stop accepting what is handed to them. But that is an endless process and doesn’t generate the enthusiasm and passion that taking up torches and pitchforks would. It requires a dedication that too few are willing to commit to in a world of distractions and may well be just as futile as taking up arms.

Since man’s mortality surfaces constantly in your work, how long do you wish to live?

As long as my mind is sharp, and I’m still physically capable of doing many of the things I enjoy. As long as I can continue to learn and think coherently and have the functionality to at least read and write and move about without too much pain and retain my dignity than I don’t fret about aging all that much. I’ve met plenty of people 10 years younger than me that look and act like they are already half dead. It’s about quality of life, as long as I don’t feel like I’m languishing I’ll ride it out as long as I can.

 

BEAUTY & PAIN (US)

If you were forced to explain Gruntsplatter to someone that never hear it before how would you go about it?

It's hard to explain, it depends in part on who I'm trying to explain it to, if I think they might have some understanding of the scene or if they have no idea about underground music at all. I really don't talk about any of the stuff I do with people who don't already know. But at my last job I took half a day off to get ready for a show and then spent the next year trying to explain to them why they really didn't want to hear my music. No one even knew about any of that stuff until I asked for the time off because of the show. Situations like that, it's just awkward, I basically just say something like it's sort of like dark and dissonant soundtrack scores or something to that effect. But I really try not to bring it up, same with the magazine. They are just trying to be supportive and show an interest which I can appreciate, but without a proper understanding of the context of some of the stuff I'm involved in, people will inevitably get the wrong impression.

 

TWILLIGHT ZONE (Italy)

Would you like to tell us about your latest CD "Chronicling The Famine"? Which are its contents, its style, to what does it inspired? Which kind of atmosphere have you underlined most? Which are your most representative tracks?

The basic premise of "Chronicling The Famine" is the passionless way that so many people go through their lives. The self centredness and need for immediate gratification that leads them away from things of substance to things of material comfort and lethargy. The chasing of the shallower goal... and the impact that that mentality as a global phenomenon has on the world as a whole. It's a doomed approach, commercialism and greed and selfishness are at the root of so many things that are degrading the world. The people who are "respected" are not the ones who create or discover, they are the ones who buy and entertain. Consumption and blissful unawareness are rewarded and toil and vision are largely unnoticed. So the album is my take on those basic ideas. I think the over all sonic result is much more bleak and apocalyptic than any of my previous stuff. It's still very dark, but it's dark in a different way than other Gruntsplatter has been. Stylistically, it's got a much heavier analog synth foundation, it is in some instances more minimal, and in others much denser, and the album plays through more like a larger piece than a collection of tracks I think. That's something I have always tried to do, but this one sounds the most complete as a large piece compared to previous work I think. I don't know what I'd say the most representative piece is, they are all there for a reason and to illustrate for me different elements I was trying to explore. And that's really the only point that matters, a majority of the people that listen to this record are not going to take from it the ideas that went into it, they are going to interpret things in their own way, so I satisfy my own ideas, and then enjoy hearing from people who like it the different things they get from it. The concept is to guide me in making the music it isn't to dictate anything to the listener.

How does an album of yours born? What does it happen in studio recording?

I find that to really get going on something I need to have a concept that I can explore. At that point I can look at different angles of the idea and start breaking that up into tracks, and having something conceptual to think about brings that visual "film score" element in and makes it easier to focus and decide on directions I want to go in. And ultimately I think it makes for a much more cohesive end result. I don't tend to do a lot of tracks and then not use half of them or something. Most of what I do for an album is worked on until it goes on the album, I tend to have one track that I end up not using and replacing with a new one but for the most part there isn't a lot of waste. And I record until I feel I have a complete record, not to fill time or make it a certain length or certain number of tracks, when it sounds like a complete piece it is done. Then I spend a lot of time getting the track order down making sure things flow from one to the next to give it a more whole presentation.

RESOUND #10 (US)

What is it that Gruntsplatter offers you personally and what are you trying to accomplish with it?

It's a release, that's probably the obvious answer, but that's the foundation of it. It's a way of purging myself that is effective, but publicly non specific. I do music that I want to hear and that need is based on emotions and impressions I have of the world. As far as what I want to accomplish, from a "commercial" standpoint I have far surpassed that, my initial goal was just getting something released on CD by someone who didn't know me before hand, and that happened sometime ago. Now I just want to continue producing music that feel is evocative and reflects my own feelings as accurately as I can. Hopefully as I continue more people will come to find my releases, but I don't have any real popularity goals or anything like that. The elements that have always been important to me are sonic depth and emotion. That emotion is open to interpretation depending on who is listening to it, but if the tracks are well crafted I think that some kind of emotion will come through. If there is anything to add to that I'd say it would be to do some kind of soundtrack or score work, I would love to do something for film, even if it ends up being something I shoot myself.

Gruntsplatter has appeared on a number of compilations that collectively showcase a wide variety of artists/styles. I've felt that your tracks consistently tend to not only fit in, but outshine most of the other music on the releases. Is there something about what you do that defies or transcends borders and genres?

I don't know if that's even for me to say... I never set out to make a certain type of song. I've never really applied any of the terminology to Gruntsplatter, I just call it noise ambient if I have to call it something. I think it incorporates elements of a lot of the different sub-categories with out really sound too much like any one of them. It's not really by design, that's just how I do things. When I do a compilation I look at a couple things before agreeing to it. The first being is there some sort of idea that I can get behind and do something worth doing, and the other is the line up. I look at it the projects involved and think about whether these are the type of projects that attract the same people that might listen to my stuff, or will my being there be exposing people to Gruntsplatter who might not have otherwise bothered. Not that I wouldn't do it in either instance, but if I think it's going to give my stuff a more diverse exposure than that definitely helps convince me. Doing comps has definitely been a good thing for me, and some of the ones that I wondered the most about how my track would be received, given the line up, have turned out to be the most beneficial.

 

JACKAL BLASTER (?)

When did you start getting interested in extreme music-death, grind punk? What were some of your favorite bands in the beginning and how did your interest spread to electronic and industrial music to Power Electronics?

I think I was 14 when I started listening to stuff like Metallica and Slayer and Black Flag, Circle Jerks. Before that there was of course Iron Maiden, Ozzy and all of that... Favorite bands from those days... I worshiped the European Trash scene, Kreator, Destruction, Deathrow, Coroner, Tankard... I still love those bands, though not so much what they are doing these days. Who else, The Accused, Cryptic Slaughter, Crass, Rudimentary Peni... that stuff all still holds up great, there is just so much, the old Earache releases... Music was more vibrant then than it is now, because it was still new. You hadn't heard 15 bands that sound like Carcass when "Reek of Putrefaction" came out, and thus those bands had much more impact. Voivod is one of my all time favorites, and they are still doing good stuff, probably one of the biggest musical influences on me, though it's not so obvious on the purely experimental stuff. I have always just been a fiend for music so I was buying punk and metal constantly, from that I started buying some early industrial stuff like Neubauten, Controlled Bleeding etc and that was pretty much where I found Noise... Controlled Bleeding's "Hog Floor" record was my first complete noise record I think, and to this day they are one of my favorites.

Why do you think there is such an abundance of sexual and graphic violence associated with Power Electronics, as bands like Whitehouse, Bloodyminded, and Skin Crime use this imagery it certainly has spread its influence.

Well, people are fascinated by the limits of humanity, what the human mind is capable of and what the cause and effect of that is. You see it everywhere, not just in Power Electronics, just look at the true crime section at your favorite bookstore. Sex and Death appeal to our more primitive appetites I think. People have a fascination or a fixation with the dark side of life almost universally, they are two elements that have been ritualized by cultures throughout history... it's why you get rubbernecking on the freeway when there's an accident, it's why porno sites are so pervasive and profitable on the internet when real business's come and go all the time. It finds it's way into power electronics or death metal because people are more honest about these things in the underground, and there is a population there that is willing to hear it as explicitly as possible. Inhibitions are dropping as a whole in society I think, we are accepting of more and more things that were once taboo. Look at all of the Reality TV these days, from deadly police actions, to crap like Survivor or the Real World. Or how something like the JonBenet Ramsey case is smeared everywhere, it's one murder, but this whored up little girl has been put everywhere, still, after nearly 3 years. That is meat for the beast, but no one is crying foul. Sex and Death are to two things that will always get someones attention and the more lurid the more it peaks our interest. Power Electronics is taking that fixation and being honest about it.

What sort of literature inspires you? Favorite authors, books, philosophers, historical time periods?

Some of my favorite authors include Henry Miller, Charles Bukowski, Celine, Camus, Dostoevsky, Hubert Selby... there are quite a few. I read a lot of non fiction to. Historical periods I find most interesting, generally relate to the Vikings and the Celts, I have read a fair amount about that and the runes and such things, and I'm also interested in World War II History and have done some reading on that. The times of plagues I have read a lot about, and devoted one entire release to that era, The "Pest Maiden" 7" and bonus cassette all dealt with the plague times. There are others, but those are what jumps to mind.

 

SPECTRUM #4 (Australia)

The progress that you have shown between your early split CD's to the 7" and now to the debut full length CD has been quite impressive. Has this been a case of simply honing you skills or an improvement in equipment or both?

I'd say both... the biggest difference between the two split CD's, with Ruhr Hunter and Slowvent respectively, is that both of those were recorded on a 4 track. And the "Pest Maiden" 7" and "The Death Fires" were recorded on hard disc so I had access to more tracks and it allowed me to do much more than I could have on the 4 track. So that more than anything is what helped me develop the sound further, I was finally able to do things that I'd wanted too do all along. Another thing, particularly on the full length was that I started playing live, and in doing that was reminded of techniques I hadn't used in a long time, going back to when I had bare bones for equipment. So that reintroduced some things that weren't on the previous split CD's and it definitely expanded the sound I think. And of course the more you do the more tricks you learn.

How did you become involved within the underground death industrial/ noise scene?

The first Noise record I bought if I remember correctly was Controlled Bleeding's "Hog Floor" I'd been involved in the Metal Underground, and liked a lot of the Industrial music at the time, and punk from way back so I just kept looking for new things to listen to. I had always been partial to discord whether it be raunchy Greg Ginn guitar solos in Black Flag, or Voivod's odd riffing, to Neubauten's junk industrial majesty. Noise was just the natural evolution of all of that for me and I warmed right up to it. Already familiar with the letter writing, flyer spreading, tape trading ideals from the metal underground I took it all in stride. And started contacting people and digging for releases wherever I could find them. Eventually I started recording as Gruntsplatter when I realized I'd made more noise tracks for my guitar project than guitar tracks. And a lot of that ended up on the "Bisect" cassette with Torture Chamber. I still love Black Flag and VoiVod and Neubauten, and a lot of the other stuff from before I found noise. As most people in this scene I imagine, I am just a fiend for music, and experimental music for me is the most pure, it allows for things that structure can not, that scales can not and it is visual and personal, no one walks away with the same thing from a noise track.

As your music does not align itself with or tend to express any political views or specific agendas, but could you divulge some aspects of your worldview?

My worldview... basically I guess I see things like conviction, intelligence, strength, inquisitiveness, responsibility, loyalty, honesty etc. as being valuable traits and I see much of that lacking in the world. As a general rule, I don't like people, and find them all to frequently to be a waste of energy, so I have a close group of people that I associate with and leave it at that. Speaking in a larger sense, my political views reflect, my personal views ultimately. I don't like the professional victims and whiners that are spawned by the social systems that the United States keeps in place, I don't like seeing people who do nothing and take no responsibility sitting with their hands out talking about what they are entitled to. I pay attention to current events with a fascination, particularly relating to environmental issues, unrest and creepy big government stuff. It's a bit difficult to summarize concisely I guess...

GRINDING INTO EMPTINESS (Scotland? I forget)

I know Gruntsplatter made a poll in The Wire for strangest band name alongside esteemed acts such as Beerzone and Men of Porn... it's definitely got some strong onomatopoeia attached to it. Now for the blandest, most routine opening question possible: How did you arrive at the name and what does it signify for you?

Sometimes I explain this and sometimes I don't... I actually got the name from an obscure skit within an episode of The Young Ones. The skit was "Jester Bolofski's Medieval Torture Hour," and in the background there was a big guy in an executioners outfit holding a sign with his name on it, "Toby Gruntsplatter." He never says anything and isn't really in the scene save for as background. I thought that was funny as hell and it always stuck in my head. When I was trying to figure out what to call what I was doing I kept coming back to that word, and after thinking about some of the other connotations and the direction I was working in at the time I decided it fit. As far as it's significance to me, it abstractly summarizes my personality to a certain degree. I like all sorts of 'dark' and 'horrible' things -- I research and immerse myself in them. At the same time I don't take myself too seriously though; I like to laugh as much as anything else. An episode of Black Adder or the Simpsons is at least as compelling as a documentary about some serial killer or what not, often much more so. So there is that side of the name, in that it's an inside joke to a certain extent and it sounds violent or gory, but then I know I got it from the Young Ones. The other side is that I think it does allude to a more 'serious' idea; that being the obliteration of the little people, essentially. The grunts are the worker bees, the fodder, the insignificant masses used as foundation and fuel for a lot of the larger evils in the world. From another angle still I see overpopulation as the catastrophic problem of the world. There are too many people, and of those there are far too many that take more than they contribute, who have no goals for themselves but merely twiddle through their days being relatively worthless and unnecessary -- grunts from another perspective. I don't see the point or the value of maintaining this element. There is no specific meaning behind the name. It's a coagulation of these and some other ideas.

Where does your fascination with the grotesque and morbid stem from? There is aundeniably dark place that you cull a great deal of thematic inspiration from.

I don't honestly know. I have been fascinated by this sort of thing for as long as I can remember. I was reading about ghosts and such from early in elementary school and have continued to seek out new fascinations ever since. It lends itself to imagination, disease, death, horror. The reality of these things I find far more compelling that the fiction based on them. I tend to read fiction from people like Bukowski or Henry Miller rather than Clive Barker or Lovecraft or something. I explore my interests through non-fiction, documentaries and so on. The places the human mind is capable of going for release of whatever torment it's fighting with, the power of nature to decimate whole populations in the face of science and technology. It's curious stuff, and it is real, yet stretches our comprehension. But as I said, as much as I gravitate toward this kind of thing it certainly isn't the only part of my life... but it is a deep well to draw from creatively.

Though the Gruntsplatter themes surround a great deal of this death and decay, there is nothing too overt and it's clear that you value the artistic elements over simple shock value. Do you intentionally keep things this way?

Yeah, I definitely prefer subtlety over obviousness for my own endeavors. The primary reason is that I understand the arbitrary nature of this style of music. Just because an artist names a song "Rise of the Bogeyman" or whatever, doesn't mean that's what the listener is going to envision when they give themselves to the swirling frequencies. I know that, and I would much rather people have individualized experiences with the music than everyone saying 'that song about the bogeyman is cool.' That's why I have avoided using specific movie samples (at least since my first tape) or making my vocals too discernible. I don't want to shackle the sound too concretely to a specific idea, because it limits the amount of visualization the listener is able to do. Most of my tracks do have something specific in them I'm trying to convey for myself, but I don't have to force that on anyone, and would rather not.

Without listing them off, what do you think about the groups that represent the opposite approach -- seemingly out just to shock the average listener?

Well, I think to a certain extent people who say a band that uses extreme content is just out to shock are being a bit reactionary. I have some very good friends who have been accused of such things with their music or visuals, but to simply say they are trying to be shocking is writing off the energy they have put into it without noticing what is really there. They are seeing the flashing lights but not seeing what's in the back of the ambulance so to speak. Some of these "shock" projects weave far more sonic crafting into their pieces than a majority of the "serious" projects out there, but because of art or content they don't receive the same consideration. Certainly there are exceptions, as with anything, but violent content and graphic imagery shouldn't invalidate the music by default. Then there is the question of where do you draw the line. A project like Megaptera is death-obsessed, but in a different way than say Atrax Morgue or something that might be seen as "shock". They are both dealing with similar topics they are just exploring them in different ways. Who's to say one is more valid than the other? And to be shocked in this day and age and with any knowledge of this scene's history would seem to indicate a certain frailty and naivete. There is nothing being done now that hasn't been done before and to still be appalled or shocked by a gore picture or someone screaming about a serial killer is hard to believe.

If you had to pick one artist throughout time that visually captured the essence of Gruntsplatter, who would that person be?

That is tough, there are several that I like. I originally wanted something very Goya-esque for The Death Fires, but that didn't work out with the artist the label found so I was sort of left to scramble for something else when that fell through. Goya's black paintings carry a lot of the atmosphere I try and infuse into my stuff. Another of my favorites is Francis Bacon. Odd Nerdrum is another person who is more representational than the others; the darkness in his work is saturating and conveyed in a unique way. Beyond those I like Dali, Tanguy, Bosch and some of the others you might expect. But as it relates to Gruntsplatter those three I mentioned as close as anyone I can think of.

Where would you be without any of your musical outlets?

