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!