This release by Andy Grant’s noise project The Vomit Arsonist is very thoughtfully composed and presented, representing the most focused and singular assault of Industrial noise from TVA to date. This release in particular is a pro-CD put out by the Assembly Of Hatred label from China… rare to see Power Electronics releases coming from that particular country. Assembly Of Hatred is the label of long-time Chinese Power Electronics artist Crow, who is behind the project Hatred In Eyes. The Assembly Of Hatred label has been around for quite some time, and I remember being quite surprised at its existence because I had just read an article about the Chinese government torturing people to death (and harvesting their organs) for having pictures of the Dalai Llama… However, the work of Hatred In Eyes in particular is more of a conservative angle, he screams in his work about being pissed off about immigration and so forth, and so I suppose this is not as much of a threat to the government as a photograph of an elderly smiling bald man might be. Anyway, the AOH label has presented work in the past by Xenophobic Ejaculation and some other power electronics luminaries, and The Vomit Arsonist is a good next choice for a full-length cd release.
Rather than the more womb-like and synthesizer/feedback based older material, on this release Andy fleshes out the ambience very nicely with an assortment of moods and textures, mostly of a harsh Industrial angle. In fact, more so than on previous releases I think I detect somewhat of a concentrated influence from the Texas Industrial group Steel Hook Prosthesis… in this case it is a welcome flavor to the overall Vomit Arsonist palette because he definitely does his own thing with is. There is a lot of rhythmic percussive sounds with a strong tribal feel, sounds of steam releasing and factory hisses rounding things out. The whole release has an incredibly stark and cold feel to it that will strongly appeal to fans of European Industrial/PE sort of sounds. I have caught The Vomit Arsonist live a few times, and as the years have gone on his sets have become more involved and intricately composed, and this release reflects a good direction for future material from this project. As a whole, the presentation is extremely well thought-out and coherent, with very nice depressive photography by Desiree Delorge of an abandoned (and now destroyed) mental institution.
The main theme of the release is very personal, and seems to be based around the idea of mental processes and the use of psychiatric drugs. Although bleak and tortured in its presentation, the driving message behind the release is leaving behind a dependence on outside things and curing yourself using the power within yourself… a theme of personal responsibility and self-awareness that is quite commendable. The vocals sound very upfront but are still perfectly mixed with the sounds, a nice balanced sound. There is a strong feeling of darkness and decay on this release, but it is flavored with a drive for survival against insanity and self-deception that many listeners can relate to. This is a release that will definitely come as a pleasant listen for those folks looking for some good Cold Meat Industry-style Industrial coming from this hard-core Yankee noiseman. If all of this sounds appealing to you, you could do much worse than picking up a copy of this one. Limited to 500 copies, nice professional CD in a trim case with a small three page booklet… looks good and the sound mastering is top notch. Worth a listen for Industrial and PE fans, a little darker and more subtle sounds from Vomit Arsonist here.
Rating: 4.5/5
Written by: Joseph Gates
Label: Assembly Of Hatred (CN) / Format: CD / Cat. # AOH08
Tracklisting:
1. Anhedonia
2. The Futility Of Life
3. Drown
4. Quelled By The Truth
5. Go Without
6. Unfit For Human Consumption
7. When There Is No One Left To Blame, I Must Blame Myself