Dead or in Jail MAN!!! No, that seems the standard answer for something like that. Ah, I don't know, it's difficult for me to even imagine. Music has been a huge part of my life for so long that it's difficult to even recognize everything I get out of it. You don't know what you have until it's gone sort of thing. It's certainly been a great emotional outlet both listening and recording, it's the one means of expression that I feel I can articulate myself to my satisfaction. I wish I could paint or something, but my hands aren't capable of conveying what's in my head, with music I can do that. So to not have that would be crippling in a number of ways I'd imagine.

BLACK (Germany)

Which is your interpretation of industrial and noise music?

My interpretation... I think Experimental music is the freest form of audio expression that there is, is it boundless, and that lack of restriction allows for a much more visceral listen. It's more visionary and abstract and it allows much more listener interpretation than more structured and traditional styles and that is its beauty really. Whether it's Dark Ambient or Harsh Noise, everyone takes something a bit different from it.

AVERSIONLINE (US)

In the past you have emphasized the importance of song titles for your work. In the instances where you title a track prior to recording it, what avenues do you take to "realize" the conceptual identity of the soundscape?

I don't necessarily title a track before I write it, but I do keep a notebook of potential titles, if I think of something, or read a phrase or word that strikes me as being particularly evocative I jot it down and as tracks are beginning to take shape I refer to my lists and see if what I have musically suggests anything in those notes and if so then I adopt it and use that as a sort of focal point for where I want to continue on with the track. The whole thing is a visual process, I listen to what I have and try and figure out what it is the soundtrack to for me personally. Sometimes I end up with something abstract for the title like "Ascending Marrow" other times it is more concrete. "Ascending Marrow" doesn't mean anything really, but as I repeated the track looking for something those were the two words that kept coming to me. With this new record there were actually a couple of titles I did have before I wrote anything, and wrote specifically for the title. "Waiting on the Body" and "Against The Dying of the Light" both had very specific intents, and are at the root the ideological core of the record. They represent the two extremes of facing our mortality, and that is basically speaking what the record is about.

That would be an excellent example then... So, on those tracks, once you settled upon the titles and meanings what process did you undergo to create a soundscape that properly explored the ideas you intended?

Well, those two titles relate directly to my grandparents who both have died in the last couple of years, and my grandmother actually died while I was working on the record. "When They Go" was recorded immediately after receiving the call that she had died. I literally hung up the phone, told my girlfriend and turned on my equipment... so those two titles were my examination of how the two of them faced their deaths. "Against The Dying of the Light" is my grandfather, I wasn't able to see him in his last days because we were in different cities, but he was described to me as being angry that this was it, he knew and he was angry that he couldn't have just a little more time, even if it was laying in the hospital. That to me is crushingly sad, so I tried to reflect the anger as well as the steady inevitability. It's the noisiest most chaotic track on the record, but beneath that there is the steady pound that never wavers. "Waiting On The Body" is my grandmother, after he died, she saw little point in much of anything and would talk about dying, and while she was perfectly active prior to his death afterwards she essentially surrendered and ultimately I think willed herself to death... so with that track I tried to get some of that loneliness and aloofness and yet still have the edge there of what was really at stake which was of course her life. To live into your eighties and literally be waiting like you do for a taxi for death rather than trying to get just a little more out of it... that too is a pretty awful thing I think. So obviously with these particular tracks I had a bit more emotion and content to run with than something that I jot down in a note book because I think it sounds cool or something... When I started working on "The Death Fires" I really had no idea it was going to end up being such a specific and personal undertaking, I'd had the album title/concept written down for quite sometime before I ever started working on the music and life twisted in a way that that made this recording a much more meaningful and exploratory process than it otherwise would have been.

You have been relatively outspoken in regards to your distaste for certain facets of human life and the world in general. How would you describe your base philosophy of existence in general, and as unrealistic as it may seem, what would be your ideal solution/living conditions?

My base philosophy is essentially to find strength within myself, to respect only those that are deserving of respect, and to face the world with intelligence and conviction in my undertakings. It is truly curious that society is able to function at all given the shear numbers of weak, lazy and genuinely ignorant people in the world. Think about the people you work with, or have worked with... in all of my jobs anyway, the proportion of folks who had a clue to those who didn't was alarmingly small, and it's that way everywhere. How anything at all gets done is beyond me. I don't like the way that we have come to reward weakness and allowed the inept and feeble to carry on without facing the consequences of their faults. It happens in the work place, it happens in our social programs, there is nothing that shakes them by the throat so they stumble along with no reason to do things any differently. Until we reward people on their merit and ability and intelligence rather than sweeping up after and fueling the knuckle draggers things won't get any better. My ideal living situation... I don't really know, I live in San Francisco, and as far as cities go, I can't think of anywhere else I'd want to be. The thought of living out in the woods away from all of the noxious crowds is certainly appealing, but there is city stuff that I like as well and would miss, plus it's where the jobs are. I like it here, there is enough nature that you don?t feel smothered in concrete. I live pretty close to several parks, and the ocean so you can find some quiet and I like that. The problem with anywhere is the people really... and of the places I have lived they are the least invasive here, but then I don't go out a whole lot to things like shows or bars, riding public transportation is irritation enough.

What I actually meant by "ideal solution/living conditions" was what would your ideal solution be to the problems that you have with existence as a whole, and what environment for living would you create if you had the means?

Ah... well, the biggest problem I see is the unyielding population and the consumption of that population. I would really like to see a society where reward was based on merit and intelligence, where those who choose not to contribute are ostracized rather than coddled, where consumerism wasn't the driving force, the need for more, where we weren't Americanizing every corner of the globe big enough to jam a coke machine in. I read something recently saying that population control efforts in developing nations were actually decreasing birth rates, by educating them about contraception and all of that, yet the average person consumes so much more than they did 50-60 years ago... Now families have multiple cars, all kinds of electronics and gadgets that require resources, so even if we were able to dramatically cut the population, the consumption rate is so astronomical that there is little hope of making any substantial progress towards conserving natural resources. So in a perfect world at least 75% of the population wouldn't be here. People would take responsibility for themselves and have some fucking manners, justice would be swift for those that couldn't maintain their lives in an unobtrusive way... and everyone that wants one could have a puppy.

Your distaste for humanity is one that certainly intrigues me. Have you ever pondered the end of all life as we know it, and do you think this would be a fitting termination of existence? And when I refer to "the end of all life as we know it", what I mean is the literal and immediate end of every single thing that exists in this universe, whether we know of it or not - within the blink of an eye everything is gone. There's no one/nothing to miss, and no one to miss you, etc. An absolute end devoid of consequence?

I pondered the genesis more than the termination of everything actually. I look for signs of evolution on the bus, I view people on the street like an anthropologist or a zoologist might. Comparing behavior to that in the animal kingdom. Singling out the ones that would be left to die or consumed by predators, the sickly and the strong, the packs and the loners, and the roles that they serve to each other. It's a curiosity for me... My contempt is for the people, not the rest of it, so I don't really have any desire to see it all go away. If or rather when it does eventually happen, I'd hope that it was something immediate and total rather than this slow bleeding we are nurturing now. I like to see nature inch back progress now and then, someone's house slides down a hill, things like that. It is a reminder that at any moment the earth can reclaim itself whether through some obscure virus, flood or whatever. People are so confident that they have everything under control, but it doesn't take much for all of that to be ripped away.

ZSALAMOLKXISA (Romania)

How would you describe your art; is there any place for the word "experimental" in the musical concept of Gruntsplatter?

Well, I consider Gruntsplatter to be in the experimental realm, again this is relative. It is experimental in the entire realm of music, but within the smaller underground of Noise I don't know that I'm doing anything anymore "experimental" than a lot of others regarding technique or construction. I make my sounds from scratch and so on, but I have not pushed the boundaries of that like say Neubauten, the Haters, or Aube have. So that is up to your perspective I suppose regarding whether or not it is experimental. As far as how I would describe Gruntsplatter, I generally refer to it as Noise Ambient, because I use harsher textures, but I use them to create a more dark ambient sort of atmosphere. It is enveloping rather than invasive. I always feel a little funny intellectualizing about my music, because in the end I just make music I want to listen to. I try and explore density and detail, subtle things that you don't necessarily notice on first listen, those are elements of harsh noise I think, but then combine that with the emotional power that you find in Dark Ambient, the dreary, drifting, morose quality. There are some elements of Power Electronics that creep in as well, the urgency of Power Electronics really appeals to me, the visceral qualities. So I guess I try and splash all of that together into something fluid and above all else evocative. I guess in the end I want the listener to find something in the sounds, see something, remember something, whatever but find something that may not have come to them otherwise. Whether I achieve that I don't know, it works for me, but then the tracks are written for me.

More, what do you think about originality? You think that in some cases the "originality" might be a wrong step? What is originality and what is "avant-gardism"? Is there a difference? You know, Lenin said once that "originals" are only the stupids, he,he ! Because they ignore the real situations, trying to escape through avant-gardism, running from society...I will not comment such a phrase, but I think that we should take it in our observation....

I think that originality is crucial, that said not everything that is new and original is worth listening to, but the process of seeking new ways to do things, new combinations is very important. It is how all new things come to pass and at its base is a hunt for knowledge. There is nothing wrong with that at all. As far as what is avante-gardism, that is a term that to me suggests pretension, it suggests bloated theories and back slapping. It suggests something that wants to explain itself rather than making no apologies, something that is askew, but not that far askew. I would agree with the statement that there are people that get so wrapped up in ideology and their own utopian vision that the reality of life escapes them. To have any practical value an idea, and I assume we are speaking beyond music now, an idea must be developed with the reality if the situation in mind because that is what you face in the implementation of the idea. To come up with some fantastical theory that doesn't take into consideration the environment with which it is suppose to be applied is a lot of wasted energy because it is not accepting the opposing variables.

Concerning your very particular style of music, do you feel isolated in U.S.? I mean, are there so many persons - like you - that make/listen to that music in order to consider themselves a part/parts of an community or somekind of network? Or maybe everybody is on his own...could be! I admit that I was quite ignorant in that subject!

As I said before the internet has made a huge difference in the ability to make new contacts, even this interview for example. I think there is a pretty good network of people here in the States, but there is no centralized group. Through trading and distribution and zines though we are able to hear what each other is doing and spread the word for our contacts in other parts of the county and the world. All of my collaborative CD's, Triage, Blunt Force Trauma and Umbra were recorded in two locations. My partner in Umbra lives in Cleveland, yet we were able to record an album together by trading material through the mail, the other half of Blunt Force Trauma lives in Denver and I have never actually even met him face to face, but we recorded an album together. Triage, we live in the same area, but we didn't sit side by side and record. So I don't feel isolated, I'm a person that prefers to keep to himself anyway so I don't really feel a need to meet a bunch of people and hang out all of the time talking about noise. I have a couple of friends locally that are into it that I see when we can make time for it, but more often the people I correspond with are spread through out the States and globe.

How important is the tension, the extreme emotional feelings in the Gruntsplatter music? It is necessary that if you are tensioned or in a bad mood, or even in a temporally mental breakdown, it's absolutly necessary to create sad, depressing music? I am not speaking about your music, but in general... As for me, I dare to think that in this particular moments, the artist can create the most beautiful sonic sounds...! I am courious to find out your opinion...!

I would agree, I think that when a person is distressed there is a need for relief or to purge the feeling and that generates a creative energy and when we are happy and content we are not seeking anything further, only to enjoy where we are at. So whether it be writing or painting or music the pieces that have the most impact are frequently done from a state of imbalance. It is the need to express something that you feel when angry or sad or threatened that you don't have when you are happy. Nobody talks about how pleasant the clerk at the grocery store was, but if they are rude or short change you, you feel compelled to complain to someone about it, and in some cases tell lots of people how you were wronged by the rude clerk, it is that same idea more or less. Another side of it is that I think people remember their pain much more vividly than their joy, joy is nonspecific, where as suffering is very acute.

I wouldn't be shocked at all if one day I will hear that Gruntsplatter music and concept has been forbidden, censorshiped in U.S. ya, just kidding, but presuming in absurd....forbidden because of its absolutly beautiful music and because of its such positive messages...hahah,really...you think that will ever happen sometimes....?!? In fact,my question is: how is the censorship in U.S.? I heard from some friends that in U.S., the censorship is even more ferocious than in the communist system.....!

I worry sometimes about the direction this issue will take in the US, our politicians and media are quick to look for excuses when something horrible happens, and increasingly they are pointing to music and violence in film and video games and those superficial sorts of things. They use the hysteria surrounding events, like a school shooting, to push through laws and restrictions against entertainment or guns because people are scared into surrendering those freedoms based on reactionary news reports, when clearly it takes a disturbed person to perpetrate those acts regardless of what kind of music or movies they like. People are murdered all of the time, and the only time we seem to notice their taste in entertainment is when it is considered subversive or violent. I think the thing that would keep those things from eventually being banned here is that there is a lot of money to be made off of it, and America is more concerned with consumerism than conservative morality. There was violence long before any of these entertainment factors came along, and there will be violence long after, it is in our nature and then when mental illness and perceived injustices are added into the equation it is inevitable that people will die, what's on the stereo has no bearing on that.

TRONIKSZINE (US)
Your material always seems to have a dark and violent background to it. Is this a product of you being "evil" or is it more related to your taste in sounds? Jonathan Canady, with whom you collaborated with in Blunt Force Trauma, is known to be quite fascinated with these violent and sadistic themes. Also knowing that you will release a cassette on heavily anti-sadist German Verbrannte Erde Productions, i wonder what your feelings on the subject are.

Well, I don't know that I would agree with the assessment that it is violent necessarily. I think that that is left to the listeners perception, it is dark, that is intentional, but I wouldn't say that there is anything specifically violent that I try to weave into it. Perhaps with Cinder Skin, but not Gruntsplatter really. I guess since I never really perceived it as being violent it could be either evilness or taste (Ha!), something unconscious anyway. Alot of times I have more historical or esoteric sort of ideas in my head when working on stuff or titling tracks. All of this is not to say I'm opposed to violence in music, it does have a place I think, the world is a violent, degenerative place and it is to be expected that some music should reflect that. When I look at something like serial killers or whatever my personal interest is in the psychology rather than the body count. What the mind will let the body do. Psychology is what I pursued in college, and I actually worked in the field for about 3 years dealing with all sorts of folks, so I have always been interested in the tangents the mind is capable of. I have done a couple of tracks that have revolved around serial killers and violence, but I don't really think of them as being particularly violent because of how I was approaching it I guess. I also think there is a considerable difference between violence and sadism. The Blunt Force Trauma release is violent, but I would not say it was sadistic. As far as Jon Canady, he is one of the very first people that I really hooked up with in this scene, he shared the first release I did with his project Torture Chamber, he was one of the first interviews I did, and has been a supportive voice through all of my endeavors. When he proposed Blunt Force Trauma he had really just formed Deathpile, and wasn't the Power Electronics villain he's seen as today. We set out to make an album of vicious Harsh Noise that had dynamics and atmosphere, and I think we did that. The "controversial" artwork was a part of the package, and I think that it was handled as tastefully as it could be given the subject, it is not gore for the sake of gore. Part of why we chose to present it this way is that it was released during a time when alot of Harsh stuff that was coming out was pretty uninspired and we felt we could put something together that was a complete package of severity musically, graphically and conceptually. Jon and I aren't in as close a contact as we used to be, and he says some things these days that I don't agree with, but I have no regrets about anything I've done with him, and he is someone I can comfortably call a friend. As far as Verbrannte Erde, I have actually discussed these issues with Stefan, and he's comfortable working with me. Ironically, I first came in contact with Stefan when he asked me for a track about a serial killer for a compilation he was doing. He's changed his views on that sort of thing now, but he knows my thoughts on it all and doesn't seem to have any concerns about doing the cassette or affiliating his label with me. Bottom line is that, in my mind anyway, violence is not inherently sadistic.

And what is this fascination with plagues/sickness that I see on your web site?

I have always had an interest in that sort of thing, and in various ways chronic illness has effected my life, but I think that regardless of that I'd have the interest. It's that way with most of the stuff I'm interested in. Ever since I was little I've been interested in "dark stuff" of all varieties, I remember feverishly reading books about ghosts and haunted houses and stuff when I was in 2nd and 3rd grade. Epidemics are curious to me because they really hold the same threat now as they ever have, perhaps more so given modern transportation's ability to spread something globally in a matter of hours. We have eliminated some of them, but as progress sweeps through undeveloped land it will kick up new viruses and as we leisurely medicate ourselves against every little thing we are making ourselves weaker and the germs stronger. Not unlike cockroaches really, the more you fight them the quicker they are able to adapt and prevail. There is something fascinating about that, nature has the ability to take back the land at any point and there isn't much we can do about it. I think about how surreal it must have been living in the middle of some grand epidemic, especially a couple hundred years ago when there was no real understanding of the way a contagion worked. People falling and hemorrhaging all around, families and villages evaporated from history and nobody really having a clue as to what is going on. The pseudo scientific remedies that people came up with trying vainly to just do something that would help, there is just so much horror in a situation like that. The desperation, and fear, and guilt and confusion when logic is of no use... That intrigues me I guess, how people function when everything is upheaved. It's so far from most people's realm of experience, but the potential for it to happen again is as great as ever.

