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Gates, "Eintraum"
A relatively new solo project out of Canada, Bryan W. Bray's discography is currently brief, but with releases such as this, I hope to see that list grow dramatically in the near future. Hints of drone metal, pure harsh noise, and unclassifiable experimentalism abound on this all too brief tape.
Few albums completely grab me the moment they start, but the miasma of guitar that opens "Glimpse of Overlapping Dimensions" did just that.Layered guitars that are dark and post-apocalyptically gray, but also ones that are soaring and ethereal float together in the no man’s land between evil drone and warm ambience in a tenuous balance, before a dense wall of static swallows both.The resulting sound has more in common with harsh noise than what preceded it, but with a sense of discipline and control to it.As it continues, identifiable guitar remains that that is reminiscent of some of Hijokaidan's earlier work.The outro of detached, echoing guitar is a perfect closer.
"Forest Passageway, Hallway to the Void" leads off more dissonant than its predecessor, with a buzzing interference cutting through the ringing guitar notes and expansive vibrations.Just as it seems to settle in comfortably, heavily processed noise sweeps in, all over the low and high ends of the spectrum to make for something again more reminiscent of Merzbow, albeit with a symphonic metal undercurrent.
"Birds Plunging through the Walls of the Ocean" launches right in with the noise, leading to a less dynamic track.The constant roar puts it in league with the Harsh Noise Walls subgenre, but with the guitar sound and careful variations deep in the mix, it is anything but static and monotonous.For what it is, it is very effective, although I think the more drastic evolutions in the preceding tracks give them an edge.
At three tracks and around 30 minutes in length, it feels almost just like a teaser for future works.Bray takes the unenviable task of mixing music and noise and having the results sound not only consistent, but extremely effective.The multitude of moods and sounds on this release are its greatest strength, from speaker destroying waves of harsh noise to pensive, echoing guitar notes.Together, the result is even more powerful.
samples:
- Glimpse of Overlapping Dimensions
- Forest Passageway, Hallway to the Void
- Birds Plunging through the Walls of the Ocean
 
