Written by: Rexington Steel
Country: 
Label: Der Bunker
Genre: Harsh Noise
Tracklisting:
Side A: Mania- Collecting Scars
Side B: Hal Hutchinson- Totally Ugly
Another generous contribution by Der Bunker records. This happens to be my first time considering a work by Keith Brewer, aka, Taint, Libertinage, and Sonic Sadist. Very exciting! Now, I am not particularly a good fan of all that perverted sex-noise stuff, so I never got too deep [pun intended] into much of Keith’s stuff, but always appreciated what he did, as I’m sure most of you do.
Call me a prude, but I find it really uncomfortable to simultaneously listen to two things I prefer not be mixed, well, consorting with each other. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE hearing guys moan and groan [women, not so much… not at all]. I also love noise in its many forms, but the two for me just do NOT mix. They are very different in my book because sounds of sexuality heighten something within me that HATES distractions. Not to brag, but in matters of fuck, I require full concentration to be the awesome lover many claim I am. With matters of noise, music in itself, actually, I often seek to go to a much darker place. That place is fine and all, but I don’t like pairing sexuality with darkness because sexuality is a thing we all need to come to terms with at some point in our lives, to accept it and embrace it in a healthy and happy way. I am a no-fetish man: I like to keep it as pure and natural as an orgy in the woods, ancient Greek style…
Long-windedness aside, these are the things that came to mind when I began listening to Keith’s contribution to this cassette. It is something most of you will consider a much tamer entry when compared to the forcefulness of his other works, but I found it cool because while it is still a mess of metallic madness, there are some interesting layers to the entirety of side A. “Collecting Scars” sees Mr. Brewer giving us a sort of lightly-phased entry, with some drones in it that sound a lot like the ones in Teatro Satanico’s classic, “Cerimonia”. It shows a diversity of sound and diversion of style that I personally appreciate very much from Harsh Noise artists. Mania I like!
But side B wasn’t without its charm, either. Having reviewed another DBR cassette of Hutchinson’s which was, in its entirety, a single stretch of static, I found this effort of his to be much more alive. Side B is noticeably harder than the Mania side, but there is as much going on in the way of structure and movement. It is the typical metal-bashing affair though, didn’t real stand out in any particular way, but there is definitely enough thrashing about to keep you interested for fifteen minutes.
Rating: 3/5
