Reviews:

From Kinda Muzik: (by Maurice van der Heijden)

  De noise-herriemaker Merzbow behoeft beslist geen introductie. Deze Japanner heeft sinds begin jaren tachtig al zo veel harde gedrochten op tape en cd gecrasht dat hij volgens mij zelf niet meer weet wat hij allemaal heeft uitgebracht. Nu heeft hij weer een uur lang een disc vol gemikt met harde kraakjes, vervormde kikkergeluiden en noise, samen met de Zweed Henrik Nordvargr Björkk. Die voegt er ambient drones en andere vage duistere soundscapes aan toe.

  Partikel start met het 22 minuten durende ‘Tardyon Storm’. Deze track begint onheilspellend maar tegelijkertijd ook erg rustig. Langzaam mengen de vervormde kikkergeluiden zich met ruimtelijke klanken. Samen met noisegeluiden wordt er naar een climax gewerkt en deze eersteling is dan ook meteen favoriet op dit schijfje. ‘Kuoufu-0’ sluit daar naadloos op aan en is ook meteen het harde en gruizende epos van dit tweetal. Op dertien minuten lijkt het ten einde te zijn maar doe dan je gordels vast, want daarna lijkt het net alsof je weggezogen wordt van deze aardbol. Verstikkend en angstaanjagend tegelijkertijd.

  Opgelucht ademhalen kunnen we dan tijdens ‘Tachyon Paradox’. We leven nog en in acht minuten worden we weer terug op aarde geknikkerd. Wel via een donkere tunnel met allemaal rare geluiden van kikkers en andere beestjes.

From Judas Kiss: (by AM)

  My mouth was dribbling like a child looking at their mother's tit at the thought of this release. Having had the pleasure of interviewing H Nordvargr Bjorkk for Judas Kiss, and I hope he enjoyed it also, the idea that he would team up with 'Mr 1000 releases and counting Merzbow' totally blew my mind. Easy to do I know as there's not much up there to dynamite into a million fragments. Still.here was a recording by two of the most respected artists of a generation getting it on together, not physically you understand, through the exchange of music by mail over countless miles. Actually you could count the miles involved if you were so inclined but that's beside the point. My initial thoughts were.I bet this will be the mother of all noise records. I bet my head will ache and my spine will shatter into tiny slivers of misshapen glass. It was after hearing the CD that I was thankful I attended Gamblers Anonymous and had curbed my habit of losing the family coffers on some stupid long shot donkey destined to fall at the first hurdle. 'Partikel' is a journey into glitch and mulch ambient music with a small smattering of obtuse noise with black experimental undertones. No teenage kicks here. A kick up the arse for music though it definitely is. The sound source exchanges works so well that the listener will be hard pushed to state from which mind did any of the corresponding pieces of music originate. Brittle beats accompanied by a background of twisted electronics dominate proceedings with further far out journeys into areas unknown or explored by either artist in any of their previous work. Apart from when the power electronics make a small welcome appearance of course. At times the mind boggles in disbelief that you are hearing music from these two giants in the genres we've come to associate them with yet sounding nothing like them in the process. You could almost dance to some of the tracks. That's how way out and incredible this recording is. If you ignored the names you would be forgiven into thinking you had purchased something released on the Warp label such is the style of music included here. 'Partikel' defies adequate description; it will take a far better writer than I to do that, and yet is an intense and formidable recording that is a lasting testimony to the boundless talents of Merzbow and Nordvargr. Invigorating. Exhilarating. Pure genius.

From Zero Tolerance: (by Alex S. Johnson)

"Release Of The Issue"!

  A gentleman's agreement - you meddle witih my soundscapes, I'll pulverize yours - between the Japanese Godfather of noise, Masami "Merzbow" Akita, and Scandinavian power noise wizard Henrik Nordvargr Björkk, has resulted in this album, a work of uncommon beauty, grandeur and profundity. While many of my favourite Merzbow discs, such as Tauromachine or Masami's collaboration with Gore Beyond Necropsy, act as abrasive cleansers for head sludge, scouring the brainpan with harrowing jolts of static and sneak attacks from rogue pulses, Partikel delivers the noise in a more palatable medium.

From the album title to the names of the songs - 'Tardyon Storm' 'Kyofu-0' and 'Tachyon Paradox' - Partikel immerses the listener in an imaginary journey through the world of quantum space. It's lulling, hypnotic stuff, built on wet, rubbery pulsings and ambient clatter set against deep, droning voids. 'Tardyon Storm' drips and drills like an industrial laundry designed by H.R. Giger. Closer to the traditional Merzbow grammer of Zen monotony, 'Kyofu-0' drops staggered, static-filled rhythms against which are woven a subtly-shifting tableau of outbursts, ghostly machine noises and cosmis debris.

