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."
