While O'Rourke presented an LP very much in a Nurse With Wound style, Cyclobe have obliterated most traces of Stapleton and Potter's raw material and instead produced a freak out of frayed electronics that sounds much closer to the work of their former colleagues in Coil. Although their "Part One" begins with sparse drones and eerie ambience, the stereo field soon becomes a battleground on which sharp bursts from analog synths whirr back and forth. Passages of extreme noise are balanced by menacing quiet sections such as the last several minutes of "Part One." Some of the sounds appearing early on are so jagged and startling that these calmer sections produce the same effect as the scenes in horror films in which an intruder is waiting quietly behind a corner. It is no coincidence that Cyclobe's Stephen Thrower was an integral member of Coil during the time they produced music for Hellraiser (referred to in some places as "too scary to be used in the film"). This album is interesting for the insight it may provide into the working methods of Thrower and Ossian Brown as Cyclobe. By not directly referencing the source material they may give us clues as to how they construct their own music. Perhaps they always tend towards manipulating source material beyond recognition. The creaking ratchet sound that seems to be the project's signature motif is audible here, as are the flute and saxophone played by Xhol. However, they are merely hinted at underneath dense layers of sonic debris, and are only heard briefly. Cyclobe have treated the source material as a starting point for producing a compelling new work that pays tribute to Nurse With Wound as much as it cements their reputation as being superb producers in their own right, regardless of their Coil associations.

Jim Siegel