  The eerie 'Tachyon Paradox', which combines ambient electronica with isolated snippets from interstellar cash registers, fax and modem lines, could serve as an introduction to noise for any friends you're desperate to turn on but don't wish to completely alienate. The piece is redolent of easier-listening fare such as Juno Reactor and Tangerine Dream.

  Overall, Partikel provides nearly an hour of music. It seems much shorter, because of the meditative state this music induces. Like John Cage's prepared pianos and immaculate silences, or the cooly bleeding paintings of Mark Rothko, this work trades in what the poet John Keats called "negative capability" - that still point where the audience co-creates a score, or a canvas, with the artist. It highlights the infinite designs that chaos weaves beneath the seeming solidity of our world. At any time, a few fractal ladders down from the crust of things, cause and effect cease to operate. Freed from the iron web of Newtonian mechanics, subatomic particles take time and space for a playground. These are their songs.

From Auralpressure: (by ANM)

 Exploding onto the scene like 4lbs of dynamite strapped around a lithe young waist comes this most eagerly anticipated release from two of the music scenes grand maestros of noise manipulation. Merzbow has a catalogue of releases under his belt stretching way, way into double (+) figures and is the grand-daddy of extreme electronic music, whilst H Nordvargr Bjorkk is famed for his solo work and in diverse projects like MZ412, Folkstorm, Toroidh, HH9, Muskel and Incinerator International. It seemed inevitable and only natural for these two great minds to finally co-operate in a recording with each other. Those of you expecting a full on barrage assault of the senses will be sorely disappointed. The work encompassed within the 3 tracks on the CD is more in keeping with Nordvargr’s stunning "I End Forever" release on the Horch label than say Merzbow’s "New Takamagahara" opus. By exchanging their source material and manipulating it and blending it to the nth degree the resulting pieces wouldn’t be out of place on the Warp label. The music itself is a blend of harsh / soft strange beats and quirky / glitchy noises undulating like a madcap roller coaster ride. Each track keeps morphing and changing into something wild and different enlightening the senses. There are extreme noise parts, well you couldn‘t really expect otherwise with these two involved could you, but for the most part these don’t divert or alienate the listener from the overall diversity and majestic sounds that these two craftsmen have created here. If you thought the music of Merzbow was totally unapproachable then think again. ‘Partikel’ takes the concept of music to new highs and turns it completely upside down and both artists are to be congratulated on producing this momentous (for that is what it really is) piece of work. You need to experience this for yourself. You’ll be blown away like I was.

From Synthesis: (by Troy Southgate)

