Meglamancha – Soil

Marlon Wolterink – drums
Freek Philippi – guitar

Horizon O
Horizon A
Horizon B
Horizon C
(36:48)

Norwegianism Records NORCD02/2017

The first impression as Horizon O begins is of a wheezing, groaning, pounding machine. And much of that nature is channelled direct from the relentless drums and guitar of Messrs Wolterink and Philippi. However, studding the surface and lighting the depths are layers of intricate electronic sounds, providing much of the fine textural detail. In other words, throughout “Soil”’s four tracks, what stands to the fore are the bludgeoning rhythms but listen past that and you’re invited into a layer of shifting, kaleidoscopic detail.

The rhythm on Horizon A becomes almost techno-like, faintly reminiscent of Leftfield or even Underworld with the thumping beats and electronic curlicues, but stripped back to a brutalist, unforgiving core with a hard, metallic edge.

After a brief intro, Horizon B is our respite, downshifting to a slower, nodding beat and long atmospheric tones. Then the pace picks up again for the closer. Horizon C takes layered pure electronic tones, a rasping pulse, billowing guitar feedback, and ultimately a rather 80s drum pattern and mixes them into a road song for the Apocalypse.

A strange, almost schizophrenic album, part anguish, part joyous and exuberant aggression, it beats you down and opens you up at the same time. Like mechanical angels being scrapped for parts, these four alternative facets of guitar-n-drums drone-core see Meglamancha offering up a dystopian future of experimental music, filtered through an asymmetrical machine-mind sensibility.

–

Follow Meglamancha on Facebook.