Gruntsplatter/Slowvent - "Split" CD - 1998

SPECTRUM #2
It appears that the US is finally getting its act together in terms of producing some good Death Industrial projects. On this split GRUNTSPLATTER is up first, opening with some damn heavy bass rumblings, manipulations and slow keyboard tones, before exploring some noisier, semi-structured textures on the following track "Ascending Marrow". "Bloodsoil" is slightly more atmospheric, holding a somewhat random sound held together again by the use of a slow keyboard passage, reminding me slightly of VOND's "Green Eyed Demon" CD. "Gravemound" has a more ominous sound that is gradually raised on a base of sound akin to a distant tornado. Some deep factory sounds and manipulated electronics help to fully flesh out the track, however I feel the track is alittle muddied overall because of the amount of sound sources used. Despite this small criticism this is one of the best tracks GRUNTSPLATTER have on offer. The final track for GRUNTSPLATTER is "The Prophetic Maw" which again uses a basis of multi layered, muddied sound that has comparison to the German project DRAPE EXCREMENT. The second half of the 60min. disc is by SLOWVENT and from the self titled explosive volcanic opener, it shows a great mixture od Death Industrial and more Noise Ambience. Here the track is looped and repetitive over it's 6minutes. "Spectral Violence" has a random experimental Noise edge, not unlike what ATRAX MORGUE is producing with his MORDER MACHINE side project. "The Cold Slugs" uses a subdued repetitive Death Industrial basis while random factory clangs and rumbles appear sporadically. Gradually the looped structure subsides leaving the sporadic tones as another loop gradually rises up. "Rust Resurrection" is short and simple again using a straight forward repetitive guise. The final track for both SLOWVENT and the CD is "Impaired Descent" which chops and changes from noisy ATRAX MORGUE styled electronics to more Death Industrial moments. For a debut CD for this label the packaging is well presented and laid out, using the obligatory black and grey tones. Given the promise that these two projects show, I will be interested to see what both of these projects come up with in future releases.

SCRIPTURES E-ZINE #1
I was very happy to see this one arrive seeing as how Glass Throat Recordings RUHR HUNTER/GRUNTSPLATTERCD was a favorite from last year,also noting that it is the first CD release by GRUNTSPLATTER's Scott Candey's Crionic Mind label.First up is GRUNTSPLATTER who start things off on a somber note with the icy cold "The Flagellant",breaking quickly into a noisier piece closer to side project BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA aptly titled"Ascending Marrow". With this release we see GRUNTSPLATTER shape-shift into a minimal ambient beast,that broadens and thickens as the tracks progress.While it has less going on inside the structures,they are more focused on depth and fullness.It's not like all is completely different,it seems all the familiar pieces are here,the puzzle is just put together differently. A good step forward for this act to watch out for. Up next is newcomer SLOWVENT, representing his first release. The self titled first track wastes no time getting down to business and setting the tone for what's to follow.Levels peak as noise Explosions erupt from the speakers.The majority ov the material presented here is a weird combination ov harsh, peaked out white noise that is structured in such a way that it becomes a dark ambient listening experience, putting you firmly in the same zone. Even though this has some harsh and noisy things going on it isn't the newest MERZBOW rip off by any means,this is so much more listenable than that.It will be very interesting to what comes next for SLOWVENT, seeing as how this first taste already shows some masterful song crafting.

KDVIATIONS "Spring 99"
GRUNTSPLATTER present here 5 bits of minimal, noisy dark ambient. imagine huge, roaring bonfires with shadowy figures skulking about carrying dead things. a bit of tasteful synth work adds that extra brooding touch to "The Flagellant" and "Gravemound". Well done, creepy stuff. the six SLOWVENT tracks that follow are far more abrasive than the GRUNTSPLATTER half, but not so much that i would call it "harsh". shifting distorted textures give way to odd drones, feedback, and the occasional looped rhythm, making it far more engaging than the GRUNTSPLATTER material, which works better as background music. SLOWVENT's "Impaired Descent" is brutal. limited to 500 copies.

OUTBURN #9
This split release is the first CD release (after a couple of tape releases) from San Francisco's Crionic Mind; it is, hopefully, a sign of more to come. GRUNTSPLATTER is Scott E. Candey, who also heads Crionic Mind; the GRUNTSPLATTER materiel here consists of thick, concrete on concrete excretions that create a dense, grinding wall of noise, deep into the heart of final destruction (Armageddon through the windshield, wind-swept and radioactive); in most cases, to add the proper dramatic flair, end-of-the-world synths compliment the noise, a combination forged in the flames of the inferno. Jonathan Lang manipulates sound as SLOWVENT. The sounds he mangles are from the same concrete decimated landscape bulldozed by GRUNTSPLATTER, but he tends to gnaw on the concrete, scratch and tear, somehow trying to escape the inevitable binds of destruction; no matter how much he tries, though, hammering on the concrete with metallic implements or chipping with feedback squeals, destruction looms menacingly over his shoulder. And it is destruction that is the prominent focus here, both bands wallowing in the distorted radiance of Pandemonium's impending reign. Powerful stuff, indeed! (More, please...)

GRINDING INTO EMPTINESS
The split release tactic is very common with noise music, an incestious way of releasing material in an already close-knit scene. In fact all three of GRUNTSPLATTER's releases to date have been shared with other artists. The driving force behind both GRUNTSPLATTER and the Crionic Mind label, Scott Candey, wastes no time in beginning this shared hour of noise, the din of carefully distorted drones abruptly lurching from the disk. A mask of restrained distortion envelopes every semblance of a melody, almost like adding pepper to a meal. Deep drones weigh the tracks down with their dense rumbles. If one was to leave a microphone on the deck of a small ship in the middle of a Pacific rainstorm, rain-spiked wind ripping through the crashing waves, you might end up with an organic version of some of these tracks. This disk marks the debut of Jonathan Lang's SLOWVENT, who stylistically shares quite a bit in common with GRUNTSPLATTER. If it were a blindfolded taste test the unfamiliar listener might find them as similar as two brands of cola, although the two are definitely distinguishable from one another. GRUNTSPLATTER's side is heavily rooted in long, deep, drones with a prolonged, relaxing quality to them. Ambient meets distortion, tones meet texture. Most of SLOWVENT's tracks have quicker, higher pitched swells which are looped with sharper distortion. There are less constants to latch onto and it's less predictable. Some of the distortion has a crumbling, decaying sound to it, almost like being dragged over a gravel road. SLOWVENT is definitely responsible for some of the harsher tracks on the disk, with sharp squeals worming through the walls of noise like termites. The only thing I can recommend, aside from picking up this CD, is strictly using headphones to listen to it. Like most noise it needs to isolate your hearing in order for it to fully sink in without agitation, and the somewhat soothing elements are an effective catalyst in this process.

THE ZODIAC CHRONICLE
Herewith we have yet another GRUNTSPLATTER split disc, this time coming from the Crionic Mind label, as their previous was released via GlassThroat Recordings. This limited (500 copies) disc proves itself to be a devastating clarrion call in the noise-experimental genre. GRUNTSPLATTER urge sickness and despair by conjuring several episodes of horror-filled sound crunches and seemingly darkwave tinctured soundscapes (though subtle as it may be). SLOWVENT makes their debut CD appearance on this split with a similar expression of sound, though this time more oriented towards pure noise-distortion and frequency overload. The pleasureable aspect of this is the subtle tape hiss I recognize in the background...only offering more interest in the sound, not too mention the kult feeling of an obscure underground cassette. Both of these groups work very well together on one disc, as the sound merges from one scene to the next, carrying the querent through hollow drifts and bone crushing atmospheres. This CD is recommend only to open minds who desire something dark and unique for their musical archive!

WORM GEAR #8
"Attention all noise freaks and dark souls jonesing for mood sculpting visions though sonic manipulation, here is a split release that acts as the soundtrack for the oncoming armageddon. Sound intriguing? First five tracks on this monster go to San Francisco's own GRUNTSPLATTER, who have developed into a deadly power in the noise underground. Expertly fusing chaotic fits of harsh tones with a definitive dark ambience to pile on the mist enveloped atmosphere, the Grunt one moment reproduces the sound of a giant bag of dinosaur bones rolling down the stairs on the mighty "Ascending Marrow", only to incorporate haunting synth lines as on "The Flagellant" and "Bloodsoil" that bring to mind the horns of war as longships emerge from the turbulent seas. Infinitely layered, these five tracks walk the line between aggressive abstract art and compositions that swarm with a symphonic slant that beckons for the fall of night. Chilling, paranoia inducing and varied, GRUNTSPLATTER takes twisted sound bytes and makes them almost -Gulp- Musical. SLOWVENT is up next and though they may not be nearly as structured as GRUNTSPLATTER, they are just as effective at creating powerful sounds and molding them into bombastic pieces that crush the listener. This is most predominant on tracks like SLOWVENT where the feeling being expressed is as caustic as nuclear winds nipping at infant flesh and "Spectral Violence" where the piece begins with a sound resembling a large piece of gristle sizzling in a fry pan. There is a very menacing thread that ties all these tracks together and instead of mixing in different layers to give depth; delay and reverb soaked tones rather drone off in a repetitive manner for bruising effect. SLOWVENT's style is very percussive (metal on metal perhaps) and it gives this disc the needed separation between both projects. With 2 sonic entities that each possess a life of their own and excellent artwork that perfectly emulates the sinister vibes contained within, this split release is a fine addition to the experimental music connoisseurs collection. When listening, be sure to leave the night lite on or the boogy man will come a calling"

Ruhr Hunter/Gruntsplatter - "A Split Release" CD - 1998

UNDER THE VOLCANO #44
"If you told me a year ago my old roomate was releasing Power electronics I would have laughed at you But here it is! Chet has put together two brilliant pieces that are not quite a MASONNA or MERZBOW aggravation factor but are so atmosphereic tahteven the most avid hater of PE may reconsider. The abrassiveness is hidden by soothing tones and an almost atmospheric quality. You could almost put these in a category with VIDNA OBMANA, except that RUHR HUNTER is more tonal. GRUNTSPLATTER is one of the main contributers of Worm Gear Zine (a fantastic zine in it's own right for anyone looking for a good read!) And puts forth a masterful sounding collection of pieces that makes for a great soundtrack to the dark and unknown. This is the kind of thing that I would put on in the dark and let it ripple over my body much like some people use "relaxation" CD's. All in all, a phenomenal effort by both artists and a great kick off for Glass Throat Recordings."

SCAPEGOAT #11
"The first offering on this split CD is artist RUHR HUNTER who started up this project in the summer of '95. RUHR HUNTER's sound is a mixture Dark Ambient to, even at time, some natural sounds from the outside world. To be honest, I found GRUNTSPLATTER to sound alot like RUHR HUNTER, combining both a mixture of Dark Ambient and Harsh Noise."

MAELSTROM
Split releases are usually a great way for two bands of similar styles to team up and present new material. But sometimes splits are just a collection of new material representing the band but serving no deeper meaning. However, sometimes you come across little gems that go beyond merely being a collection of songs, instead become a wonderful showcase of common grounds, a shared ideology or philosophy - a duality found in both parties, creating something that holds one true meaning. Ruhr Hunter and Gruntsplatter succeeded in creating such a split release. And what a gem it is. Exceptionally lovely packaging covered with spiritual symbols and a quote from Henry Miller that perhaps completely explains the whole idea behind this release.

"For some reason or other, man looks for the miracle, and to accomplish it he will wade through blood. He will debauch himself with ideas, he will reduce himself to a shadow if for only one second of his life he can close his eyes to the hideousness of reality. Everything is endured - disgrace, humiliation, poverty, war, crime - in the belief that overnight something will occur, a miracle, which will render life tolerable." - Henry Miller

Now to get back on topic, this particular quote used in the artwork deals with the ultimate desire in wanting life in its most tolerable state. Some might say the solution is a simple one, namely getting a lobotomy, but according to Miller one will go through everything horrible to reach that state. And perhaps that's an appropriate, albeit sinister way to perceive the music on this disc. Featuring about 35 minutes each, Chet Scott and Scott Candey both display what they do best each in their own peculiar way. Ruhr Hunter with two large outings that inflict an extreme sense of desolation, almost pushing through to being depressive if it weren't for the fact that harsh power electronics come roaring upwards through the resonant atmosphere to keep you refreshed and anxious. Gruntsplatter with six tracks that are perhaps equally desolate, but rely more on compact foundations over which despondent and often rhythmic pulses are presented. Undeniably lush yet fantastically sinister in its delivery, this record is a pure feast for those who have a bleak pair of ears and a pessimistic persona to boot. Fans of dark ambience can safely pick this up lest they can deal with an often harsh and gritty atmosphere seeping through their speakers. (9/10)

NEO-BARBARIC #10
"RH have a spooky, mysterious ambient sound. At some points I felt like I had been transported to Loch Ness. At other points I got the impression that I was in a tension spot of a murder/thriller. Pretty neat stuff, heavy feedback, but not too heavy to digest. They only get two tracks, but they are pretty long. GRUNTSPLATTER compliments RH's style quite well. It also gets you looking over your shoulder, utilizing feedback and distortion. The songs are a bit shorter, not a ton of diversity. It's essentially sculpted for one specific mood. Don't expect conventional things like rhythm and melody. Blech! Who needs rhythm?"

AUTOREVERSE #8
"The billionth CD of useless droning sinister ambient noises. I am amazed by the sheer number of people who put out CDs like this; and moreover, who send them to AUTOreverse for the inescapable bad review. RUHR HUNTER are just plain useless, just some little guitar noise. GRUNTSPLATTER are slightly (I said slightly) more interesting, like a horror movie soundtrack, but even so, the general feeling is one of cosmic, infinite and all-encompassing boredom. The Henry Miller quote doesn't help.

WORM GEAR #7
"Knowing that the Experimental/Ambient scene has been pumping out obscure sound canvasses for well over 15+ years, I have slowly and kind of ignorantly begun to stumble into this art form since this magazines inception. Having heard everything from simplistic soundscapes, to brain jarring Noise blasts, I found the most recent release on the new label Glass Throat Recordings to fall somewhere in between. First up is the minimal, mood sculpting RUHR HUNTER. With these two incredibly long tracks, several levels of guitar feedback and minor effects manipulation flow from the speakers kind of like smoke from an incense stick. R.H. is actually quite effective at creating a dense atmposphere with very little going on and with varying levels of intensity that come an go on the second opus, "The Darkling", I think those of you into minimalism will fully appreciate the effort. Personally, I think both tracks would have been far more potent and entertaining if they were only half the length. The sound would then have to develop quicker and I think my short attention span would have been more easily gratified. Next up with 6 much shorter and more constructive tracks is GRUNTSPLATTER. With the background sound of cricketsm churchbells, and the purifying crackle of fire the track "Immolating The Nest" quite masterfully creates a mental picture of a moonlit forest violently springing to life as a woodland church burns to the ground. With noise loops, periodic percussive samples (on the volitile piece "Gressil") and keyboard manipulation, GRUNTSPLATTER succeeds at setting a mood with each track and fills the listener with dark images. In this projects case, sound is used as a tool to stimulate deeper feelings within and does so by refraining fromlong, drawn out, go-nowhere segments of sound. Each track is relatively short and swarming with conviction which is enough for me to be fully possessed by all the fragments of sound that may surface with everylisten. If you enjoy the minimal, the ambient or the hauntingly dense, this split CD will appeal to a wide spectrum of fans of all things Experimental."

Torture Chamber/Gruntsplatter - "Bisect" CS - 1995

INDUSTRIAL NATION #14
"This is the first release from the CRIONIC MIND cassette label from San Diego. The press release the CRIONIC MIND sent described TORTURE CHAMBER as "ugly Power Electronic Noise" and that sums it up pretty well. This is probably the best Noise that I've heard in a long time. It has enough elements to keep the listeners attention, yet isn't overly busy. Words like "power" and "control" are repeated, slowed down and sped up for effect. On the other side, GRUNTSPLATTER present a mesh of ambient electronic noise that is similar to TORTURE CHAMBER's work, but much darker. Very dense noise with samples and heavy electronics. I certainly encourage noise fans to pick this up and to watch for more releases from CRIONIC MIND."

FEVER PITCH #2
"The first release from this up and coming experimental label from California. TORTURE CHAMBER is J. Canady from the band DEAD WORLD (who have releases out on RELAPSE). The basic sound, is many samples and loops over a slight noise layered background, very good sounds. GRUNTSPLATTER is run by Scott Candey, and consists of various noises (some buzzlike, some harsh) with drum machine and samples - also quite good. I hope to hear more noise from both bands. To contact these kings of feedback write..."

OHM CLOCK #4
"I dreamed of doing stuff like this many, many moons ago but here I am reviewing it. This tape features two experimental/noise outfits. TORTURE CHAMBER and GRUNTSPLATTER. TORTURE CHAMBER, who recorded live, deliver 4 tracks of non stop aural screeching. As with most all live recordings, it is especially grating, as the higher frequencies are rawer and more pronounced. GRUNTSPLATTER, who used a studio, sound a bit more subdued but no less chaotic. After listening to so many ambient releases, this is a welcome change to rinse out the musical palatte."