 WHEN the likes of Masami Akita (MAZK, SUNN) and Henrik Nordvargr Björkk (FOLKSTORM, TOROIDH and MZ.412) get together, you know that you're in for something really special. This Japanese-Norwegian collaboration brings together two of the world's most well-respected Noise artists on possibly the only record label capable of carrying it all off. The cover art is superb. Blacks, whites and greys framed in a desolate Icelandic wilderness of rocky outcrops, bloody feathers and half-buried ribcages. The three tracks on this release, amounting to a total of over 56 minutes, are based on mutual respect and understanding. Akita and Björkk have created a tapestry of sound each inspired by the other. Based on Albert Einstein's Luxon Theory, 'Tardyon Storm' opens up like a burst vein gently spraying blood across an operating table. It's very steady and controlled, too, with gull-like squeals, pulsating atmospherics and the sound of passing transmitters being thrown into the mix. More whistling bird samples emerge from the shadows like the dawn after a nuclear holocaust. The cautious, nervous activity soon joined by the pitter-patter of tiny electronic feet and the kind of metallic creak you get when there is a wheel missing on your shopping trolley. The hubbub of whistles and cheeps increase as a slow, booming sound like a distant B52 bomber is heard groaning its way above the ambient-infested skies of light Noise. Eleven minutes in and the track begins to increase in both tempo and volume, becoming a bass-march through the shimmering marshlands of spitting plug sockets and broken power cables. This leads to some great moments of rhythmic intensity, before the atmosphere becomes pretty oppressive and completely shatters Einstein's Theory altogether by losing control and sending out a series of speeding lightning bolts between Far North and Far East like a gift from Thor to his Samurai comrades. The steady beat soon returns, however, and the watery trickles in the background sound like melting ice. This is a little similar to Kraftwerk's 'Elektro Kardiogramm', but without the heavy dub beat and accompanying breathing exercises. Minutes later the track is concluded with the (very) odd backward voice sample, adding a Lynchian effect to the stifling commotion in general. 'Kyoufu-O', Japanese for 'terror', hits out like a heavyweight jab to the kidneys. It's a cacophony of bouncing beats and the rattling of dissonant electronic pitches, fused together with as much care and consideration as Dustin Hoffman's dentist in 'Marathon Man'. After six minutes the beats begin to distort, bending like steel girders under the weight of a collapsing World Trade Centre before escalating into a shrill imitation of 'Driller Killer' and jagged shards of electronic fallout. It's like a gravitational free-for-all at a ten-pin bowling alley, with nothing but the driving beats to twist and shape this formless mass into some kind of coherent direction. Meanwhile, like an advert for Co-Proxamol, a sustained squealing and desperate scraping resemble somebody attempting to clean out the bottom of a dustbin with one of Uri Geller's spoons. Halfway through the track and my ears feel like they're going to spontaneously combust and throw lashes of hot wax all over the keyboard. But then there's a two-second pause in the proceedings and a slight change in direction. Unfortunately for my eardrums, albeit necessary in my quest for tonal aestheticism, the style of the track becomes even more high-pitched and I'm caught between the grey twilight zone of pleasure and pain. This must be Akita's influence. Only he can induce such punishment and thoughts of British P.O.W.'s incarcerated in Japanese camps begin to flash through my mind as though they were being broadcast as part of the final cinematic biography of a drowning man. Towards the end of this brutal odyssey, Merzbow and Nordvargr seem to achieve that certain pitch which always leaves me feeling rather nauseous (I'd last discovered it on a Coil track). In this case, however, it was being transmitted through my right ear and then travelling on down into my stomach. Quite a strange experience, in fact, but certainly revealing in terms of the actual short-term effects that systematic Noise can have on the listener. Finally, 'Tachyon Paradox' - a mere seven minutes - makes its appearence and carries on in much the same vein. At least primarily. One momentary screech gives way to a pitted heartbeat of sound and a calm, humming ambience. This is followed by disjointed bursts of fizzing power, grinding swathes of explosive electronics and whirling frequencies, slowly returning to the decidedly more Ambient beginnings of the first track. It becomes increasingly hollow and minimalist, too, before a rising wind and slow metallic dragging bring the album to a comparatively beautiful end. There are some incredibly 'difficult' periods on this album, but all credit to Merzbow and Nordvargr for allowing us to put ourselves through this mangle of sound in the first place. The way the album is structured tends to ease you into the harsher parts that make up 'Kyoufu-O', but like a dedicated sports instructor or someone guiding you through a bad trip it also brings you down slowly so that you can safely emerge into the silence at the other end. I'd be very interested to see what other people make of this recording, it's quite an experience.

From The Wire: (by Ken Hollings)

  It's not only misleading but also inappropriate to present this tender and thoughtful encounter between Japan's Masami Akita and Scandinavia's Henrik Nordvargr Björkk as being in any way confrontational. On the contrary, both parties are enormously respectful in their attitude towards reworking each other's recordings. Sensitivity and a sense of shy distance resonate throughout all three tracks on this limited edition release. Tiny flickers of arousal give way to subtle nuances, unspoken moments of contact. Even the serious pounding that signals the opening tussle on "Kyoufu-O" manifests a restraint and a delicacy of feeling that wouldn't be altogether out of place on a first date. Noise has never been gentler on itself.

From Aquarius Records:

  Merzbow may be prolific to the point of no return by now, and so you may scoff at yet another release (that makes what, 10 so far this year?) but don't pass this one up. All of us around here have been mildly obsessed with Swedish ambient / noise / drone technician Nordvargr, from his days in the dark-ambient-in black-metal's-clothing outfit MZ412 to his later militaristic folk ensembles Toroidh and Folkstorm. Strangely these two noiseniks make the perfect combination, Japanoise meets Scandanavian power electronics and the result is a crushing slab of low end doom drone dirge. Merzbow created the source material for Nordvargr to process in his inimitably grim fashion. Three lengthy tracks. The first is a spine tinglingly creepy and gut churningly, ominously oppresive rumbling glitchy throb, crumbling slabs of low end over sinister whir and brittle crackling skeletal beats like the scary parts of Tron, or the part in some demonic anime snuff film when you first discover the true face of evil. Track two turns crushing ambient sludge into HUGE crunchy stuttering beats, not just block rocking beats, but beats that flatten entire neighborhoods like Autechre or Aphex twin jamming with Sunn 0))), spare and skittery, wandering through a precarious landscape of hissing blasts of Japanoise and keening squalls of high end iridescence. The final track is clicky, glitchy, haunting almost-IDM filtered through the noxious fumes of demon's breath and dipped in boiling pitch. ominous and frighteningly lovely. One of the best noise / sludge / drone / slow-motion-dance-music-for-demons record of the year!

