Technostria & Telepherique ‎– 1986

On the label this was entitled 'Real Industrial", but the inlay card says it's "1986". Whatever, it's an interesting album of well-recorded material.
Side one opens with "Russische Erde", a moving mass of sound, much of which is vocal - and convincing it is too! It sustains it's huge wall of sound, all swept long with echo, as if frozen into place. It changes from time to time, high pitched synths fading altogether, others rising or falling in tone while something crackles dangerously up front. "Alarm In Der Ukraine" opens to a falling factory sound. A bassy rhythm comes in then and all manner of noise joins it, again sustaining the single atmosphere. It metamorphosizes inside its Electronic / Factory shell and indistinct 'moving' noises appear at the forefront. "Leben, Leiden, Lernen" begins with a sustained soup of noise, gravid with threat, on the verge of bursting with sound. Other sounds fade in around it, keeping the atmosphere of something impending - a beat appears, slow as a drummer at an execution, sounding like a moronic cutler sharpening a blunted kris.

Side two opens with an evil-sounding treated voice on "Gute Alte Zeit", which grows into a switching, moving morass of pure noise, some of it warm, some of it grating, all of it working towards a central feeling - one of alienation. Actually, it becomes quite tuneful, in a dense, migraine inducing way. "5 Jahre Jubiläum" opens to a dense wall of ambient sound, though which can be heard a rippling rolling sequence and huge chords turning from dramatic to merely reflective. It finishes with a giant sound, as of a machine out of control. "Atom Mit Zukunft" begins with sustained hums, pulsing anti-beat and a high tom sound played slowly. The sound builds as ever, to become something much larger, although it does retain a tense minimal atmosphere. "Tschernobyl II: Harrisburg" opens with tapping of sticks while an ambient hum hangs. A clock chimes loud, breaking the peace and letting loose the Other-Dimensional cacophony which glides in like an elegant, snow-white carrion creature. It swirls, revealing the most brief glimpse of what lies beneath - and relief comes as the gaps between heal once more.

Originally reviewed for Soft Watch.