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Obsessis - CMI.91

Brighter Death Now have dabbled in the harshest field of extreme noise music for quite a while now. And they've actually managed to produce some worthwhile music while doing so. The new album "Obsessis" is no exception. But there is the same old problem with this type of music: the hollow fascination with all things "dark". Sure, Brighter Death Now have the right amount of humour and distance to be able to get away with it, but I've still had enough of distorted male voices screaming "provocative" nonsense. SPK and Throbbing Gristle both felt the need to evolve beyond this just a couple of albums into their careers, and realised that contemplative atmospheres or pop choruses can be just as subversive as noise.

It's a shame Brighter Death Now don't make the effort to escape this formula, because the music is an often overwhelming burst of powerful noise electronics, punctuated by violent drums and very breathtaking. If they just had the courage or imagination to add some new elements to it, they could be fabulous. But putting a girl with (what looks like) cum in her face on the cover? Grow up, little Roger...

KRISTOFFER NOHEDEN

Got Milk?

A new Brighter Death Now album can be nothing but a major phenomenon in the dark industrial / noise scene. Roger Karmanik, the man behind Brighter Death Now and Cold Meat Industry, has become a prominent figure of this small world with a long series of excellent albums on his label. Therefore, Brighter Death Now is now one of the band whose new albums can't be missed. This one, "Obsessis" (released both on CD and LP with a small difference on the tracklist) is no exception.

First thing, the cover of the CD is both hilarious and excellent. Amidst so many violent / bloody looking noise or industrial CDs, Roger Karmanik has chosen to direct the shock value in another direction, with a all white cover, a titre written in pink and, most of all, the cute face of a blonde model with sperm on her lips as only illustration. One appreciates or not, but this is really different from the rest of the covers of this style of music. Check also the track titles...

Then, the music. If Brighter Death Now is known for album dark beyong all imagination ("The Slaughterhouse", the "Great Death" series, "Necrose evangelicum") and for an ear blasting aggressive aural attack ("Innerwar"), "Obsessis" shows the interest of Roger in a new direction, mainly Power Electronics. This is very clear with several tracks, including the first one, "Intercourse (now is the time)" or "I can't get no sadistfaction (Oh, how I try)", on which Roger's voice bursts over wall of extremely grinding noise in very violent tracks. On others, like "A b c d (learn a lesson)" or "In circles (psycho circles)" (which was written with Deutsch Nepal), Roger Karmanik choose to write less aggressive but more heavy track, with a lot of very low basses. In a way, this could be a mixture of the deep end of "May all be dead" with the anger of "Innerwar" (the feedback is back on "Obsessis (for me)". The sound is bubbling, scraping, grinding, with a very good production (which is really a progress since the times of the "Great Death" box). It's not as incredibly heavy as "Necrose Evangelicum" was, but I believe that Roger's intent was not to write such a dark CD, and rather a noisier, more aggressive combination of his very typical sound with Power Electronics (once again, only on some tracks).

It would be possible to compare Brighter Death Now on "Obsessis" with some other bands, but the attempt would be futile as Brighter Death Now is for sure one of the very milestone of the genre. When you listen to this album for the first time, you'll be struck by the thickness, the density of the noise and the bass, as well as by the aggressivity of some tracks. Then, once you'll get a bit more used to it, you will appreciate the mid-paced, very organic trakcs of the middle of the CD, that contains a lot of these ultra treated voices Roger has used on this new album. At this point, the monster Brighter Death Now manages something I would never had expected from such an act: becoming hypnotic (on "You got sperm on your jacket (I know 'cause it's mine) and "In Circles (psycho circle)" and its clear Deutsch Nepal influence. The heavy dark and beastlike machinery of noises, screams and very wide frequencies is put into loops that really grow on you like no other noise artist. And, finally, "Mothers and daughters (you need it)" closes the cycles with a come-back to aggression, screams, and madness.

With "Obsessis", Brighter Death Now confirms the new, noisier and "punk-er" attitude this project has taken since "Innerwar", but also shows a real evolution in his music, The aggression of "Innerwar" is here, as are the low frequencies of "May all be dead", and to this are added some power electronics vocals that directly put Brighter Death Now as one of the main band of the genre.

Of course, Brighter Death Now is not for anybody. You have to have seriously degenerated ears to listen to this. Yes, this is a cult band, but it doesn't mean it's not raw and mad anymore. You're warned. But "Obsessis" is good, very good and Roger is the man.

A note about the LP version: the cover is different from the CD, but is still sexy and wicked (and has the mention "Hot & steaming super power hits". It has another first track, which is also very aggressive and raw ("Exercise" instead of "Intercourse"), but, globally, is just the same album. It's limited to 500 copies (go fast if you want to grab a copy) and is more directed to vinyl freaks or fans of Brighter Death Now.

Nicolas, February 6, 2000

BRIGHTER DEATH NOW.Obsessis.(Cold Meat Industry) CMI91

GENRE: Noise RATING: 3.RELEASE DATE:Available - Now. Sorry, no tracklisting with this. Brighter Death Now serve up a new album of yet more uncompromising commotion. We live in hope that R Karmanik (writer) is communicating something other than a wall of distortion and unlistenable noise, or perhaps he is just misunderstood. From what I can tell the theme of Obsessis revolves around the considerable stress and anguish of parenthood, therefore anybody already used to such everyday tribulations will be unlikely to come running to this release. As an artistic comment it may have some validity, as musical entertainment, it borders on abysmal.

You can find an authentic musical 'obsession' in this new album of Roger Karmanik, after publishing his previous and excellent CD/LP "May All Be Dead". Now BDN offers us a great selection of tracks composed during the period 1.998 - 2.000, dealing with the more perverse themes that this musician has in his prompted mind, as you can appreciate through each titles included in this CD. About the musical compositions, Roger shows again his most extreme side that started with the release of "Innerwar" album. But "Obsessis" goes ahead, the music becomes more extreme even, approaching to true power electronics compositions. No contemplation, no mercy,… only "Intercourse", now is the time, the first shattering track of the album. You can find also other destructive tracks that follow this way, "Hipp hipp hurray (I will kill you today)", "Mothers and daughters (you need it)" (with some reminiscences to THROBBING GRISTLE, great!), "You got sperm on your jacket (I know 'cause it's mine)", "In circles (psycho circles)", featuring his friend Lina Baby Doll (DEUTSCH NEPAL)… On the other hand, Roger proposes slow rhythm compositions like "A b c d (learn a lesson)", "I can't get no sadistfaction (oh, how I try)" a free and pervert version of the Rolling Stones song, more satisfactory than the original, or "Obsessis (for me)", minimal and obsessive industrial, close to early compositions of LILLE ROGER, noisy samples included. This "Obsessis" CD represents a completed album that shows all facets of Roger Karmanik through his different musical projects-albums. The artwork of this CD (and LP version, that includes an alternative first track called "Exercise, now is the time for intercourse") is really nice, it would be defined as 'pictures from an extreme cultural decadence'. Congratulations Roger.

[Kill Fäktor]