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JK Flesh/Prurient, "Worship is the Cleansing of the Imagination"
With this split vinyl EP marking the final release of the late Hydra Head label, it almost seems fitting that it is the work of two artists who have embraced their own independence throughout their prolific careers. It also stands as a monument to change and evolution, with Justin Broadrick's re-embracing of his harsher past put alongside Dominick Fernow's recent surprising turn towards melody and ambience.
Admittedly, Broadrick's first release earlier this year as JK Flesh, Posthuman, did not sit too well with me.With its intentionally gritty bass lines and moderate rhythmic pacing, it felt too much like embracing the clichés of that artistic blight that is dubstep without any sort of concession for innovation. In this case it was especially problematic given how much of the genre's foundation can be traced back to Broadrick and Kevin Martin's late period collaboration as Techno Animal.
Thankfully, his three tracks here have strayed somewhat away from that template and into something a bit more unique.The clattering marching band drums underscoring the electronics of "Fear of Fear"exemplify this, and Broadrick's guttural vocals and jagged guitar are pushed high enough in the mix to offset the overdriven bass and lurching percussion.A hint of stuttering drum and bass loops towards the end trigger up some nostalgia for Godflesh’s underrated Us and Them album as well.
"Deceiver" features galloping drums and noisy loops that might make it a bit more distinguishable, but also a bit sparse and repetitive, though it nicely picks up in complexity in the closing minutes."Obedient Automaton," however, leans back to the Posthuman sound a bit too much, and while it demonstrates a lot of structural build and development, it does not come across as an overly original sound.
Fernow's turn toward melodicism and song like structures on last year's Bermuda Drain made for a controversial shift amongst noise fans, but I personally found it an unexpected and welcome development.His half of this album brings some of that melody back with less overt EBM leanings, but keeping his history of dissonance and aggression nearby.
"Chosen Books" keeps the downtempo, pseudo-goth synth lines from his recent works, but applies them more as atmospheres rather than any definable melody.Amidst this and cut-up voice samples, a thin layer of textural noise can be heard, eventually engulfing the entire track into a more noise-centric piece without ever becoming as abrasive as his earlier works.
While the previous piece was more focused on atmospheres, "Entering the Water" moulds distorted synth pulses into some sort of mangled beat; never comfortably settling in to any conventional structure, but combining rhythmic, cyclic loops together that slowly build in depth and complexity."I Understand You" closes as a combination of the two:a simple, echoed synth sequence conveys rhythm, while other electronics make for a dour, depressive atmosphere and an abrasive segment of dentist drill noise grinds away, making for an overall uglier, but not necessarily harsher conclusion.
I can recognize both of these artists as ones whose overall bodies of work compliment each other, but to me this is a somewhat odd pairing of their multitude of side-projects, given the more aggressive, beat oriented sound of JK Flesh and the currently atmospheric, almost cinematic Prurient works.JK Flesh/Vatican Shadow, Final/Prurient, or hell, even White Static Demon/Exploring Jezebel would have all been more thematically relevant pairings, but perhaps that was the idea all along.Worship is the Cleansing of the Imagination is a strong, though not exceptional set of tracks that may not rank amongst the top tier of either Broadrick or Fernow's sprawling discographies, but certainly does not serve to taint either one either.
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