AUTOREVERSE #4
"TORTURE CHAMBER does distorted sound fuckery. Low frequency sound assault complete with Hitler samples and instructional speeches on various aspects of warfare. Sequenced synths provide some semblance of order, but the rest of the action is a bit chaotic. And ungodly harsh. MAN. GRUNTSPLATTER's Scott Candey is also the sole perpetrator behind CINDER SKIN, so you know you're in for some scary shit on his side of this splitter. "14FI" starts off all mechanized and overdiven like most of the CINDER SKIN stuff. "Beneath The Landfill" is pure guitar sonics. Give your ears 90 minutes of hell."

ILBASHA #4
"Featuring a guest appearance by none other than J. Canady (DEAD WORLD) We are taken to the limits of both pleasure and pain with the audio mindfuck of TORTURE CHAMBER. Screams, noise fills, and echoed demands over what could only be described as an electronic rape in progress, are what's to be experienced with this band. Next up, GRUNTSPLATTER, CMD's own Scott Candey has begun his trek into the bizarre with this sonic menagerie potent enough to make one stop pissing in mid stream...and like it. Undoubtedly for the sick."

MORTAL COIL #4
"This marks my first introduction to the genre of music called Noise. Lots of samples and parahumanoidarianized repetitions. This tape put me in a really spaced out mind frame. I felt like I was in one of those Twilight Zone marathons. I imagine a live show of this sort would have lots of bugged out lights and video monitors. Original song titles such as "We Are The Dead', "Beneath The Landfill", "Biological Satan", etc. A lot of effort went into this tape. GRUNTSPLATTER's Scott Candey is always working on something new. Check the interview with him(for his other project, CINDER SKIN) somewhere in this issue."

BEYOND THE LIGHT #1
"This is another electronic noise offering from North America with Torture Chamber on one side and Gruntsplatter on the other. Torture Chamber is electronic experimental sounds with Jonathan Canady and some conspirators, namely J. Hockvater, Ian and M. Jones, which is basically a live recording. This is very good, it is basically a 50 minute song in a couple of sections. It is sinister and enhanced by Hitler samples that are harsh and aggressive. The electronics build up and down as the song progresses. The electronics sound is more upbeat than Jonathan Canady's usual works, but it is dark and very atmospheric. It goes very experimental towards the end, but returns to the underlying sound for the finish. The other side is Scott Candey's Gruntsplatter, and unfortunately, it is not structured like your usual electronic noise being more slower noise orientated experimental songs. There is no real depth in the songs and well, it just does not grab me. Samples mixed with electronics are Gruntsplatter's sound but it is not as good as Scott's other side projects. The production is not great, but the Torture Chamber is well worth a listen.

INFERNAL ARCHIVES #2
"This doesn't suck, because it's beyond suck! This isn't extraordinary because it's beyond extraordinary. This isn't even music, it's beyond all actual sound and audio extremity. Overwhelming violence and supreme distortion is what makes up this tape. Both of these groups are far more concerned with transcending sound than making music. It is definitely not for me, but something about it does intrigue me. I would probably play this on Halloween for a haunted house carnival. It's scary, I can see the trick or treaters running when they hear this. It's not music in the harmonic sense, it's purely music because it inflicts emotion by the use of sound."

WORM GEAR #2
"If you are the type of person that believes Death Metal, is the most extreme music around, prepare to be schooled. What you are about to experience will be considered noise by some and a symphony to others. Putting all titles aside, "Bisect" is your worst nightmare put to tape. Let's discuss the contents, shall we? First up is a 40 min. live set courtesy of Colorado's TORTURE CHAMBER, a project consisting of Jonathan Canady of DEAD WORLD, and J. Hochvater. The best way to describe the soundscape presented by T.C., is to imagine sticking your head inside a rocket thruster during take off. Add sample and sound manipulation to the dense rumble and you have the ingredients that I'm sure had the crowd scrambling for the nearest earplug. This is a fine, though somewhat two dimensional, display of unrelenting electronic abuse. Side two finds San Diego's GRUNTSPLATTER nestled in to assault your senses. This one man project has taken the limitations of his equipment and expanded on them ten fold. Where TORTURE CHAMBER presents a steady barrage of sound, GRUNTSPLATTER has gone two steps further by incorporating drums and keyboard melodies into the fray. The opening track "14FI" features a SKINNY PUPPY influence in the drum programming that keeps the foot tapping, while waves of tainted sound defile your eardrums. Taking into consideration this was recorded on a four track, it amazes me how well layered and mixed the production is. There is a strong mood portrayed in each of the eight songs and I think that is one of the elements that a lot of Noise acts are lacking. GRUNTSPLATTER has created some very powerful and dynamic... yes I'm goig to say it...music. With professional packaging and good sound quality, "Bisect" is a tape that all fans of experimental music will appreciate."

Gruntsplatter "Pest Maiden" 7" + CS - 1999

SIDE-LINE #30
Scott C. Candey sonically explores the plague with this diseased 7" slab o' vinyl, Pest Maiden, on the always entertaining Troniks label out of Berkeley, California. But the caustic sounds here seem as much inspired by a plague from the past, as prognosticating one for our future: the multi-layered devastation of "All Fall Down" is threaded with splintered bone needles that dig into the sonically dense body of the Armageddon machine, a machine that grinds everything within its path, devouring all life, spreading infection. The sound is like the constant sear of lava, like the skin eating radiation of the nuclear aftermath, each scorched layer confirming imminent extinction. The subcutaneous hum of "The Watchman, The Visited & The Under-Sexton" signals that now we are in the body of the Armageddon machine, subject to digestive acids, the flesh-melting radiation radiating with electronic virulence, the machine-breathing--until the infection turns on the host, and blood pours from the crater-like pores of the machine. It is the beginning of perpetual night. Gruntsplatter specialize in layer upon layer upon layer of noise that, when peeled, reveal Scott's catastrophic intentions: complete sonic annihilation. For the lucky few to have received the initial pressing of this gem, a bonus cassette was included, three tracks, over 55 minutes more of destructive music; of note, the stealthy navigation through the nuclear windstorm of "A Hasty Grave," a windstorm that ravages everything it touches. How appropriate! (JCS: 8) JCS

GRINDING INTO EMPTINESS
The prolific Mr. Scott Candey is back again on the Troniks label, this time with his key solo project, GRUNTSPLATTER. Pest Maiden is two pieces of back-to-back, cold, dark ambience inspired by the widespread horror and pandemonium surrounding the viscous plague years of the middle-ages. Candey creates a thick, haunting atmosphere that almost lets you taste the cold, musty air. The most disconcerting aspect is how comfortable it actually feels. "All Fall Down" is like a soundtrack to the carnage, riddled with faint, deathly screams that attempt to burrow up through the soundscapes that stretch over the entire track. These voices are contrasted by a steady, soothing drone that seems deceptively calm... "The Watchmen, The Visited & the Under-Sexton" is the aftermath, like swarms of flies lighting on strewn remains. Eerie tones envelope the darkness, with a layered, slightly more abrasive feel than Side A. Pest Maiden is definitely short and sweet, and though it's a fully realized, conceptual 7" it almost seems like a teaser single released before an LP. If only that were the case.

SPECTRUM #3
Well well, GRUNTSPLATTER on this new release have reached the level of which was hinted at on previous recordings, now being a fully fledged contender to the heavy weights of the Death Industrial genre. The first thing which is evident is in regards to the clarity of the recording which has more breadth and atmosphere, steering clear of being partially muddied and one dimensional. Fiery storming atmospherics make up the first track "All Fall Down" intermixed with singular sustained notes, distant tortured voices and some hefty non-descript bass rumblings. Quite ominous overall, mainly due to the track having a very solid width and decent depth to the sound spectrum. Side B ("The watchman, The Visited & The Under-Sexton") has an even greater level of atmospherics, intermixing echoed factory type Death Industrial with more dark droning elements. Sweeping through varios phases the sound textures rise and fall in a subdued yet heavily threatening manor, being akin to listening to a hurricane muffled by bunker walls. Housed in a cover with suitably bleak imagery & text this makes a very nice taster to the full length debut CD to be released on Crowd Control Activities early in 2000. Look out...

AVERSIONLINE
8/10 - [Troniks] The slick dark grey on black layout with aged illustrations/text regarding the plague had me drooling in an instant! Sonically this begins with "All Fall Down", leading off quietly rumbling, suggestive of impending doom with subtle tortured screams blended into the background - repetitive but highly effective. Towards the end there?s a massive buildup which drops out to fade the screaming, talk about leaving a mark! The B-side, "The Watchmen, The Visited, & the Under-Sexton" is slightly harsher with feedback wavering in and out with machinated hums/whirrs. Also tastefully done with a slow build and bass heavy mix. This material comes highly recommended. This makes for a great EP, satisfying without being the least bit boring. I think you?ll be hearing the name Gruntsplatter more and more? This particular 7" is numbered out of a limited edition of 250, so make a move! [Notable tracks: both are excellent]

TOTENTANZ
"Pest Maiden" is a 7'' by the San Francisco based death industrial solo project Gruntsplatter, released on the, also SF based, Troniks label (which is runned by the man behing Lefthandedecision, whose last CD was released on Gruntsplatter's label Crionic Mind...). Gruntsplatter is a very promising newcomer of the American dark industrial scene, and such a release is always a nice thing to feed your ears with. Here comes two nice tracks of bleak but somehow menacing industrial. "All Fall Down" is based on some kind of distorted "windy" drone, and feature some creepy screams samples in the background, as well as some other noisy details all throughout the song. Very calm but chilly, this is a nice track, presenting well Gruntsplatter's cold atmosphere. "The Watchmen, the Visited and the Under-Sexton", on the other side, sounds less distorted but feature more sounds: still a "wind" of cold noises, something that could possibly be dervied from church choirs, and a couple of very distant tones anad beats. This song, less straightforward than "All Fall Down", is also more pleasant. Very sad, it's a great track, even by Gruntsplatter standards. "Pest Maiden" is a nice and enjoyable 7'' from a very talented project. Of course, it's a bit short, featuring onyl two songs, and has the risk to become only an item for fans and collectors. Still, it's a nice initiative and features very good cold atmospheres. - Nicolas

RE:MOTE INDUCTIONS
All Fall Down starts as a windswept soundscape. A feeling that persists, though other sounds can be heard, crying out beneath. As Pest Maiden is a reference to the Black Plague as represented by the flea on the cover, so is "all fall down" a line from a popular nursery rhythm stemming from that period of time and a direct reference to the plague. A groaning loop comes in, pulsing motion beneath the surface, dying out to leaves only the cries. Flipping the 7" we have The Watchman, The Visited and The Under Sexton, creating a similar sound, though the scrape is a little heavier and grittier. There is a surging darkness and a pulsing siren - making this more of an intense piece. Progressing, The Watchman goes beyond suggestion, bristling in its uneasiness without ever having to resort to a straight assault. The first 50 copies of the Pest Maiden 7" also come with a 3 track cassette. This continues the theme - Permeating Tissue starting the first side with suggestion of the plague's course through the body. This loops a couple of pronounced scraping layers, sheer sounds rising as slow spikes from the bass edged pulse of the main loop. This track seems to keep to the same format as the 7" - establishing an atmosphere and maintaining it. Permeating Tissue has a crackling electronic vibe, progression only intensifying this sensation. As the title suggests this is a permeating sound, long and invasive. When the plague has finished permeating your flesh and you'd done the whole ring-a-ring-a-roses all fall down, all that remained was a A Hasty Grave. The mark of the plague on doorways and wind sweeps the streets while the cart is loaded with bodies, rumbling down the street. The wheels scrape a little under the increasing weight. You can hear the flies around the hole that has been dug - the plague moving faster than you can deal with. The earth is thrown in as you flip the tape and Finally Silent starts with the core rumble of Gruntsplatter sound. A wavering distortion, with milder sounds buried within - elements of metallic edges and smoother bass. Sparks fly off the core rumble and we can hear rusty squeals. The real variation is in the textures of the sound - the noise element ever present and requiring exploration and a use of volume.

SCABIES
Woah, this is excellent material. Cold and desolate soundscapes, to either plot a murder, or murder to yourself. Atmospheric, laid back, deep and haunting cold winds and echoes mixed with a bit of a harsher element, (only on side 2), to create a great apocalyptic sound track. This is a very fine release, and slightly limited.

KDVIATIONS "Spring 00"
This great little two-track 7" from Gruntsplatter shows him exploring more ambient territory than his previous work on split CDs with Ruhr Hunter and Slowvent. "All Fall Down" has a calm, flowing sound to it, with a slow rhythm buried deep amid all the layers of mildly distorted ambience and horrific samples of people apparently in great pain. The B-side, "The Watchman, the Visited, and the Under-sexton" is more dynamic, with the occasional churning rhythm and bursts of cavernous roars. I dig it! Limited to 250 copies.

WORM GEAR #9
Limited to just 250 copies with only the first 50 accompanied by a three-track cassette, this is an incredible release of dark, rumbling noise ambient horror. Using the Black Plague of medieval Europe as it's theme, Pest Maiden tells a story of grief and fear by encouraging the listener's own imagination to fill in the pictures of shut doors with black crosses painted upon them, muffled cries coming from within, rats the only creatures moving on the cobblestone streets. A-side's "All Fall Down" utilizes the sampled sounds of weeping together with a monstrous noise - the roar of pestilence-ridden winds sweeping through now-empty towns, bringing the stench of decay and the weak cries of those now almost dead. "The Watchman, The Visited & The Under-Sexton," on the B-side, is every bit as intense, perhaps even more so. This is the post mortem darkness enveloping, coming in massive waves that drown out the faint but ever-present voices of the dead that surround you. Headphones are recommended, as is high volume. The cassette, which is most likely long gone by now, features three long tracks, two on the first side and one on the second. These tracks tend to be of a more repetitive, meditative nature than those on the vinyl. Side 1's "Permeating Tissue" is built upon a repeating figure that seems to do just what the title says - permeate your very tissues. The second track, "A Hasty Grave," ties together well with the 7" with the use of more wind-like sounds, creating a dark but almost relaxing feel. The high point is side 2's 25½-minute long "Finally Silent," a drifting piece to carry you off into that finally restful slumber. The packaging, particularly the vinyl's, is in itself worth the meager price, but the sounds contained herein are simply astounding. This is the sound of the Plague triumphant. An awesome release - in my opinion, Gruntsplatter's best to date. Those interested are, however, advised to move fast 'cause it's almost gone...

OxPx
Dark haunting electronics from Calafornia, kinda reminds me of a LUSTMORD CD I have. This is great stuff and it's limited to 250 copies so get yours soon!

Gruntsplatter - "Pest Maiden" (reissue) CD - 2004

IN THE FENCE OF REALITY
(File under : Darker than the bubon that grew up in your neck this week) From the Tronik vault, PACrec reissue a very obscure release from this West Coast infamous act for the best I guess. I really can't imagine that some parts of this was originally released on a tape limited to 50 back in 1999. Five years later justice is due thankfully from one of the best label in noise nowadays. This one I is comprise of 5 tracks that was originally done on a 7" and a tape. The structure of most of the tracks are similarly the same and as the Luasa Raelon PAC also released recently, the power is in the quality of the music (or noise, see!) Most of the track are very repetitively pounding with a sharp razor ambience that will raise your hair. I got a particularly personal preference for the last track that got a very intense harsh vibe through it's big 25 minutes of harsh "silence." I guess there's few noise project that can handle a sense of dramatic ambience with a high degree of harsh noise. That is something that should be known more, but I guess the name Gruntsplatter. So this is really justice due to this beautiful release to been more available for now. The mastering job was also done by Thomas Garrisson who actually did another beautiful sound job here and the artwork was done by Scott Candey and looks like most of his other ones. So this is a mandatory one for those who need tension and loudness in their life takes note, weak people, got out of here!

AVERSIONLINE
7/10 - The disc may contain a mere five tracks, but the sum is a massive hour-long journey into some of Gruntsplatter's earlier dark ambient landscapes - a re-release of the 1999 limited edition 7" and cassette of the same name that existed in mere runs of 250 and 50 respectively, all remixed and remastered for your listening pleasure. The shorter two tracks from the 7" are interspersed between the much longer three cuts from the cassette, beginning with the minimal and persistent plod of "Permeating Tissue": 13+ minutes of tactfully repetitive rumbles and hums with just a little bit of grimy texture seeping in, gradually thinning out in its final minutes with very little significant variation otherwise. "All Fall Down" follows, leading off by quietly rumbling over a tortured sobbing subtly blended into the background – repetitive but highly effective. "A Hasty Grave" hits nearly 17 minutes and is another murky and repetitious piece, with a bit more cascading motion, but still focused around low-end tones with ominous atmospheric characteristics. Next is "The Watchmen, the Visited & the Under-Sexton", which gets slightly more intricate with textured high-end tones wavering in and out against machinated hums/whirrs with more of a gruff bite. "Finally Silent" then ends things off with more than 25 minutes of material, immediately fading in with a thicker and more distorted (though not very harsh) drone, while eerie treble mingles in and out of the picture at scarce moments. This is yet another very consistent and almost hypnotic piece, but its faintly grittier edge is a nice touch. The sound is of course a little thicker and rawer than Gruntsplatter's more recent work, but that really doesn't detract much at all. In fact, it could be argued that, despite possessing less clarity, the rough edge adds a lot to the bleak aesthetic of the material. The CD comes in a black and white slipcase with layered artwork in the usual Gruntsplatter vein, along with a quote on the back cover from "A Journal of the Plague Years", which of course applies to the theme of the material. This is a solid re-release for sure. The two tracks from the impeccable 7" are my favorites, and it's very nice to see this criminally limited edition material back in print on a more accessible format. Fans of the project should certainly find this worthwhile. Here's to continuing the wait for the next Gruntsplatter full-length!