From Terrorverlag: (by Tocafi)

  Eine Frage darf man im Musik-Business niemals stellen, nämlich die, ob man das alles wirklich braucht. MERZBOW weiß das besser als jeder andere, denn er hat seine Karriere in entscheidendem Maße auf den Überfluss gebaut, auf das Nicht-Sortieren, das Nicht-Editieren, den Wildwuchs. In derselben Zeit, in der man seine neue Scheibe hört, spielt er am anderen Ende der Welt schon wieder eine weitere ein – man kann dieses Wettrennen nicht gewinnen. Die „Merzbox“ enthielt fünfzig CDs, davon zwanzig mit neuem Material, „NoisEmbryo“ wurde in die HiFi Anlage eines Mercedes eingeschweißt (geschätzter Preis für das Album somit 100.000 Euro). Weil das alles schon jetzt viel zu viel ist, hat sich Masami Akita in eine Art Sackgasse manövriert: Sein Kunstwerk ist nicht das einzelne Album, sondern der Prozess. Er wird niemals aufhören dürfen.

  Da steht NORDVARGR auf einem besseren Posten. Auch er veröffentlicht unter derart vielen Pseudonymen, dass der Speicherplatz für diese Seite bedrohlich schrumpfen würde, wollte man sie allesamt hier unterbringen. Doch reicht es stets zum Durchatmen, zur Rückschau und zur Einordnung. Auch wenn man es nicht genau sagen kann, muss man deswegen davon ausgehen, dass die entspannten Stellen auf „Partikel“ auf sein Konto gehen, während die ungehobelten Noise-Attacken von seinem japanischen Partner stammen. In zwei der drei hier versammelten Tracks (Gesamtlänge beinahe eine Stunde) führt das zu einem immerhin streckenweise faszinierenden Aufeinanderprallen – zu einer Verschmelzung kommt es jedoch niemals. „Tardyon Storm“ beginnt wie ein wirrer Krautrockfiebertraum mit einer tiefen, sich ständig verstimmenden Bassfläche auf schleichenden Rhythmuspantoffeln, über der Geistergemurmel und ätherisches Zwitschern schweben. Plötzlich verdichten sich die Klangwellen zu einem dringenden Geflecht, zu bröckelnden Micro-Claps und wesenlosem Fiepsen. Richard Wagners These, dass Musik ohne Melodie nichts sei, wird hier kongenial widerlegt. Die danach einsetzenden Industrial-Gewitter sind hingegen so frisch wie Tiefkühlpizza, selbst wenn sie diesmal von Dr. Oetker stammt. Leider haben die beiden Protagonisten zudem darauf verzichtet, die auf zwei Seiten des indischen Ozeans aus dem Rechner gekratzten Trümmer zu einer geschlossenen Komposition zusammenzuschweißen und ebenso bruchstückhaft wirkt sie dann auch. Trotzdem: In den besten Momenten überragend. Das abschließende (und mit 7 Minuten geradezu miniaturistische) „Tachyon Paradox“ fährt im Gegensatz dazu von Anfang an auf zwei parallele laufenden Ebenen: Während auf der obenliegenden ein dichter Klangteppich gleißt und gleitet, bewegen sich darunter glucksende Muster von links nach rechts und auf der Stelle, klingeln Alarmwecker und schnickseln schnurrende Sounds. So weit so gut, doch ob man das beinahe halbstündige „Kyoufu-O“ wirklich gebraucht hätte, soll an dieser Stelle offen bleiben. Böllernde Beats hüpfen wie Wüstenspringmäuse, mysteriöse Harmoniesprengsel erscheinen wie asthmatische Dub-Effekte aus dem Echo und im Hintergrund röchelt eine auslaufende Badewanne, durch deren Abfluss die ganze Schose irgendwann hinausgesogen wird, nur um mit klappernden und klackernden Eisenspänen beim Nachbarn wieder aufzuschwemmen. Und das, lieber Leser, hört sich spannender an, als es ist.

  Man darf jetzt danach fragen, ob es das nicht vorher schon mal so oder so ähnlich gegeben hat. Ob mit ein wenig mehr Sorgfalt und Mühe aus dem Flickenteppich eine nahtlose Einheit hätte werden können. In wieweit das hier Gebotene dem von Akita aufgeworfenen Bild von dem Zeichner und seinen Ölfarben entspricht. All das darf und muss man vielleicht sogar fragen. Nur nicht, ob man das wirklich braucht. Es muss ja irgendwie weiter gehen