Skitliv - Amfetamin
Cold Spring Records - CSR90CD - 29 April 2008
By Paddy Walsh
Skitliv, for the unitiated, is the latest project for ex-Mayhem vocalist Maniac, and he's joined on this 44 minute EP by Kvarforth (Shining) and various guests, including Current 93's David Tibet and Mayhem's current frontman Atilla Csihar (he of a million other bands such as SunnO))), Aborym etc). Strangely enough, only the first two tracks herein are studio recordings, the remaining 6 recorded live at the Underworld in Camden Town, London last December.
Maniac always did come across as slightly unhinged back in his Mayhem days, and with Skitliv it seems he's found a real outlet for his madness. The opener and title track comprises 6 plucked guitar notes repeated for its 7-minute duration, no rhythm section, various guitar effects slithering around in the background, and Maniac's trademark rasp making an omnipresent appearance. Also present is Atilla's distinctive vocals, and the whole thing succeeds in being quite an unnerving listening experience in the vein of drone. Anyone familiar with The Axis of Perdition's Deleted Scenes from the Transtion Hospital will know what to expect. As that album perfectly invoked the decaying interior of an insane asylum, 'Amfetamin' is akin to peering into the mind of a withdrawing drug addict, and it sure as hell ain't pretty. The other recorded track is 'Slow Pain Coming (Cold Spring Mix)', which is an altogether more straightforward slice of doom, featuring as it does both bass and drums, unlike the prevous track. It's a decent but unremarkable track, Kvarforth's guitars being the highlight, lumbering in a similar fashion to recent Shinng output.
The rest of this EP is the live performance, which is decent but nothing special. 'Intro: Who Will Deliver Us From Gold & Planets?' is a David Tibet composition, and as such sounds lik it could have come straight from a Current 93 album, making it sound a little out of place here. Noticeably the versions of 'Slow Pain Coming' and 'Amfetamin' performed live are quite a bit dfferent from their recorded counterparts (the latter even teasng out the start of Mayhem's 'Deathcrush'). Unfortunately, 4 of the tracks that follow 'Intro...' are barely discernable doom pieces, with the uninterested-sounding crowd noise not helping matters at all. Only 'Virescit Volnere Vitus' manages to stand out, with Maniac putting in an energetic and spiteful vocal performance along with a decidely mournful central riff from Kvarforth.
Overall, Amfetamin is an interesting diversion in the context of showing where Maniac is headed musically these days, but without any solid recorded output to their name, the decision to include more live tracks was ill-advised. A proper album of dedicated material may just bring Skitliv's many ideas nto a cohesive whole, but Amfetamin feels messy and unfocused.
Official Skitliv MySpace
Offical Cold Spring Records Website
Cold Spring Records - CSR90CD - 29 April 2008
By Paddy Walsh
Skitliv, for the unitiated, is the latest project for ex-Mayhem vocalist Maniac, and he's joined on this 44 minute EP by Kvarforth (Shining) and various guests, including Current 93's David Tibet and Mayhem's current frontman Atilla Csihar (he of a million other bands such as SunnO))), Aborym etc). Strangely enough, only the first two tracks herein are studio recordings, the remaining 6 recorded live at the Underworld in Camden Town, London last December.
Maniac always did come across as slightly unhinged back in his Mayhem days, and with Skitliv it seems he's found a real outlet for his madness. The opener and title track comprises 6 plucked guitar notes repeated for its 7-minute duration, no rhythm section, various guitar effects slithering around in the background, and Maniac's trademark rasp making an omnipresent appearance. Also present is Atilla's distinctive vocals, and the whole thing succeeds in being quite an unnerving listening experience in the vein of drone. Anyone familiar with The Axis of Perdition's Deleted Scenes from the Transtion Hospital will know what to expect. As that album perfectly invoked the decaying interior of an insane asylum, 'Amfetamin' is akin to peering into the mind of a withdrawing drug addict, and it sure as hell ain't pretty. The other recorded track is 'Slow Pain Coming (Cold Spring Mix)', which is an altogether more straightforward slice of doom, featuring as it does both bass and drums, unlike the prevous track. It's a decent but unremarkable track, Kvarforth's guitars being the highlight, lumbering in a similar fashion to recent Shinng output.
The rest of this EP is the live performance, which is decent but nothing special. 'Intro: Who Will Deliver Us From Gold & Planets?' is a David Tibet composition, and as such sounds lik it could have come straight from a Current 93 album, making it sound a little out of place here. Noticeably the versions of 'Slow Pain Coming' and 'Amfetamin' performed live are quite a bit dfferent from their recorded counterparts (the latter even teasng out the start of Mayhem's 'Deathcrush'). Unfortunately, 4 of the tracks that follow 'Intro...' are barely discernable doom pieces, with the uninterested-sounding crowd noise not helping matters at all. Only 'Virescit Volnere Vitus' manages to stand out, with Maniac putting in an energetic and spiteful vocal performance along with a decidely mournful central riff from Kvarforth.
Overall, Amfetamin is an interesting diversion in the context of showing where Maniac is headed musically these days, but without any solid recorded output to their name, the decision to include more live tracks was ill-advised. A proper album of dedicated material may just bring Skitliv's many ideas nto a cohesive whole, but Amfetamin feels messy and unfocused.
Official Skitliv MySpace
Offical Cold Spring Records Website