VENTRILOCUTION
Having only become acquainted with Gruntsplatter through The Organ Harvest compilation, I was fairly surprised after having spun this re-edition of Pest Maiden, mainly because the acrid and gritty facet explored throughout the majority of the aforementioned release has almost no connection at all with the droning sonicscapes of this album. Thus, instead of searing walls of thick noise, we are presented with a vast amount of prolonged sounds pieced together in layers above a continuous earthly tone that stretches towards unfathomable depths. The ominous and ubiquitously oppressing wall of sound is greatly reminiscent of the atmosphere created by Jules Verne's "Journey to the Centre of the Earth", as Professor Lidenbrock's party descended into the bowels of the Earth through the crater of Sneffells Yokul. Then again, the vastly deserted locations explored throughout this sonic ordeal might as well resemble the dead-inhabited European villages of the Middle Ages, whose populations were almost entirely decimated by the vermin's deathly breath. In fact, apart from the sounds that inhabit those cities of the dead, the only living manifestations are those of the very bringers of doom, whose yelping shrieks are but a faint reminder of what brought about such a grim affair. Even more interesting is to detect the subtle changes in tone from track to track, which go unnoticed when experienced "normally"; slight evolutions from distinguishable notes to amorphous sounds that represent the ineffable withering and decay of all things natural or artificially animated. Therefore, it is hardly shocking to verify the weakening of one's state of alert as the album draws to an inevitable finale, especially because it is approached in a grossly exaggerated fade-out that is essentially of a hypnotic nature. Although this album does not sound as I expected it too, mainly because of the skewed perspective enforced by the only other output of this band I had ever experienced, the overall appreciation of Pest Maiden is perhaps even more positive than the initial impression, as it is verily a capital representation of the deathlike quietude brought about by the bubonic plague, and that alone is enough for me to deem it as an enticing and alluring release.

VITAL WEEKLY (extracted from a review of multiple releases from the label)
Although Gruntsplatter isn't exactely new either, it's a new name for me. They had previous releases on Relapse Records, but 'Pest Maiden' compiles his early 7" and a cassette release on Troniks from 1999. This is noise of a different order. It's not some over the top feedback howl, but darker than dark atmospheric doom death rattle. Everything moves in the darker edges of the sound spectrum - just much low end, a little bit of mid end and no high end. Moving slowly forward in these pieces, like some alien beast, just landed on earth and seeking human life in order to destroy it. Music like that of Gruntsplatter reminded me of Brighter Death Now or some other Swedish groups along the lines of that, which is good. Horror B-movie stuff here.

ABSOLUTE ZERO MEDIA
Where do we begin with this well I guess literally at the begining this is old material from a 7" and Cassette Release. Its a Bit more aggressive and active then the newer material in which Scott now tries to build what i call Death industrial to a climax. It maybe earlier work but none less impressive. With the 1st track it seems to be a bit more anlog synth heavy then anything Gruntsplatter has done since as well. Maybe I'm insane and I don't doubt that but this release seems to ahve more to do with Black Industrial/ Ambient then Death Industrial . I would put this release in the same place as early MZ412 or even Some of the darker Schloss Tegal Moments. The re-mastering work is top notch my Thomas of Control/Misanthropic Studios. Over the 5 length Track Gruntsplatter creates a very dark and unsettling journey and I look forward to more work old or new to hear.

FREEVIEWS
I don't know anything about this guy except he swims at one mph in frozen butter in an pink orca suit. This cd is like a test record for sonar lovers. I also get the idea that this might be the follow up to the "Eraserhead" soundtrack, " Eraserhead Reloaded Underwaterspace". I have to shake the hand of this cd a few time for calming me down when I was looking for my keys to get out of my house. What are house keys when the slowest drag race engine is driving into a wall of cat food and chocolate over the course of 24 minutes? There's one track on here that sounds like some guy (Gruntsplatter probably) hits a gong slowly, it echoes into infinity before finding backwards light sources. OK! I'm sold, this is a fine, drag your muddy bellbottoms through the moon dust over the course of a year release.

BRAINWASHED
Recorded way back in 1999, Gruntsplatter's Pest Maiden 7" and cassette release may not have made much of an impact on the noise-loving public (perhaps due the limited nature of its release), but it is a fine album deserving of attention. Thus, Troniks/PACrec has made the split-up release one monstrous album and Scott E. Candey has remixed the material especially for the occasion. The album consists of three long pieces and two shorter, these serving more as setup compositions for the giants that follow them. "Permeating Tissue" is a strange beginning; a vacuous low-end loop cycles over a series of atmospheric bubbles and gasps for roughly thirteen minutes- the result isn't boredom, but a strange trance ensues that covers the rest of the album in a blackness only a subject like the plague could evoke. In fact, the rest of the album seems to issue a blackness that chokes every sound Candey decided to use. "The Watchman, The Visited, and The Under-Sexton" might have been a medieval chant culled from an old monastery still sitting in the mountains of France, but instead is sounds like possession, an incendiary demon ripping apart every holy symbol and fracturing the physical body until the soul begins to bleed from the bones. Five minutes may not register as much time for a noise-maker to establish such a vivid mood in a piece, but Candey pulls it off with grace. The sounds on the album all feel old, the static and hissing producing the effect of being in a library at times. This could very well have been a recording of the plague years, though the frequent spacious elements used on the record give it a mystical air, as though a Masonic library would be far more appropriate. "Finally Silent" is the 25 minute closer and, true to its name, squelches the previous four tracks in its size and stature. Screaming, scraping, and absolutely dying to be released from the terror the album emanates, "Finally Silent" emasculates and devours everything, leaving a tiny quiet place in its wake that feels less like relief and more like desperate loneliness, a tiny figure waiting to die. - Lucas Schleicher

BLOOD TIES
This is a re-issue release of material from a 7” and cassette released in 1999 on Troniks. It’s nice to see some of this material is becoming available again for those of us who missed it the first time around. This is the longest PACrec release I have heard clocking in at about an hour.

This release ranges from gritty dark ambient to death industrial soundscapes with a decent production quality considering it is ripped from vinyl and cassette releases that are over 5 years old. Some of the tracks (the longer ones) tend to be a little slow, but I would guess they suffer a bit from the quality issue. The first track “Permeating Tissue” is probably my favorite here as the sound of a rhythmic repeating synth jab is crisp and clear throughout. Don’t expect too much change but this is industrial let it pound your head until you feel you’re about to go insane.

“Finally Silent” is a close second that has several more changes but more of a lo-fi drone as its base. This is mixed with walls of feedback and synth swells that wash by. There is a subtle rhythm to this but it is often subdued by the other elements that appear throughout the track. This track increases in activity and variety as it nears the end, which is a nice move.

The two shorter tracks on here I’m guessing are from the 7” and are about the same caliber as the longer tracks. The material fits together well. Something about these tracks just fail to grab me in a “wow this is excellent” way and I would guess that’s a result of the recording quality, but this is a definite must have for any Gruntsplatter fan out there as it’s solid material and a little piece of Gruntsplatter history. The packaging is a simple matte sleeve with black and white overcrowded artwork on it. Fits the music pretty well and works for a good retrospective release.

HEATHEN HARVEST
Originally released as a 7” record and following as a MC and finally as a cd on Troniks, limited to 1000 copies, ‘Pest Maiden’ has finally fallen into my hands. And, my friends, if you want to visit a world of desolate, gelid and unnerving purely electronic landscapes, this is your record. Scott Candey admits he has ‘embraced’ the name of ‘Noise ambient’ his compositions have been given. Many of his works are thematic and inspired by diverse ideas or situations that, if you are ready to fill your mind with anticipation and images, can sometimes be eerily found through the web of sounds he uses.

In this case, ‘Pest Maiden’ is accompanied by a text from Daniel Defoe’s ‘A Journal of the plague years’. Through titles like ‘Permeating Tissue’, A hasty Grave’ or ‘The Watchman, the visited and the under sexton’ Gruntsplatter brings us his soundtrack for disaster. The record opens with an unnerving calmness that is creamily extended through looping. A thick, crackling noise that sounds as if a circuit has been broken in the projecting of an old film and it keeps on going round and round, over its axis, in a never ending, useless circle. Every once in a while a following sound is introduced and taken away. Never in an aggressive way, always subtly following the straight yet winding line proposed by the base. It is followed by ‘All fall down’, a much more tragic composition. The sounds of songs, voices, cries and moans are muffled by the overpowering noise of a strong wind-like body. Some beeps and frequencies take the listener into the 21st century world were he comes from and tears him away slightly from the disaster that is being heard.

‘A Hasty Grave’ returns to the calmness found in the first composition, with a vast emptiness sounding corroding wind. The composition slowly grows though, and a clawing sound that comes from the background makes its way towards the spotlight. When it arrives it transforms into a clear, biting high-pitched melodious sound. It is extended until the noise around it starts crawling onto it and becomes the new main character. The entire contrast makes a heavily emotional feeling of defeat and sadness. At a moment, the high sound is taken from the composition and all that remains is the foggy atmospheric noise. ‘The Watchman, The Visited and The Under-Sexton’ picks up the ambient noise and takes it one step further, growing and evolving into a strong sound that breathes heavily down your neck while you try to escape through a dark, twisting passage-way. The noises gain intensity and explode into the song – not in an aggressive, ear splitting way, but more as the noise an overflowing damn would make before catastrophe. The high pitched sound returns, only for some seconds, and then is lost into a frightening, tense stillness. ‘Finally silent’ marks the end of this voyage. It is cruel and much harsher than any of the previous compositions. It marks purification by fire. The crackling, mechanical sound undulates through the vastness, approaching and embracing, and moving away again. It becomes rougher and more hostile with time, while it also becomes more automatic and start becoming familiar to the listener. Around the 15th minute, when one has almost become accustomed to the screeching sound, it suddenly gains another level of intensity, surprising and menacing. About three minutes later, it attacks. The crackling noise is almost completely shaded by an explosive sound and it falls into the background and changes. The sound becomes much hollow and detached. Towards the end, the frequencies become higher and higher in tone, yet lower and lower in volume. Finally the composition is dragged into oblivion.

If any of you would like to be taken by the hand through a world of suffering and pain, go ahead and purchase ‘Pest Maiden’, put the headphones on, close your eyes and let your imagination fly.

Gruntsplatter - "The Death Fires" CD - 2000

OUTBURN #13
5/5 - The personalization of Post-Apocalyptic Noise Grind: Gruntsplatter specialize in a form of power electronics ambience distinguished by roiling, turbulent sonic vehemence that rises from the center of the earth to a speaker rumbling perch overlooking the blasted, post-apocalyptic terrain. Always a step ahead, though, Scott Candey, the one man force behind Gruntsplatter, as well as head of the Crionic Mind label and Worm Gear magazine, has taken the foundation forged on cataclysmic ideals, and added a distinctly human element. I've read that Scott utilized personal loss in the construction of some of the music on The Death Fires. This key emotional element lends even more depth to an already multi-layered decimation of the earth. Not only is the earth drowning in the destructive forces that Scott unleashes, but now there are atmospheric textures and disparate tones that lie underneath, subtly signifying anger, denial, and melancholy. The mutated, corrosive, and wholly indistinguishable vocal loop that runs through "Against The Dying Of The Light," as beaten on with feedback and fury, seems almost an exercise in frustration, an inability to help, a patchwork of incapacitation in a situation that demands response. "Struggling To Breathe" is drenched in contemplative tides brimming with increased distortion as the track progresses. Scott's willingness to explore the inner landscape of torment and despair is featured here, as the thick, oppressive noise is like a straightjacket, forcing him to stay focused throughout the tenuous emotional venture. The subterranean fires that singe "The Resonant Soil" tonally highlight the shift the music has taken during The Death Fires eleven tracks, from day of apocalypse, to night; from a life lived, to the moment of sunset, the cooling embers crackling ominously, the moment before death takes one's hand. For music intent on swallowing the earth, the scope of what Scott has accomplished here, in giving it heart and soul, is nothing less than astonishing. How else could one explain how this 'roiling, turbulent sonic vehemence' could also be described as, quite simply, beautiful? Inspiring work from a major force within the realm of dark, sonic expression. - JC Smith

AVERSIONLINE
8/10 - More excellent dark ambient power electronics from Gruntsplatter. There's fantastic symmetry between harsh textures, grating feedback, and soothing undertones. Brief interludes of tonal synthesizers or vague notes (piano, etc.) add dynamics and tangible musical qualities at times. The use of seamless loops to create rhythm and movement is displayed well. "The Creeping Things" ends with great ambient sweeps that convey true feeling, very rare for a noise recording. Another outstanding track is "Struggling to Breathe", where a bass heavy vibe creates infinite depth. The track titles really add dimension and direction to songs like "Against the Dying of the Light", "Below the Stones", etc. Again the layout is printed very dark, a perfect representation of the sounds within. Gruntsplatter is definitely creating some of the most thoughtful and well performed electronic noise of present. This comes highly recommend as some of the best in the genre.
[Notable tracks: Access the Blood, The Creeping Things, Against the Dying of the Light, Below the Stones]

SPECTRUM #4
Watching this group's evolution from the early split CD releases has been an intrigueing and rewarding endevour when considering the quality of his debut full length CD. Promise was definitely shown on the early split CD's, further enhanced on the 7" of last year, now amalgamating all experience in a coercive whole, to create an album that I knew they would eventually produce. While some of the earlier recordings were slightly marred by elements of lo-fi and muffled production, the digitized medium of this release has brought everything to the fore, and was mastered impeccably by one Thomas Dimuzio. While the tones of many of the noise layers are reasonablt harsh and scathing the production has purposefully blunted the razor edge to create a deceptively abmient air - other wise described as "noise ambient". Seething furnace fumespermeate "Black Toothed Mortality" along with a sparse keyboard tune, introducing a new and very positive elements into the Gruntsplatter sound. Probing, high pitched squeals introduce "Access The Blood" and waver in view throughout while crunchy sub-base textures grind away at the flesh of your inner ear. The bone grinding machinery is certainly cranked to full swing for "Against The Dying of the Light", mixing the chaotic with a system of repetition. Crispy static loops and speaker imploding bass work particularly well in storming unison on "Fearbiter" as elements are added anbd subtracted from the mix at various points. As Spacious and drawn out "Struggling To Breathe" is it still contains a feeling of finite audible space, gradually closing in and engulfing the room in heavy ashen air. With the forcefullness of many of the preceeding tracks the minimalist construction of "Below The Stones" provides an opportunity for a more detailed exploration of textural subtlety (including mournful drawn out chants), ensuring this is one of my favorite pieces on the disc. Comparisons could be made to the greats of the death industrial genre such as Brighter Death Now (such as the drawn out moments on the "Great Death" series); yet while BDN has a very European sound, I feel that Gruntsplatter has a very American flavour, matching up with the sounds beingfiery and suffocating mental imagery. Finally the cover art matches the atmosphere perfectly, in that the images are melded into a dark background, akin to being covered in black soot and ash.

TOTENTANZ
Gruntsplatter's is a one man project by the man behind the San Francisco label Crionic Mind. It is also one of the most talked about new dark industrial band from America. "The Death Fires" is its first full length CD, and the first chance to get an idea of the project's music without having to dig for limited releases. Gruntsplatter sounds is very slow but don't forget to evolve. Made of drones, distant noises and disorted soundscapes, it's very oppressive but doesn't have the repetitive side of more power electronics acts. To compare it with another recent good dark industrial CD, it's heavier and darker than Heid's Arktogäa but is maybe less flowing. An intensive amount of saturation is used, but without making the music sound chaotic. On certain songs, like the opening "Black Toothed Mortality", some melodic tunes are played to reinforce the sad aspect of the CD. Atmospheric without being background-ish, "The Death Fires" are heavy and imposing. The songs are diverse enough, so you don't get bored and the listening of the CD gets very enjoyable. Some tracks, like the very good "Against the Dying of Light" will bury you till you suffocate, while some other, like "The Resonant Soil" feature a very light tribal aspect in the way their noises are arranged in loops. The album is very well done, and you clearly hear that the man already has several other releases behind him. Potentially reminding of some other important acts (like the least aggressive moments of Stratum Terror or some Archon Satani), Gruntsplatter proves to be a name to keep in mind when you speak about very dark current industrial acts. - Nicolas

GRINDING INTO EMPTINESS
Even though this is basically a debut in the sense that it's Gruntsplatter's first full-length CD, the project has been around since early '95. After a series of split releases, a 7" on Troniks and numerous compilation appearances, Scott Candey has found a home on Crowd Control Activities. A lengthy hour of dense, haunting compositions, The Death Fires resides somewhere on the noisier side of dark ambient. The song titles reflect morbid themes that are inextricably tied to the project, with the ominous music becoming a perfect soundtrack to the death and darkness. It's a conceptual undertaking. Textural sounds and drones flow in thick swells. Melody is faintly whispered, rhythm forgotten. It's very subtle, almost minimal in approach, but the uncompromised effect Candey has achieved with this CD is extremely powerful. This is an intense listen; by the time it's done I'm almost compelled to turn to something light and poppy as an antidote to the gloom. Gruntsplatter's arrangement with Crowd Control has future CDs on the horizon, and The Death Fires provides them with a difficult act to follow.

