Zhark International 12015 by Hecate Follow, Nahema Follow

Zhark International 12015 review

Reaching an apex of tight production and sequencing skills, Hecate has returned with her latest outing which drives the lurking loneliness of drug abuse and aborted love down your throat. This six-track mini-LP issued forth as super special limited edition - hand screened inside and out, hand numbered, and pressed on clear vinyl - brings the personal world of one woman's psychological terror and creeping deathtrips as close as you can get without becoming embroiled in the drama. Based loosely on William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch, Hecate set out to push herself through a summer of chemical-and-alcohol-fueled nights whilst shirking off the insipid delights of human contact. She emerged this autumn with cutting tracks that have scarred cities from London to LA with their debut plays which have been devoured by fans of both noise and glitched up breaks. Side A starts off with a fantastically produced vocal-heavy track,"Dilaudid" , where Hecate vocals resemble a sultry Film Noir vixen more than the typical metal growls you have come to expect. It sets the mood with its mysterious atmosphere, rough however slow, rolling breaks before the record kicks in with the distorted hardcore breaks and psychotic samples found on "In the Zone". A short intermezzo entitled "Nightmare Interlude" contains whispers of Croatian terrors found only in the haunted visions of partner in crime Nahema. "Towards Dead Matter" is where the first blow of utter longing and bitter regret surface, as Hecate vocalizes her desolate demise in a sea of thick strings and cut up, low-fi breaks. Side B opens with grating metallic percussions pushed against sweeping organs, which lead into the mind blowingly emotive and (surprisingly) dancefloor-friendly "Complete Absence of Nostalgia" - a six minute ride through the corruption of love which is set free of its restraints by the negation of its own existence. The final blast comes as a tempest of hate and consummate repulsion with a 5 minute noise piece which will send shudders through every last nerve ending as she delivers a tormented manifesto which is as much a call to arms as it is an ode to Zos Kia and SPK. This 12" is sure to set the standard of her productions even higher than the already well produced "Seven Veils of Silence" - The grinding breaks matched so well against a backdrop of malefic atmospheres and discordant vocals proves once again that Hecate has cut out a place for herself in modern music where most others would fear to tread. Stay tuned for her forthcoming full length and 12" entitled "Brew Hideous" which will appear on both Sublight and Hymen respectively - where she once again will present herself as another darkened facet of the archetypal devouress.