seven

Delving a handful of mind-assaulting grenades that annihilate all sense of reality, troniks founder and Argento enthusiast, Phil Blankenship rages war with your mind for 73 minutes and 38 seconds. With its disturbingly surreal artwork by Scott Candey (crionic media) and mastering by Phil Easter of Malignant Sound Technologies, LHD pummels your mind with an array of bombastic assaults, massive scourges of reverberated static, and hazardous atmospheres.

Relying on small amounts of lo-fi gear, this noise tactical specialist throws out a mighty strong barrage of sound that could prove to be the next level of harsh power electronics, possibly eclipsing the work of many of its founders. I certainly cannot be the judge of that, for my knowledge lies stronger in many other genres of music. But I can say this little guy packs a huge punch. Utilizing turbulent mechanical drones and pressurized erosions throughout most of the tracks, we encounter a consistency that gives definition to the LHD sound. Grating sub-erratic assaults and hidden sound bites, distorted samples come into play on such tracks as the lengthy “isopraxism.” Pressurized agony and insane shrills become apparent in tracks such as “brief vision.” Sub-modulated phaselines become predominant in tracks such as “self-restraint.” “Limited incentive” stabs your ears with traumatizing hyper-turbulences. And track eight, “hardcore,” annoys you with static discharges that collide throughout; it's harsh as hell and I like it. The death of machinery and the destruction of technology could only be a fraction of what lies ahead for LHD.