JUDAS KISS
'The Death Fires' is the first full-length album from Gruntsplatter after various split and compilation releases. Gruntsplatter's sound incorporates dark ambience with piercing frequencies and washed noise with lowly set rhythms which all help produce a terrifyingly bleak glimpse into death industrial. The whole atmosphere of the CD is a one of nightmare washed realm in which a primitive driving forces of pain and isolation are prominent. Unsettling soundscapes of electronics tear from the speakers in a deafening slow pace which engulfs you into the living darkness that the tracks possess, without offering much in the way of a reward for the primal experience it bestowed on you. A dark and intensely noise ridden release that that will appeal the very dark at heart.

THE PLAGUE
I was psyched to receive this disc, as I had heard a couple of Gruntsplatter compositions on different comps and they were always among the best. The brain-child of one Scott Candey and it fits loosely into the 'dark ambient' category, with each track more of a sonic tapestry than a traditional song. The only band I've reviewed in recent months even remotely similar to Gruntsplatter is Inanna and I'm pleased to say that The Death Fires is just as good, if not better. Trying to describe music like this is difficult, as it needs to be experienced. Unlike pop music, where the listener is generally presented with whatever emotion the songwriter is trying to get across, Gruntsplatter aren't as blatant. Here, the emotions and images are evoked from within, exciting the listener's imagination rather than dulling it. The sounds utilized on the various cuts are generally dark and obscure, with some wind-like sounds dominating most of the album. The sheer variety is impressive, yet the album never loses its cohesiveness. There is a great deal of noise here, too, but it is a subdued, brooding type of noise, not the chaotic brutality of power electronics. The overall effect is rather calming, despite the subtly disturbing undertone of the whole album. An atmosphere of gray death, a lonely vigil at a forgotten sepulcher. That's what I got from my first couple of listens anyway. I'm sure others will have a completely different interpretation, which is the beauty of this album. Having tried my hand at music along these lines myself, I know just how difficult it is to do it well (I haven't quite got there yet myself). What may seem like simple noise to the casual listener is actually very well thought-out sound placement, with the various elements layered in just the right way to make it work as a whole. Another winner from Crowd Control. [Daniel Hinds]

SCABIES
Dark image provoking Power Electronics with soundscapes devoted to misery, grief and an intolerable way of life. Thick bellowing lows and cascading waves of desperation, this paints a great picture for the end times that are to come.

MUSIC'S BOTTOM LINE #?
Boy, oh boy is Scott Candey a busy man! This makes the second release to feature his work within the past two months. First, the Triage release, and now a brand new Gruntsplatter CD! Crowd Control Activities is proud to present THE DEATH FIRES, the first full length CD offering from Gruntsplatter on the label. Mixing elements of power electronics and death ambient into whirring, droning machines of the apocalypse, Scott Candey spins auditory webs of sound, which entangle the listener, holding you captive till the bleak and bitter end. As you would expect, Gruntsplatter's THE DEATH FIRES comes highly recommended.

WORM GEAR #9
At long last, the full-length debut from San Francisco's Gruntsplatter after a series of compilation appearances and split releases is an aural exploration of death and dying, a very personal look at the decay which eventually befalls us all. Strangely soothing at one moment and quite unsettling the next, "The Death Fires" is kind of a concept album of sorts, but don't let that make you think of Yes or something equally nauseating. Rather, the concept is basically a personal journey with death, the thoughts and feelings of those close to death, the mourning of those who've passed, and visits with the ghosts of those whom Death has taken. From the calming synth lines of the opening "Black Toothed Mortality" to the death industrial rhythms of "Against The Dying Of The Light" to the subtle but ultimately overwhelming waves of sound on the disc's closing piece, "The Resonant Soil," this is noise intricate almost to the point of insanity; there's so much boiling under the surface that even with several listens you'll still hearing things you hadn't heard before - voices almost wholly unrecognizable as human at times and at other times eerily similar to EVP recordings, Theremin- and Moog synthesizer-like phrases, horn-type passages, pseudo-percussive sounds floating in the miasma. This is creepy stuff, folks, but creepy with purpose and with intellect. The stunning melancholy of "When They Go," the restlessness of "Waiting On The Body," the looped strangeness of "Fearbiter,"... An excellent release overall. This together with the awesome "Pest Maiden" 7" should definitely place GRUNTSPLATTER securely at the forefront of the noise scene. - Raúl

Gruntsplatter - "Chronicling The Famine" CD - 2002

AVERSIONLINE
8/10 - It seems like it's been an eternity since the last Gruntsplatter full-length was released, so I was very much looking forward to hearing this. Needless to say, it was worth the wait. As usual Gruntsplatter has achieved a masterful balance of dark ambient and death industrial soundscapes, at times leaning more in one direction than the other, but always maintaining a consistent approach that flows perfectly and never ignores the cohesion of the whole. In fact, this CD really plays almost like one long song, granted there are separations between tracks, but there are a lot of similarities between the compositions, and the atmosphere remains constant (perfectly reflected by bitter titles such as "To Walk the Earth in Spite of It", among others). Dismal synth reverberations, abrasive loops, soothing undercurrents, churning distortion. everything is in place. "The Slow Exhale of a Man Looking In" is totally twisted and completely disturbing. Suffocating density takes hold while tons of sickeningly eerie textures bubble forth on occasion. "Waiting Among the Dead for Death to Come" is similar in the darkness of its mood, but more aggressive. Very textured distortion tones are mingling back and forth while the ambient drones hum away in the distance. "Underneath the Luminous Poison" is the shortest track, even hinting at blatant melody with a musical pattern that repeats in the background. Piercing treble is kept very low in volume so that it just barely breaks the surface here and there. This time out the recording has taken a step up. That's not to say that prior work from the project didn't sound very nice, but things are obviously a bit more well rounded and clear on this outing. A lot of the detail involved in these pieces is very subtle, so headphones would be recommended, but the warmth of the recording along with it's distinct crispness and loud volume helps matters for sure. The disc comes packaged in a superb digipack with some excellent artwork. The imagery is collaged from photographs and mostly revolves around images of bird skeletons and bleak landscapes, all tinted a subtle purple-ish hue. Some of the imagery is very abstract, and I think that works out very nicely because you can just stare at it endlessly and still have no clue what you're looking at, but that makes it even more curious. There's also an illustration of a bird inside, and some use of silver metallic ink as well. A single Louis-Ferdinand Céline quote underneath the CD tray seems to sum up the attitude of this album surprisingly well: "The world only knows how to do one thing, to roll over and kill you, as a sleeper kills his fleas. That would be a stupid way to die, I said to myself, to let myself be crushed like everyone else. To put your trust in men is to get yourself killed a little." Very well done. Gruntsplatter definitely remains one of my favorites in the genre, and the quality of his work remains incredibly consistent. This is the first release I've heard from Desolation House, so I'll be curious to find out what else the label has/will come up with. [Notable tracks: The Slow Exhale of a Man Looking In, Underneath the Luminous Poison, Methane, Extinction & The Absence of Divinity]

TWILIGHT ZONE
First, if you liked the "the death fires" from "Gruntsplatter", this new release is definitely one for you, too. It is a bit more varied, but in the same style. You need to hear both cd's in a whole, because the tracks refer to each other providing a "cinematic" experience. The style i would describe as "death ambient" - (with influences from "dark ambient", "industrial", "noise" and a bit of "power electronics"). All that mixed in a very "nice" way... Another thing is, to enjoy this recording, the volume has to be turned up a little bit unto a certain level - because of the background-sounds. (maybe also listen to it, for example, in a darkened room). If you haven't heard something from "gruntsplatter" before, Then try to obtain the split with "slowvent" - you will get to know two artists at the same time. (I have just recorded "ctf" on tape for testing on walkman outside...). (DEATHAMBIENT)"

DARKAMBIENT.ORG
Gruntsplatter's release on Desolation House records, a sub-label of the Relapse/Release family has struck me as a well produced and extremely quality oriented release. The beautiful digipack it comes in is complimented with an interesting "noise ambient" compact disk. But it comes with much more than that. When I pressed play on the cd player, relaxation and an altered state of mind followed. I haven't heard much "mellow" noise in awhile. The only other mellow noise I can think of at the moment is Death Squad, and this cd is something else altogether. I really didn't expect the disk to create such a digital bliss. The sounds incorporated on Chronicling the Famine are truly impressive... Imagine listening to the sounds of your inner organs alongside the sounds of the decaying dying planet. Think about how this would sound. Sickly wind sounds and grunts of organic sound textures fill this disk. The music is extremely complex and well performed. It is highly original and in fact highly meaningful in its own way and many other ways. I have listened to this disk, lying down in bed with eyes closed, completely absorbing the atmosphere. The album took me to this strange state of mind that was never before awoken within. As I understand, this is the second release of a finite number of releases by Desolation House. Also as I understand, the limit is 1000 copies, never again to be packaged so beautifully.

SEKÜENCIAS DE CULTO
Recently, Scott "Gruntsplatter" Candey and several members of the Worm Gear forum were commenting the strange fact concerning "Chronicling The Famine," the latest output by the acclaimed San Francisco based musician and designer: while the disc is currently sold out from the label, paradoxically the CD has passed almost unnoticed within the realms of our limited scene. "Chronicling The Famine" meant the second reference for a new recording outfit, Desolation House, nothing more and nothing less than the newest Experimental sub-label of the mighty Relapse; so it has materialized into a considerable "mainstream" distribution for a Noise release (Amazon and the likes), while the habitual distributors of this kind of stuff have carried it in limited quantities, or at least not enough to fulfil de demand of the album. And the fact results especially sad because Gruntsplatter couldn't have chosen a better presentation card for the big audience, but I can't help fearing that such a proof of subtlety and compositional task probably won't be appreciated in its full magnitude by it, while some of you, who could and should take the oeuvre as a true reference in terms of elaboration, probably still haven't tried it.... But let's centre in the motives that make worth that checking. To commence, I see "Chronicling..." as a rather different work when compared with its predecessors in all aspects. Of course you will still find that characteristic Noise Ambient (or Ambient Noise or call it however you want; whoever has listened Gruntsplatter anytime, already knows what I'm talking about) sonorities, but even if a release like "The Death Fires" was amusingly rich, its complexity really pales when compared with this newest effort. And to say the truth and being more precise, instead of difference, I should call it "evolution": that's the key. As I was saying, the genuine elements are still there, but the artist seems to have paid attention to his past works trying to improve elements he maybe thought were previously incomplete or not mature enough, because fluidity, cohesiveness, richness or balance are just some of the words coming to my mind, apart from the obvious gear improvement, etc... And maturity in all senses, because if I've complained above about the Desolation House's task regarding underground distribution, I wouldn't say all the truth without pinpointing some of the privileges than a big label, with a major professional approach, can provide regarding artistic possibilities and means. Firstly, because of the superb mastering work of the Experimental legend Robert Rich, which really makes the difference when compared with other examples of Noise releases. In my opinion Mr Rich has understood the essence of Candey's work, as his site claims it: "Mood and depth of composition have continually been of the first importance for Gruntsplatter. They are really the only goals I have with music, to make something evocative and subtle in its detail". Unfortunately, I've always had the impression that the sound in some of the previous recordings of the project made difficult to appreciate those heavily elaborated details blurred by the hard mixing and mastering duties that such genres, Dark Ambient and Noise, demand. But now, even if someone can argue that part of the prior charming density has disappeared due to the crystal-like production, the highlight of the final master is the way it achieves transparency without sacrificing a single bit of the atmosphere, trademark of Gruntsplatter; and I would dare to say that this work is responsible, at least in part, of the progression that this disc offers... As every work by the project, every single track has a noticeable development from beginning to end, avoiding the classic repetitive character of the Industrial genre most of the times. But here the disc as a whole reveals its own growth as well. It starts rather powerful with "Ravens At The Cradle", one of the best accomplished compositions, with all those reverberating and abrasive layers with background lugubrious pseudo-melodies. And Noise increases progressively in this part, for instance with "Swollen Like Their Bellies" or "Tyrant Among The Bloodless" to name a few, with all those gritty sounds that will disappears towards the end. Probably, the sixth cut, "Waiting Among The Dead For Death To Come" (by the way, notice in all the titles how the Candey's suggestive poetic sense is still there) works as a inflexion point. The granular stratum doesn't disappear, but the tone is less harsh. In the subsequent cut, "Underneath The Luminous Poison," the role of the hypnotic melody turns the aggressive textures into a smoother result. And with the exception of the eight song, the final two (especially obvious in another highlight: "Methane, Extinction & The Absence Of Divinity," maybe the one to blame in the apparent late change of sonorous direction of the CD) prove those more relaxed ambiances, even if the approach in all the compositions is more or less the same... Returning to the final product, and talking about mood, the artwork deserves another of the big applauds in my comments. "Illustration by Rob Middleton, additional graphic manipulations by Scott Candey and layout by John "C17H19NO3" Bergin," I really don't know how they've exactly managed a work of three, but the final result is one of the more aesthetically well-achieved digipaks I've seen in the last times, and what visually the content demands: dark as hell. Again it has really captured the concept of sound... But anyhow, whatever comments I could keep on adding, "Chronicling..." is a disc to be experimented on your own and let it grow; there's always something new in each of its multiple obscure corners and labyrinth corridors. And such a complexity turns out pretty simple when trying to say the last words: fascinating and essential; it's really that easy.

NECROPHONIE #1
Project of Scott E. Candey, owner of Crionic Mind label. All I have tasted by GRUNTSPLATTER so far has been to my liking, it could occasionally be harsher; I especially keep in mind "The Cessation Of Spoil" CD on Glass Throat Recordings by TRIAGE, GRUNTSPLATTER & RUHR HUNTER collaborative project. This here is a bit in the same vein, cold & organic, subtle mixture of pulses, frictions, flux of frequencies, small noises. Perfect example of what I would call "death atmospheric", delicate thunder & path in profound, inner worlds. My faves in here, although it's hard to definitely fix, would be 5th "Tyrant among the bloodless", superb stereo effects, & 7th "Underneath the luminous poison", shiny melody over very dark sounds, like vermin gnawing the last fossilized remains of a corpse under a sun in renewal. The rather evocative album title fits perfectly. Very recommended CD. Nicely designed digipack. Desolation House is a sub-label of Release Records, with taste as already mentioned; keep an eye on it.

RECYCLE YOUR EARS
Two and a half year after his debut CD "The death fires", and bearing a surprisingly similar artwork (dark blue tones, skulls and medieval imagery), Gruntsplatter comes back from his relative silence with an album on Desolation house, a label which seems to be the sequel to Crowd Control Activities as death-industrial sublabel of Relapse / Release. Though Scott Candey (Gruntsplatter) seems to have relatively open tastes, heavy-eared on the metal side and supportive of a wide array of industrial projects with his Crionic Mind label, "Chronicling the famine" follow the same precise path and rules as "The death fires" did, and stay inside the same ambient-ish noise boundaries which Gruntsplatter has built for himself. Low overdriven white noise builds the foundation of most of the track, while crackling and repetition saturation bring a slow goulish pulse, and answer to the occasionnal analog tones and feedback that spring from time to time. Slow and repetitive, Gruntsplatter's music has always had a very weird edge, not entirely because of the dark imagery in which it comes packaged, but also for the pulsating and oscillating form of its noise. And still, if "The death fires" was rich of precise loops and little grindings, this "Chronicling the famine" presents a more ample, bassy edge. While it looses in sharpness, it becomes a more mind-numbing form of music, in which the tracks, though often thick, drown very quickly in the background. It might be lighter in textures, but I for example found the less noisy and more changing second half of this CD (and most of all "Underneath the luminous poison" and "Methane, extinction and the absence of divinity" to be more of an attention-catcher that the first tracks. Gruntsplatter is good at what he is doing, he knows his instruments, his music and has a precise objective. However, while all the elements are present and in place, there is something that didn't quite work for me on this album. The house is well built, but something prevented me from entering it. It might be a more lush sound, a possibly more ambient mastering (by Robert Rich), or just a lack of variation, but "Chronicling the famine" sounds too much like a calmed-down version of noise for me, and I wished that either the distortion or the tones had taken the forefront, instead of getting mixed in an album that sometimes doesn't really know where it is going. Still, not an unpleasant album, but one which failed short from getting a grip on my ears.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN Vol.37 No.25
Boy, is Gruntsplatter a great band name. It's a little misleading, though, because it sounds like the name of a death metal band, and Gruntsplatter is not a metal band, or even a band, period. It's the solo project of Richmond District dweller Scott Candey, an apparently busy-as-hell guy who is almost invisible around these parts unless you know exactly where to look. He runs a label, Crionic Mind (whose best-known roster member is Zeni Geva guitarist K.K. Null), and coedits the long-running metal-experimental zine Worm Gear. He also has a slew of recordings out via collaborative projects with groups bearing shadowy names such as Umbra and Blunt Force Trauma. The music runs the gamut from creepy-drone ambience to heavy-duty electronic noise.... Gruntsplatter is his main project, however, and Chronicling the Famine, his second full-length release under that name. What distinguishes this disc from others in this genre is Candey's way of taking would-be harsh sounds and submerging them in a thick, unsettling soup so that they don't sound harsh at all. Loosely comparable to fellow local darkness-dwellers Noisegate and Tribes of Neurot, Gruntsplatter makes for good 4 a.m. headphone listening. It would also make a nice accompaniment to your next trip to the isolation tank. (Will York)

VENGEANCE MAG
Over 2 years have passed since the debut from Gruntsplatter and what a welcome back it is to hear this new cd called "Chronicling the Famine". This release has beautiful art consisting of a tri-fold cd case with all sorts of dark imagery of ravens and trees. The music follows the artwork with its bleak strokes of distorted darkness and creepy vibrations. I didnt think the cd needed track numbers because it blended so well but there is to make room for some of the best song titles of the year like: Ravens at the Cradle | Swollen Like Their Bellies | The Slow Exhale of a Man Looking In | Laterns Blanch The Spoil | Tyrant Among The Bloodless | Waiting Among The Dead for Death to Come | Underneath The Luminous Poison | To Walk the Earth In Spite of It | Methane, Extinction & the Absence of Divinity | The End of the River. Gruntsplatter is Scott Candey and he knows his instruments and gear very well.Anyone into darkambient/noise will love this release. I hope gruntsplatter goes on tour for this album because it would be a treat to see how all of this would come together. A forest at night would be the perfect place to enjoy this release if possible but if it isnt,just turn down the lights and dring a glass of wine.

