Destruktionsanstalt is no stranger to The Dungeon In Deep Space site, as I reviewed the mighty 2018 offering, ‘Døds-hymner’. Fueled with industrialized anguish and a powerful artillery of noise, this was a pinnacle album of harsh dark ambience. Fast forward to 2020 and we find the compilation release of ‘Kaelder Mug’, an undeniable distribution of sickening atmospherics amongst several projects by Per Najbjerg Odderskov – the mastermind behind Destruktionsanstalt – that are being unearthed and brought to dark light. Destruktionsanstalt, God Cancer, and Lidane Livering set a new standard in breaching critical mass with deep ambient drones, sinister soundscapes and the harshest of noise modulations and combined, formulate a seventy two minute album that will appeal to the minds of malevolence.
The first eight songs come from pitch-shift master, Destruktionsanstalt. Combining jolting frequencies that pierce the inner ear and sustain a constant discontent for easy listening, these tracks are not just a mine field of random noises. They are randomly crafted oscillations that fuse with morbid soundscapes and narrative samples to create a meaningful soundtrack of crafty intonations. Album opener, “Familia” begins with gloomy tones in the form of layered drones with heavy distorted sequences. Voice samples tell an eerie story and it matches the music perfectly. A couple of tracks later, “Mali Spiritus” blasts off with sharp, piercing resonance and alternates between high and low decibels as if an alarm is providing an early warning for an unfamiliar doomsday. Again, a progression of audible narrations play a major role in deciding the anxious outcome of things. “Sanguinem Pressura” is nearly four and a half minutes of agonizing modulations that deliver some rabid drones and horrifying soundscapes. This is one of those tracks that are not for the faint of heart and is best played in a dark, cold place to receive its full affect. The final Destruktionsanstalt track is “Hic Sunt Dracones”. Commencing with a desolate wind field recording, the radiant, penetrating noise accents suddenly desecrate all in its path. As the wind volume picks up, so does the noise intensity. Together these sounds are mesmerizing and easily succeed at putting the listener into a catatonic-like state for its duration. Samples and various effects can be heard throughout, adding an evil value to this already mind-bending tune. The next three tracks come from the God Cancer project. Although there is still a noise intensity about those songs, there is more of a cosmic vibe to them, thrusting the listener into the farther most reaches of the harsh realms of the universe. The first track, “Midnight Distortions” contains a great dose of glitch recordings and immense pads to radiate the intensity that much more. It’s as if being sucked through a black hole and an dodging an oncoming asteroid field at the same time is unavoidable. “The City Is Alive” is like a sonic nightmare, as this seven plus minute track sees multi-layers of modulations glitch and bend endlessly, catapulting the brainwaves into an unexplained dimension. The final two tracks are from the Lidane Livering project and although these two tracks are probably more accessible than the previous, they are far from being insidious. The final track on the album, “Dunwich”, epitomizes the field recording technique and heavy use of soundscapes makes this minimalistic song a cold adventure all in itself. With the soft sways of an ocean vessel the ripple effects of passing currents, the calm-before-the-storm scenario is close at hand. Soothing drones and inaudible whispers howl in the background and without recoil, it all quietly disappears.
I’m a big fan of Destruktionsanstalt and I really enjoy the intriguing mix of dark ambient and harsh noise that this project provides on a consistent basis. With ‘Kaelder Mug’, we get a fascinating compilation of not only Destruktionsanstalt tracks, but an excellent glimps into two other amazing projects – God Cancer and Lidane Livering. Although the Bandcamp page for this release lists these tracks as part of abandoned projects, I sure hope this is not the last we’ll hear from any of these acts. If you like your Dark Ambient with a touch of harsh noises, look no further than ‘Kaelder Mug’. You can download this awesome piece of work at the link below.
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Links:
https://marbrenegre.bandcamp.com/album/kaelder-mug
https://destruktionsanstalt.bandcamp.com
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