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Bologna Pony / Robedoor, "Children of the Grave"
The artwork of this split CD-R wins the award for creepy package through the post for this week. A card sleeve with scarlet stencilled skulls inside a red flecked bandage runs a close second to receiving dead rodents in a jiffy bag. Out of the three pieces here (two Robedoor tracks and the single piece by Bologna Pony), only one piece, the Robedoor finale, fails to balance on the awkward line between a riveting listen and a generic elongated feedback blow-out.
Evoking dread atmospheres, the main bones of Bologna Pony’s "Witch" appear like faces in the smoke. The slightness of the ringing tones and the tension built through restraint spits the notes metal cycles and clicks of steely strings. The temptation for the duo to have let rip must’ve been near unbearable. Their decision to not rely on the wire wool grind of guitar noise allows the space for swells of vocal moan and scything single notes. The layers sinking into bitter tasting dark and the crush of rattles that echoes out into the fade of a gorgeously bleak trip.
The usually reliable Robedoor score a hit and a miss with their two contributions. On the positive side there’s "Blue Circle," which channels a fly trapped by solder in an electric circuit. Stopping just short of a burning flesh stink, half way through it leans on the steady boil until sawing jaws take the rest of the track apart like pulling spider’s legs. "Blue Surrender," on the other hand, starts like its going to be a bad impression of Sunn 0))): all smoke and the churning toll of bells but it doesn’t move on from there. Swallowing itself in weak gulps, this diet immolation seems to burn out as it circles on its own tail. With Robedoor not having had put a foot wrong previously, it's a surprise when this doesn't meet the high expectations and fails to take off. Two out of three ain't bad.
samples:
- Bologna Pony - Witch
- Robedoor – Blue Circle
- Robedoor – Blue Surrender
 