KFJC - ONLINE REVIEWS
Scott E. Candey's sophisticated sci-fi séance of dark ambient noise. Sounds like a gargantuan galactic tarantula's slimy cavernous lair, teaming with thousands of spindly legged arachnids, mandibles dripping with ooze. This is quite an astonishing nebulous of electro-experimental atmospherics and abrasive auditory inclinations towards outer spaces' furthest reaches. Digital electronic sequences and scratching noise samples seize hold of the very air, permeating the ear canal, pulsing through receptive nerve endings. Experimental & ambient electronic pioneer, Robert Rich, not only gives his blessing on Chronicling the Famine, he mastered the album. If Candey's inspiration stems from esoteric literature, histories, and his emotional state of mind, consider Gruntsplatter his looking glass into drastic social decay and morbid psychosis.

GOTHTRONIC
This one-man project by the US citizen Scott E. Candey came into existence in 1994, this album contains tracks recorded during the period of summer 2001 until spring 2002. Inspired by a somewhat esoteric approach of literature, history and the tragic genetic decay of humankind, Gruntsplatter manages to combine noise and dark ambient in an almost sophisticated way. The gloomy and frightening soundscapes often sound like a storm raging over the surface of a post-apocalyptic world, generating macabre tones from slowly decaying scrap sticking out of the frozen rubble. The modulated white noise sounds ,because of its throbbing and rustling, like something that's living in a realm where only death should exist. You may consider this to be the instrumental dark ambient answer to the industrial horror of MZ.412, in case you want a compact summary. And if you're one of those people who just want more despite the fact that you actually want to run away screaming, I would like to name a few titles... "Ravens At The Cradle", "Waiting Among The Dead For Death To Come", "To Walk The Earth In Spite Of It" and "Methane, Extinction & The Absence Of Divinity" are just a few of the ten tracks whose sounds manage to feed my distressed grimness. Be warned.

OMNISECT
Harsh minimalism is a fascinating thing; Gruntsplatter is a perfect example of the successful marriage of dark ambient and death industrial. The result is a clever juxtaposition between noise and silence. Chronicling the Famine (2002) employs the harsh nature of noise to create not only a dark sound true to death industrial, but a minimalist style. The forceful dark nature of death industrial is united with the encompassing emptiness of dark ambient. Not every sound in this album is harsh; eerie harmonics ring through the static with an ominous effect. The nightmarish atmosphere is especially palpable, samples of bells and boiling sounds bring to mind the perfect imagery to accompany the dark style. Chronicling the Famine is unforgiving, inhuman music at its best. - Review by Douglas

Gruntsplatter - "The Organ Harvest: Rare & Unreleased 1994-1999" CDR - 2004

AVERSIONLINE
7/10 - Another nice little release collecting rare and unreleased material from one of the finest dark ambient/death industrial projects out there. As the title would suggest some of this work is quite old, and therefore definitely rawer and more rugged than what you'll here from Gruntsplatter these days, ranging from three-minute atmospheres to nearly 10-minute epics of persistent, hypnotic textures. Five of these compositions (scattered throughout the disc) were originally to be released as a split with Armenia, which may or may not have ever seen the light in limited form, two are from the "Two Minds of Murder" compilation, "2 Rote Reihe" is from the "Madness Incarnate I" compilation, and everything else is entirely unreleased. Much of the material is fairly minimal and largely revolves around murky low-end rumblings with very faint distortion cascading in and out with minimal movement, where there's evident layering, but nothing that feels too prominent or overtly involved. "With Sword, With Hunger, With Death" has more of a stripped down sort of bubbling flow, while "The Door Closed" is the first piece that truly gets much thicker and more resonant in its sound, also bringing in subtle wisps of feedback. "2 Rote Reihe" is one of the busier pieces, and among the few herein that use vocals, which are mixed deep in against the swirling sounds of crunchy bass - definitely creating a solid classic power electronics aesthetic on some level. "No. 8 Neue Strabe" is similar, though a bit more open with its distortion, also clashing against a very curious appearance of what sounds like a buried sort of melody. These more active pieces are a great change of pace from the fairly consistent sinister ambience otherwise, not overpowering or feeling out of place, just kicking up some dust and making a stir. The promo copies come in a standard plastic sleeve with color xeroxed artwork, and from what I understand the original release (limited to 100 copies) comes in a DVD case with the same package (only larger). Honestly I find the artwork to be a bit dull and muddy compared to the quality of most Gruntsplatter releases, which is unusual, but shit happens. The tracklist and some notes about the tracks are on the back, and that's about it. I wish more artists would do releases such as this one, because all too often quality tracks go unheard when reserved for obscure compilations ("2 Rote Reihe" is a fine example of that). It's a shame to see this running as such a small scale CD-R issue, but for those actively aware it's certainly better than nothing at all!
Running time - 74:29, Tracks: 13
[Notable tracks: Stumbling Before Death, Formulating Intent, 2 Rote Reihe, No. 8 Neue Strabe]\

ABSOLUTE ZERO MEDIA
Well Well Well looks we have a collection of unreleased Gruntsplatter Tracks from 1994-1999 on a CDR release thru Jason Walton of Nothing and Agalloch fame. This is more inline with the material from " The Death Fires" period . Harsher backdrops with more of a noise feeling to it all. As I said in the last review Gruntsplatter seems to me moving into more experimental and sound scape elements in 21st century. I really like the gritty vibe of this release again the production is top notch esp for a CDR release. I looks like this it very limited to 100 copies in DVD Case I just received it in a clear slipcover and a printed Booklet . None the less I can say with issue that Gruntsplatter are one of the Few artists that I have listened to for yrs that has always been consistant and quality releases. Yet another release under Scotts belt well worth the price of admission.

VENTRILOCUTION
If, somehow, the name Gruntsplatter firmly leads you to think of death metal, grindcore, grindgore or any other secluded variant I may not be able to recall at the time being, it would be advisable to consult the web-page supplied above and thoroughly read all the information therein provided. With that said, and having naturally narrowed down the number of potential readers to an interested minimum, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary release by this long-running experimental group. Consisting entirely of rarities, were-to-be-released tracks and alternative versions of published songs, The Organ Harvest showcases the artist's exploration of different moods, techniques and processes throughout a period of five years of aural evolution. Obviously, and I feel free to say this from an unbiased point of view, these differences might seem irrelevant to the untrained listener, but if one takes the time to fully submerge oneself in the enveloping ambiences created by the thick walls of seething noise this group is so attached to, the necessary dissimilarities between songs become self-evident and, to a certain extent, predictable. Hence, it is possible to divide the songs into two groups, one that explores the grittier, noisiest and less comforting atmospheres and a second group that presents continuous streams of reverb-soaked complacence. Possibly to avoid a strict division of the album, these two groups are scattered about in an illogical way, albeit some tracks are grouped in small clusters that form a cohesive pattern and subtly engage in barely perceptible changes in atmosphere. Opening theme "Stumbling before Death" sits nicely as an introductory piece that is mostly tame and restrained but shows a latent, urging facet that will lead to the overtly ominous "Luciferous Eromania", which is, nonetheless, still far from full-on aggression. The systematic build-up of this song in a slow, consuming crescendo declares its inability to explode, while being abruptly cut short in the exact moment it began urging for the catharsis that comes in the form of "Formulating Intent", another piece filled to the brim with unuttered aggression and underlying viciousness. "Inhabit", on the other hand, is a whole lot of nothing, and presents only momentary changes in the main speech, even though it spans for about 7 minutes and a half, pre-emptive in creating a base for the boiling alien discourse of "With Sword, With Hunger, With Death", that is again cut short exactly where the climax reaches its highest point. Follower "Tantrum" and "Implements of Hell" hand out the weapons with which "The Door Closed" boorishly presents its own electric discharges of muted strings and, even though they're not pleasant in form, they seem awkwardly sympathetic at the sight of the angry, inconsequent rants of "2 Rote Reihe". With only four songs until its gruesome finale, it can be clearly asserted that the vast majority of the work presented throughout The Organ Harvest is fairly constrained and devoid of rampaging malignancy, a fact that provides a reasonable explanation for the noise/ambient epithet provided by the label. Consensually, with the exception of "Bloodmeal", these final tracks adhere to the more discontent formulations of "2 Rote Reihe" or "Luciferous Eromania", and add a disgusted touch to the ending of the album, which is officially concluded with a 9 minute-long opus ironically titled "Anesthetized", since it is the only track with discernible percussive elements and possesses an overall livelihood far superior to most of the tracks on The Organ Harvest, even though the CD (literally) dies out before its announced conclusion. In general terms, this is an album destined to be consumed by completists and aficionados only, given its lack of any commercial value or intrinsic originality, but, if the usual wanderings of artists which dedicate themselves to stretching the boundaries of "music" are no strangers to your aural fancies, this is clearly an approved release.

ULTIMATE METAL FORUMS
Nosier than a drum-kit fed through a wood-chipper, The Organ Harvest is a retrospective of rare and unreleased material from dark ambient/noise project Gruntsplatter. I'd like to make it clear at the outset that due to a problem when burning the promo, I only have the first six tracks. Usually this would bug me, but with this retrospective, it does not, because what we have here is lots and lots of electronic noise. One staple of the songs on this release is a rumbling ominous low-end drone, giving the pieces a dirge-like, menacing atmosphere. Usually there is some higher pitched noise above this is, at times providing and gentle ebb and flow, and lulling ambience, at others only serving to enhance the eerie drones. Occasionally the noise takes on a more rhythmic character, yet the over-riding feel for all the tracks (well, those present on this promo) is like that of a brooding storm cloud (pretentious analogy chosen as the track I'm listening to sounds like thunder!). The tracks never quite seem to reach a crescendo as most storms do, however, remaining low key yet portentous. Hence this is all about atmosphere, and the minimalistic, stripped-down sounds is an acquired taste. If you like your noise, however, and you like it unadulterated and pitch-black, The Organ Harvest is a must. 7/10

LUNAR HYPNOSIS
I first came to know the name Gruntsplatter last summer after picking up the fantastic debut album from "Nothing" titled "The Grey Subaudible." Gruntsplatter's sole member Scott E. Candey had provided intro & outro tracks for the album. After playing the album for about the 50th time I decided I should finally see what Gruntsplatter's main work is like. After picking up the bands debut album it was more than obvious that I had picked up something not quite like anything else I'd ever purchased before. The disc being reviewed here is of old tracks that were intended for splits and compilation releases, but for whatever reason never happened. Additionally some of these tracks are unreleased tracks from the vault. Gruntsplatter's music could best be described as noisy ambient music. Now if you will indulge me and think back to when you were a child. Do you ever remember standing at the top of the stairs to your dark scary basement and hearing all kinds of strange disturbing noises? Even though you knew it wasn't anything more than maybe a washing machine or dryer running, still something about it terrified the bejesus out of you. This in a way is what the music of this band reminds me of. Scott mixes strange mechanical sounds with the typical subtle dark ambient sound. A few of these other tracks sound like a air conditioner running at full speed during a hot summer day or track five for example sounds like vegetables cooking on the stove, while track six sounds like a UFO taking off into space. Taken as a whole a few of these tracks do sound interesting to me, but the bulk of the disc is not. Some of the songs are simply unlistenable, and rather than getting enjoyment from them all I get is a headache. This band is hardly the type of thing you put on when you need to relax, in fact I have no idea when would be a good time to listen to this band. Some of these pieces would certainly sound good as background ambiance for a movie, but alone they just don't do much for me.

Gruntsplatter - "The Passions Of A Cripple" LP - 2005

FUNPROX
Gruntsplatter was started by American Scott Candey from the USA in 1994. He has been involved in numerous other projects, labels and magazines in the underground industrial scene, but Gruntsplatter is probably his main vehicle. I have heard only a small part of his extensive output, but the Gruntsplatter music I heard was usually dark and atmospheric, somewhere between noise and ambient. The new limited vinyl record, which came out in the same month as a cd on Eibon Records, surprised me a little in its harshness. The six tracks appear to be denser and noisier than I'm used of Gruntsplatter. An important cause is probably the significant role of aggressive vocals on some tracks in a power electronics style. The mood is grim and menacing, a feeling which is conveyed in a consistent manner. Some tracks are quite aggressive, like opener 'The Defoliant'. Others are more dirty obscure soundscapes with lots of sonic waves, rumbling machineries of death and distorted electronics, like 'Fire Behind Locked Doors' and 'Fracturing The Phantom Limb', where rays of light are not allowed to enter. My favourite piece is probably the loud and powerful 'Through A Hewn Throat', with a nasty in-your-face sound. A solid record with 26 minutes filled with a gritty sound and a torturous atmosphere.

AVERSIONLINE
7/10 - Ahhh, the latest from Gruntsplatter, and on vinyl no less! From the beginning, Gruntsplatter has been one of my favorite experimental artists in the dark ambient/death industrial realm, so I was really looking forward to this tactfully succinct record, which stays to true to form for the project while also exploring a few twist and turns that add variety and actually give the material more depth and structure. For one thing, there are some pretty twisted distorted vocal snarls going on with some of these tracks (including opener "The Defoliant"), and there's also more shape shifting going on musically, so there are definitely some lulls of repetition and consistency, but there are also more intricately layered and arranged atmospheres as well. "Fire Behind Locked Doors" opens with low-end surges and caustic midrange distortion, taking a calmer road that exercises more restraint without lacking anything in terms of sinister tone. "Fracturing the Phantom Limb" sort of combines the approaches of the first two tracks, using layers of sound that are thicker and more subdued, but adding in vocals as well - also thick and nasty, so they're totally indecipherable and act as additional texture. First up on side B is "Mute in the Understanding", which is thinner in some respects, partly due to the fact that vocals are pretty maniacal in this one, and the approach is quite relentless in its use of persistently fierce midrange and droning hums. But "Through a Hewn Throat" cranks out some surging loops and lots of ambient rumbling behind wails of distorted and caustic power electronics styled vocals - possibly the most intense of the entire LP. "A Stained and Ragged Cutting Board" initially takes the more subdued road of "Fire Behind Locked Doors", while tossing in a quaint little melodic eeriness behind excellent grinding fits of distorted vocals that make this the most dynamic and powerful track for me. A great way to go out, indeed. It seems odd that some of the tracks cut rather succinctly at the ends, as things do build up and sort of draw to a close, so on occasion it almost feels like things were snipped just a hair too early? I'm not sure, it's unusual, but not a real problem or anything. The packaging leaves a little to be desired since the LP basically comes in a clear sleeve with just a one-sided black and white cover (bearing the bleak abstract textures for which Gruntsplatters visuals are known, in addition to all necessary text), but the fact that the record is pressed on beautiful transparent dark blue marbled vinyl basically makes up for that! This is definitely something that should draw some power electronics fans into the Gruntsplatter fold, as well as pleasing noise listeners who appreciate thought and substance exercised in addition to a recording style that retains a raw, nasty sort of edge - but without sounding lo-fi or anything. Gruntsplatter never misfires, if you ask me. And this one's limited to 300 copies, so you better act fast, 'cause you know these fuckers ain't gonna be sittin' around for too long!

