Anenzephalia – Ephemeral Dawn

One of the Tesco Organisations’ first releases, Anenzephalia surfaces again with a seminal re-release not only for the Mannheim label, but for industrial music in general. The 11 pieces are drawn from live recordings made between 1992 and 1995 at events held in Kriszthell, Drais Sanatory, 4th Floor Institute,et al.

Those who didn’t get their clammy hands on one of only 750 vinyl copies can take comfort in this digipack re-release. And that’s where the comfort ends. One of the few industrial releases beyond the early 1980s that encapsulates genuine death factory ambience, Dawn is an analogue tour through distorted voices and looped torture machinery, interspersed with analogue winds and inhuman atmospheres.

Anenzephalia’s production is terse, and slightly understated. The handy booklet proclaims, “Here the Dream Dies!” and grainy photo layouts portray torture and death in that recurring obscenity tactfully surnamed “America and the Middle East”. The music is droning, looped and disturbingly compelling. What is so masterful about this release is an ideal lacking in some contemporary industrial power-merchantry . It’s quite simple really: The production is executed with authority and craft, building tension and depth. Not relying on saturating the listener with production overkill and noise gimmicks. IMO.

Ephemeral Dawn simultaneously injects a sense of utter foreboding and hopelessness, whilst relentless samples of mechanised death and decay throb underneath reversed voice-loops and horror film electronics. Somewhat reminiscent of being strapped into a chair and played snuff movies for hour after hour. This is the spirit of genuine claustrophobia and disturbance that early industrial sought. And gradually lost. Dawn’s production is seething and frightening, yet never overplayed. Low hertz frequencies vibrate the nerves and a sense of icy control permeates its collage-like design. “Schockwelle: Krisis” loops the gasping and splashing of some poor sod being held underwater, emulating the rising/falling electronic wind prevailing in TG’s “Hamburger Lady”. That one will stay with you. Track 8, “Liebombast” had to be my favourite. Omnipresent and reverbed strings propel the baleful, disturbed lyrics of B/Moloch, Anenzephalia’s sole member.

Disturbing, soundtrackish and hypnotic. Brilliant. This is an important moment in industrial music, particularly in the charting of its developments and offshoots from the late 1980s period until the present day. This is “Industrial Music for Industrial People”, as once put. If you’re not one of the lucky 750, do yourself a grisly favour and order one. From now on, forget leaving animal entrails and bloody pentagrams on your neighbours’ doorsteps. Rotate this CD instead. Frequently.

01 – Beneath the Shroud
02 – Regime
03 – Kachexie
04 – Infernal Wake
05 – Thaum
06 – Abiding Broadcast Contamination
07 – Genealogy of Disease
08 – Liebombast
09 – Shockwelle – Krisis
10 – Ultra Fear Perception
11 – Coroners Eyes (Global Obsequies)

Ephemeral Dawn
PW: deathlust.blogspot.com