The Axis of Perdition - Deleted Scenes from the Transition Hospital
Code666 - code027 - 28/03/2005
By Patrick Walsh
The Axis of Perdition first appeared on the British black metal scene with 2003's The Ichneumon Method, which was a fairly terrifying journey into a blackened, post-apocalyptic industrial wasteland, and at the time stood alongside such scene leaders as Anaal Nathrakh in its capacity to produce truly frightening, soul-destroying hell. In music form that is. Nowadays, it seems The Axis of Perdition are intent on fulfilling their musical vision by creating a more minimalist, soundtrack-esque affair, hence last years Physical Illucinations in the Sewer of Xuchilbara MCD, which began the move into such horrifying soundscapes, and now their latest full length, Deleted Scenes from the Transition Hospital; a fully fledged industrial ambient headfuck, with the black metal forming a mere segment of the music as opposed to dominating it.
What must be stressed from the off is that the faint of heart need not apply; if you're of an any way light-hearted disposition, this album is likely to drive you insane. Furthermore, patience and an understanding of what the creators of this mayhem are trying to achieve is necessary to fully appreciate this work. The rewards, however, are boundless. If music is supposed to be food for the soul, then Deleted Scenes... is like feeding it nails. The opening strains of 'Deleted Scenes I: In the Hallway of Crawling Filth' are an industrial ambient headfuck, with terrified voices amidst the sounds, and desperate pleas to be allowed leave this awful 'hospital'. Deleted Scenes... truly plays like the soundtrack to one's incarceration in an asylum of no escape, a Clive Barker induced nightmare full of endless torture and horrors that no human should ever see. When a dirge-like riff begins, along with some of the most disturbing vocals ever comitted to plastic, it quickly becomes clear that this is no ordinary album.
Like Blut Aus Nord's recent Thematic Emanation of Archetypal Multiplicity MCD, this album is like the soundtrack to some underground horror film. Its unremitting bleakness and caustic claustrophobia is what you might imagine your own head to produce were you to be subjected to some kind of psychological torture whilst tripping on microdots, and when 'Pendulum Prey (Second Incarceration)'s barrage of blackness gives way to eerie static punctured by jazz guitar and piano, those poor unfortunates who were subjected to LSD testing through the CIA's MK-ULTRA project come to mind. This is deeply disturbing stuff, it'll create a serious sense of numbness after first listening and you'll be wondering whether what you just heard was unrivalled genius or a noisy mess. But like I said perserverance will yield many rewards with The Axis of Perdition, it's just up to you whether you want to experience them or not.
9/10
Official Code666 Website
Code666 - code027 - 28/03/2005
By Patrick Walsh
The Axis of Perdition first appeared on the British black metal scene with 2003's The Ichneumon Method, which was a fairly terrifying journey into a blackened, post-apocalyptic industrial wasteland, and at the time stood alongside such scene leaders as Anaal Nathrakh in its capacity to produce truly frightening, soul-destroying hell. In music form that is. Nowadays, it seems The Axis of Perdition are intent on fulfilling their musical vision by creating a more minimalist, soundtrack-esque affair, hence last years Physical Illucinations in the Sewer of Xuchilbara MCD, which began the move into such horrifying soundscapes, and now their latest full length, Deleted Scenes from the Transition Hospital; a fully fledged industrial ambient headfuck, with the black metal forming a mere segment of the music as opposed to dominating it.
What must be stressed from the off is that the faint of heart need not apply; if you're of an any way light-hearted disposition, this album is likely to drive you insane. Furthermore, patience and an understanding of what the creators of this mayhem are trying to achieve is necessary to fully appreciate this work. The rewards, however, are boundless. If music is supposed to be food for the soul, then Deleted Scenes... is like feeding it nails. The opening strains of 'Deleted Scenes I: In the Hallway of Crawling Filth' are an industrial ambient headfuck, with terrified voices amidst the sounds, and desperate pleas to be allowed leave this awful 'hospital'. Deleted Scenes... truly plays like the soundtrack to one's incarceration in an asylum of no escape, a Clive Barker induced nightmare full of endless torture and horrors that no human should ever see. When a dirge-like riff begins, along with some of the most disturbing vocals ever comitted to plastic, it quickly becomes clear that this is no ordinary album.
Like Blut Aus Nord's recent Thematic Emanation of Archetypal Multiplicity MCD, this album is like the soundtrack to some underground horror film. Its unremitting bleakness and caustic claustrophobia is what you might imagine your own head to produce were you to be subjected to some kind of psychological torture whilst tripping on microdots, and when 'Pendulum Prey (Second Incarceration)'s barrage of blackness gives way to eerie static punctured by jazz guitar and piano, those poor unfortunates who were subjected to LSD testing through the CIA's MK-ULTRA project come to mind. This is deeply disturbing stuff, it'll create a serious sense of numbness after first listening and you'll be wondering whether what you just heard was unrivalled genius or a noisy mess. But like I said perserverance will yield many rewards with The Axis of Perdition, it's just up to you whether you want to experience them or not.
9/10
Official Code666 Website
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