Gruntsplatter - "The Eulogists Assembly" CD - 2005

AURALPRESSURE
I've lost count of how many releases Scott Candey, or Eye as he's known in some circles, has recorded under the name of Gruntsplatter. Quite a lot if you include all the split releases I would imagine. He doesn't make things easier for himself, or people showing an interest in his work, by continually changing record labels with nearly every new release. Maybe he could set up his own website to chronicle them all. Not a bad idea if I say so myself. Anyway here's his latest outpouring of desolate dark ambient soundscapes for you to enjoy. Released on the Eibon record label (which has a nice back catalogue of releases worth checking out), "The Eulogists Assembly" is another journey into the netherworld of experimental frequencies and dense electronics all wrapped up in the glossy black sheen for which he's so renowned. No-one quite does atmosphere like this man. The sounds are built upon layer by careful layer giving the music an almost impenetrable quality yet still allowing each separate factor the chance to shine through the wall of barren furore. Hidden indistinguishable voices seem to reach out through the shrill vibrations that abound then fade quickly from whence they came. Swirling patterns grow in tempo and structure before being swallowed in a maelstrom of palpitating static waves. Quite refrains are pummelled relentlessly until only the faintest memory of their existence remains. There's a slight Industrial vibe mixed in with the evil intent of the music to corrupt and pollute the innocent. Utter pretentious bollocks of course. Not the music... but my description of the music. It's a black ambient recording for fucks sake!! "The Eulogists Assembly" is an exemplary, call it fucking magical instead which is better, piece of stygian ambient music that strays closely to the boundaries of noise electronics without fully crossing that great divide. What more do you need to know? Perfectly realised and composed it should grace everyone's record collection which is praise enough. If you've never heard the music of Gruntsplatter (maybe the name put you off) then "The Eulogists Assembly" is the ideal starting point for you to become acquainted to the monstrous visions that Scott releases. - ANM

HEATHEN HARVEST
Hello old friend. Long time no hear. Jesus how long ago was now? Fuck my memory is shit. I’ll get it in a minute. Fuck yeah. Back in May 2005. Do you remember? How time flies. And here you are again. Nearly two and a half years down the line. Sitting in front of me. You’re like the cat that fucked off and comes back bedraggled after some huge adventure. I can’t get over it. Gosh you still sound as good now as you did then. Of course you haven’t forgotten me have you? After all I did review you way back then and you even put that review up on your website. So my write up couldn’t have been all that bad. I must ask though…what brings you here now? I mean you’ve moved on. Haven’t we all. And you know I have nothing new to say that wasn’t first recorded back then. Shit!! That darned memory of mine. I forgot that you were initially sent to another reviewer who has now departed from Heathen Harvest and you were in his pile of promos that I got sent in to finish. Funny how things pan out. Weird in fact. Here we are then. Making up for lost time. I hope you’ll forgive me in advance if the review is kind of short. In fact I might just crib from my old review if you don‘t mind? I’ll mark the bits down so you know what they are. You can’t be done for stealing from yourself. Not yet anyway. You see I to am leaving Heathen Harvest. Getting too old for this shit. Reviewing is a young Turks game. Not for an old fuddy duddy like me. Set in his ways. Time to retire. Put my feet up and relax for once. Fucking great hearing you again though. Enjoy the words and don’t forget to keep in touch.

Scott Candey is a God. A minor God compared to the big fuck off ones that everyone prays to but a God none the less. Put it this way…if old slow hand himself Eric Clapton can be called one so can Scott. Gruntsplatter has always been a favourite project of his that I’ve always admired. Sure he’s involved with other acts but yea olde Gruntsplatter does it most for me. I’ve all his releases banged out on CD. You name them I’ve got them. ‘The Aberrant Laboratory’ check. ‘Pest Maiden’ check.‘The Organ Harvest: Rare & Unreleased 1994-1999’ check…cost me a fucking fortune on E.Bay mind. Worth it though. ‘Chronicling The Famine’ check. ‘The Death Fires’ check. ‘Split with Ruhr Hunter ‘ check. Lastly ‘the Split with Slowvent’ which was another wallet buster. I still worship the ground you walk on. Even though you’ve cost me a fucking lot of money in the past.

‘The Eulogists Assembly’ is a ten track ‘outpouring of desolate dark ambient soundscapes’ (cribbed) all wrapped up in typical Gruntsplatter style. Those of you who have heard any of the music before by this act will know exactly what I mean. This is a musical ‘journey into the netherworld of experimental frequencies and dense electronics all wrapped up in the glossy black sheen’ (cribbed) of Industrial Dark ambience. The air so thick with sound you could virtually cut through it with a knife as they ‘are built upon layer by careful layer giving the music an almost impenetrable quality yet still allowing each separate factor the chance to shine through the wall of barren furore’ (cribbed) that assaults the mind. This next bit was so good the last time around I’ve bunged it on in its entirety. ‘Hidden indistinguishable voices seem to reach out through the shrill vibrations that abound then fade quickly from whence they came. Swirling patterns grow in tempo and structure before being swallowed in a maelstrom of palpitating static waves. Quite refrains are pummelled relentlessly until only the faintest memory of their existence remains’ (cribbed)…worth repeating wouldn’t you say? Fuck me but I was a good reviewer back in my day.

Bang up to date then. I haven’t really anything original to add. Except I suppose that time hasn’t aged this recording in the least. The depressive / repressive nature of the music still jar and sends chills up every bone in the body. Akin to being touched by an unseen entity. Play it in total darkness, good for this time of year, and be prepared to be scared shitless. Everything about ‘The Eulogists Assembly’ commands respect. A ‘classic’ release in every respect and one that will give you nightmares for years to come. You had better believe it. If you missed it first time around then go grab yourself a copy before its too late. After all…you wouldn’t want to offend God would you?

ULTIMATE METAL FORUMS
"He who joyfully marches in rank and file, has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice..." reads the is Einstein quote in "The Eulogists Assembly"'s liner notes. And Gruntsplatter a.k.a. Scott Candey, is certainly not one to joyfully march in rank and file with his contemporaries; like Einstein, he would not be "part of so base an action." Ever experimental, this release sees the singular project produce more of the dark-ambient noisescapes we're used to. White noise ebbs and flows, drones create a sense of unease, dense electronics are juxtaposed by haunting, desolate tones, and – unlike much of Candey's other work – there are occasional more forgiving, sparse passages. A sense of unease is maintained throughout, as is a dark, claustrophobic atmosphere. Machinistic, rhythmic noise is present at times, while much of the remainder of the release comprises gradual crescendos of noise. If, like me, you are fond of your electronic noise, or a fan of the band, "The Eulogists Assembly" is a must. For open-minded experimentalists, this is worth checking out, but those more staid in their tastes may want to avoid it. Interesting, atmospheric stuff. 7.5/10

WORM GEAR
With the wickedness of the first wave, "The Eulogists Assembly" consumed my very thoughts and expelled them into a world dying in the diseased, grim soil of mankind. Counterbalancing insectic atmospheric static that hangs over in the foreground spawning. From the scathing high pitch feedback surgically cutting deep, as a profoundly low end bass hums apocalyptically. Hellish distorted guitars echoing like crying souls damned in a whirling black space soundscape. And fostering fiendish keyboards stalk the skyline of this ten song travel into the heart of a masterful composer of dark ambience. I fell victim to the digesting vortex of metallic abradant noise colliding in a chaotic dance with rich whistling keyboards. Layers of fluttering wings of crunching and crackling and dense suppurating of immense towers to which warping walls of moaning synthesizers carry the mind away. Gruntsplatter embodies here on "The Eulogists Assembly" a defining moment into what true dark ambient is all about. A conquest unleashed in 60 minutes and 42 seconds of a deranged cosmos swarming deep in the mind of humanity. For over a decade Gruntsplatter has assaulted our senses with abstract landscapes of sound. Beginning with "Bisect : A 90 minute Split w/ Torture Chamber" and taking us even deeper into the world of tortured minds and condemned souls with "The Eulogists Assembly." As often I find a song that keeps my imagination and "The Sour Call Of The Gallows Birds" sweeps in and close the album out in a haunting epic nature. Paranoid keyboards lash out along with the ominous collapsing distortion and rusting industrial rumblings of the bass. Monstrous roaring laced along with demoniac, vitriolic winds of amplifiers howling. With the last breath to be had, a gothic piano whines down the track of "The Sour Call Of The Gallows Birds." Leaving the tormented and damned as the sunset bleeds the sky in crimson and the last of the birds leave the gallows. This album is a masterpiece in the genre of dark ambient music and should be obtained in any measure possible. - K
EIBON RECORDS

Gruntsplatter - "The Aberrant Laboratory" CD - 2006

HEATHEN HARVEST
Scott Candey, the moving spirit behind gruntsplatter, describes his work as “... a malleable creature that hovers in the grey area between abrasive noise and dark ambient...”; you certainly won’t get any argument from me on that score. Candey seems to use gruntsplatter as a means to spit bile, plague and acid on the virus that is humanity – there is often an undeniable misanthropy coursing through the veins of the musical beasts he engenders. Certainly on some of his previous outings, such as ‘The Death Fires’ and ‘Chronicling the Famine’, he laid bare that misanthropy in the rawest way possible. I must admit that I too harbour a distaste for the vast majority of the steaming pile of turds that claim to belong to the race of homo sapiens – sometimes their blinding stupidity leads me to believe that it is only by sheer luck that we have survived thus far. This is one of the reasons why I have a soft spot for the work of gruntsplatter (plus I think the name is quite wonderfully evocative...).

Once again we have harrowing and brooding death ambient atmospheres, cavernous and cathedral-like torch-lit spaces, filled with the ever-burning fires of madness and destruction and peopled by the vile architects of filth and defilement. The earth churns, groans, fractures along fault-lines and spews the hot bile of magma amidst the engines of mass annihilation, the very machines that will do the work of ridding the planet of the parasite that we have become. This is a culling and mass death on a gigantic industrial scale – what’s more there is nothing that we hold dear or have faith in, be it science, religion or military prowess, that will either save us or hold the legions back. Everything will be laid to waste, the earth burned, cities razed and civilisation brought to its knees and beyond. All that will be left will be scorched and blackened earth, unmourned ruins, and the still-smoking funeral pyres of the world we created – the wheels were set in motion long ages ago and however much we try to fight it there is a relentless inevitability about it.

What Candey seems to be saying is that this is our doom and there’s nothing we can do to defer its arrival at the appointed time. We don’t know how long we have left, but whether it is tomorrow, next year, next century or in ten million year’s time, the prognostication remains depressing – the cancer that is humanity will keep on running its destructive and antagonistic course along with its unwillingness to change or uplift itself. One can look upon gruntsplatter’s music as either a warning or an anticipatory hymn to the eventual demise of the human race and all it represents – they may even stand as testament to those few individuals who possessed enough prescience to see our end coming. There’s definitely a part of me that would love to see the devils and demons dancing on the graves and piles of doomed humanity – I even hope they’ll let me join in with them. If they do, then some album or other of gruntsplatter’s will be on my mp3 player at the time....

BLOOD TIES
FUCK YES! This is what I’ve been needing for the last few years. Just a completely mind-blowing industrial ambient album to tickle my mind, peak my curiosity and send my ears into multiple furious orgasms!!! I’ll be listening to this numerous times within the next few weeks so don’t expect a ton of reviews from me. The Aberrant Laboratory is a 70 minute tour de force of heavy feedback, industrial reverberations, abstract synth textures, screaming subtle harmonies and moving surging seething atmospheres that will impress even the most jaded. Every layer here is constantly morphing and changing while weaving in and out of each other to form a monolithic sound palette that has so many miniscule strands involved it boggles my mind.

Scott Candey is the mad scientist that has concocted this abomination of sound and he is also the only professor involved in Gruntsplatter research. Gruntsplatter has released several items and he has already made quite a name for himself. I have most of the Gruntsplatter albums and I have to say that I have not been into them as much as I should be. I always felt there was something (and I have no idea what) that was missing from his output. I always took it for solid material but felt it was just lacking enough characteristics to avoid being something exemplary. The Aberrant Laboratory is a new beast, and I feel marks a new era in Gruntsplatter experiments. I feel like Gruntsplatter has finally reached the place that he was looking for here.

Scott uses all his old tricks and many new ones here of what sound like numerous synths pumped through several feedback loops and then mixed with heavy washes of white noise. One of my favorite tracks here is “Experiments in Circumventing Evolution” that features so many sounds sputtering, twirling, diving deep around you that it would be impossible to do justice with words. Don’t get me wrong here this is not “synth” like material. Think a more detailed Luasa Raelon, and if you’ve ever heard Gruntsplatter before this is going in a slightly more ambient direction while just generally taking things to the next level in terms of layers, better sounds, and longer more interesting structures. I could go more into detail until my fingers fall off, but the truth is every track on this is worthy of it’s own review as they are all so detailed and will stand up to multiple listens.

Pristine production by the talented Thomas Garrison of Misanthrope Studio makes this material hit all the harder. The artwork is the only thing that I think could be a bit better, my main problem being that some of the images seem a little blurry (as if they were digitally blown up) but they were at least shown enough care as to not be pixilated or anything. The font is fine, but there is a problem with the lower case “s” so it does not look at all like an “s.” It definitely would have been worth it to switch these out with letters that actually did look like an “s” because it’s rather awkward attempting to read all the text. Also, though the artwork might be a reflection of the music and the concept there are too many things going on, the art seems cluttered, but I think this is a response to the concept and the more I think about it the more I like it.

In a world where millions of people are collecting even the most mundane of information through research there are also scientists attempting to create microscopic black holes, smash atoms, accelerate and combine particles and who the fuck knows what else. The Aberrant Laboratory is a testament and a prophecy of this. It is the most bleak of testaments and the most apocalyptic of prophecies. It is an exploration into the important issues of our time such as genetic experimentation, and mutation, the corporeal and spiritual consequences of our curiosity and the repercussions of making our dreams, and with those, our nightmares a reality. I sincerely hope that after our world has been destroyed by nuclear holocaust that this CD and a stereo are one of the few things left so whatever is left of humanity (hopefully nothing) will be able to hear this monument of doom and know where we all went wrong.

Gruntsplatter has moved onto a higher plane in my book. He is now working at a level very few others can reach in this scene. The only thing I have left to say is: incredible.

GOTHTRONIC
Even the sharpest scalpels become dull and rusty one day. An aura of evanescency hovers around this fourth Gruntsplatter album, which adds a rather cadaverous touch to it given the principal theme of this cd. You see, The Aberrant Laboratory, recorded in '05 and released by Dark Vinyl in '06, is based upon a concept: the facets of degenerate medical science and the deviant research that results from it. The illegality of clandestine experiments and the renouncing of the Hippocratic oath has been translated here into ten almost unearthly, flowing sonic constructions with a total duration of seventy minutes. How does something like that sound? Like Merzbow and Lustmord meeting each other during a symposium of physicians who are as brilliant as they are insane. Slowly pulsating, elongated sound modulations with the mechanical feel of respiration equipment and the penetrating sensation of a surgical drill boring through living bone. Ethereal melodies float through the disquieting soundscapes in a shadowy way, like aerosol bacteria in a fastidious laboratory. This envelops you like an escaped cloud of anaesthetic gas and clammily clings to you like cooling blood and tissue on the cutting surface of an amputation knife.

Even though this has a more ambient feel to it than previous Gruntsplatter material, contorted and abrasive noise is still an integral part of the total sound. Together with the sophisticated details, an atmosphere that can be desolate as well as livid and a profundity which is hard to grasp, this gives rise to obscure noise ambient that is ghastly, morbid and exceptionally interesting. Not suitable as background music during surgery.

VIRUS ZINE
Gruntsplatter is Scott E. Candey, based, not in some obscure mountain castle retreat, but in Portland, Oregon. “The Aberrant Laboratory” is a CD that sounds like the gates of Hell have been opened, welcoming you to the dark ambience and ritual noise of a rogue medical community gone awry. And as with all good ambient music, there must be a cinematic presence. This happens here, in a big way. These are powerful sounds to accompany an unpalatable topic. But, at least the sounds are not real…

Or are they?

Ideology has always been a breeding ground for heated debate regarding medical ethics. Whether one considers diverse topics such as genetics, organ harvesting, physical torture techniques, abortion, eugenics, etc., as medical issues worthy of debate, the terms themselves have become unfortunately entwined in an impenetrable ideological helix.

And as conditioned ideology often pales when reason is applied, the rancid stench of prejudicial fluid is often not a graphic enough jolt to shock someone from this Pavlovian stupor.

So, for one moment, suspend all personal beliefs if you may, and shed all ideological clamor and comfort, and imagine the sights and sounds of a non-descript “aberrant laboratory” in somewhere, (insert country here).

Picture a blood splattered sign stating the Hippocratic oath, dangling in mockery from a rusted nail on the wall. On an operating table you see something. A cadaver? Comatose? Catatonic? Autopsy or experiment? Death? Or life slowly drained via a three-inch incision?

Whereas Mary Shelley conjured the possibility of life created from death, the scene unfolding before you is an altogether different monster. You look away, but you can’t deny the existence of the sound, because it penetrates you on the cellular level. It’s unavoidable. And if you let it, it will destroy you. - Michael Casano