World of Metal and Rust- "Industrial Noir" CDr (Self-Released/Depressive Illusions)

Some of my more frequent readers may remember my review of the now-defunct black industrial artist Mara. For those who enjoyed Mara's last breath, World of Metal and Rust is born from Mara's ashes. Cold factories and grey industrial skylines have always scattered the landscapes in this man's music, but here the electronic elements and darker atmospheres which I had touched upon in my previous review are now a dominant force. Gone are elements of depressive black metal, and in their place is a slow, monotonous mechanical emptiness that creates an even bleaker environment.

The sounds created here vary from hypnotic to absolutely terrifying. Mechanized percussion fuses with fuzzy and cold synths to generate pure atmosphere. I feel like this would serve as one of many soundtracks to the end of the world. The sky is mostly black and red swirling into each other, with some substance that might be either ash or snow falling from above. The streets are littered with vehicles, papers, and peoples' belongings that they left behind along the way. Few survivors remain in this wasteland. This is in many ways exactly what the name of this project evokes, and the sound is well suited. Many songs here seem to contain two or more separate compositions that complement each other rather than one solid song per track, but I feel it works nicely. The album flows quite well from song to song and the atmosphere is consistently heavy. The ominous nature of the music might make extended listens difficult for some folks, but I feel that listening all the way through creates a perfect sense of dread and despair that chills me to the bone in the best way possible. I must reiterate that nothing here really makes it into "metal" territory, but everything here echoes cold detachment. This is perfect misery and self-hate.

Copies of this release come in a DVD case with full artwork and a labeled disc. You can purchase it digitally from the band or it you can purchase a physical copy for 6 EUR from Depressive Illusions, who also released the Minblod album I recently reviewed.  Only 33 CDs are available, so grab it quickly. Keep up with the band through its blog and be up to date on any future releases or plans. There's already a new demo posted, so it's worth checking out.

Free Music Friday: Mara- "The Ugliness Within" (Self-Released)

This week's Free Music Friday marks another first for this blog: a posthumous release. That's right, Mara may have called it quits, but has decided to put out one final album to round up some tracks that hadn't yet been put out for the world.  Most of these tracks are reworkings or new mixes of songs from Mara's older albums, but they do flow rather nicely in the format presented here.

While I was not familiar with Mara while it was an active project, I'm intrigued by the blend of sounds presented in this bleak collection of doom-laden black ambiance. While some of the dissonant soundscapes presented on this collection tread familiar territory for USBM of the past decade, the music doesn't feel tired or contrived. Instead, there's almost a hint of mid-period Godflesh fused in with the isolationist black metal sound Mara creates, which lends a small air of beauty, melody, and a stronger sense of rhythm than many groups of this nature. I know the combination might sound bizarre, but it creates a funereal beauty that pairs nicely with the bleak imagery Mara conveys with their titles and album art. Songs like "Industrial Ruins" especially carve a safe haven in the midst of the self-loathing and misery that the rest of this album crafts, and absolutely serve as milestones on this depressing journey.

If you're looking for some good, mid-paced music with a dense and bleak atmosphere, check this out. The band submitted it to me and I was glad to discover this, even if it is after their/his time as a functional unit. I look forward to finding more groups like this in the future, and possibly hearing whatever noise may come next from this tormented individual.