Bereft – First Degree Of Separation
This is a 5 song cassette release for this new project from the man behind Force Of Nature Productions. Bereft incorporate lo-fi Death Industrial and Power Electronics elements to form a gritty, throbbing foundation. “Searching For Relevancy” opens side one with sparse, heavily processed screams and harsher noise/feedback stabs peel out from the steady hum to flesh out the piece. “Untitled” closes out the first side with a caustic surge eroding distortions, and pulses with a real bristling sort of intensity that gets reinforced further with the rabid vocals. “Heresy” opens the second side with a cyclic mix of grandiose distortions, receding crackles and sputtering sonics; again with the limited but intense vocals. “Bled Out” begins quietly by comparison with a low pulse and some sizzled static, this tone alternates as it builds with some squawking hi end and the most pronounced vocal attack of both speaking and screaming. “Destructive Impulse” is the last rack and is probably the most raw and abrasive of the lot, built around the same ideas as the others it comes across as a bit more unruly. I’m not sure what the length of the release is, but all of the tracks seem closer to the 6-8 minute mark than say the 3-5, with the exception of “Bled Out” maybe. Each track is fairly consistent in its individual sound , and that coupled with the dirty, lo-fi vibe through out the release gives it an older feel that I like. “First Degree Of Separation” is a promising debut and carries a fierceness within it that you don’t always hear, even when you know the project had that intention. – Scott
TRUCULENT RECORDINGS
Worm Gear 