Reviews:

From Rose Selvagggia: (By Nikita)

   Debutto per il progetto di Harlow Mac Farlene's, di origine canadese, che dopo aver chiuso il suo vecchio progetto Funeral Call, si reinventa con un ambient noise dai suoni ossessivi e massacranti che piaceranno agli amanti del genere.

From The D-Side:

  Division One (Cold Spring, 2006) by Sistrenatus is a very finely accomplished debut album of the Canadian artist Harlow MacFarlane, who is known for having created a musical project called Funerary Call. This is a dense and harsh album that doesn’t give a break from the nightmarish obsessions of the musician but it synthesizes, in its 38 minutes, different musical influences that go from Black Ambient to Power Noise, from Death Industrial to Martial Music. In spite of the differing reviews that I’ve read, I appreciated above all the perfect sonorous synthesis made by MacFarlane which is not only an evidence of his deep familiarity with this music but it also proves his determination to give something personal and innovative to these sonorities which have been, for too long, reused in a sort of mechanical way without any development. In DIVISION ONE, we get through the claustrophobic climax of the previous songs (I-II) which are filled with metallic noises, distant and indefinable voices which thicken with distressing pulsations and distortions until one reaches a devilish explosion in the song III; the song IV is spectacularly dominated by a monotonous and horrific percussive element appearing on the horizon while in the foreground different sounds find their proper firmness and expressivity from the initial chaos; a horrifying atmosphere of expectation appears in the second part of the album from the songs VI, which could perfectly substituted a soundtrack from a horror film, and VII; in the two last songs, which represent the apex of the album, the dehumanised voices deprived of their meaning emerge from background and describe a state of mental collapse; the concluding song (IX) finds a sedate and acrid structure introduced by a martial percussive elements alternating with an orgasmic flow of sounds.

   Division One is a dense and difficult work that doesn’t give any peace to the listener. Not to loose above all for who doesn’t fear to challenge his nightmarish dreams..

From Judas Kiss: (By Paul Lloyd)

  Sistrenatus is the solo project of Canadian Harlow MacFarlane. Formerly known as ritual dark ambient artist Funerary Call, MacFarlane’s new project is a heavy dark drone-based project with power noise, martial industrial and black ambient leanings. First appearing on Cold Spring’s Swarm sampler in 2006, Division One is Sistrenatus’ debut album and first for the label.

  From the outset, Division One sets the standard for the rest of the album with the deep cavernous drones and very dark doom-laden textures of “I” and “II”. Throbbing, pulsating and undulating constantly the backdrop is scattered with various whirring screeches, largely indecipherable vocal snippets, industrial crashes, scrapes and clatters. The mood is focussed and deliberate, almost as though preparing for a battle. Punctuated by a low plodding industrial beat and the occasional sound of sirens, marching, gunfire and whistling missiles all around, this impression of conflict grows stronger as the album progresses. The overall impression created by Division One generates a feeling of an impending combat, the preparation and marching that constitutes and the ultimate death and destruction it creates. As the album nears its end, “VII” and “IX” include the sound of marching drums, almost indicating the impending battle that will ensue and the death it is sure to bring, perhaps illustrating the futility of war. This is further illustrated by the inclusion of a war story related by a soldier over the ominous buzz of electronic noise. It is almost as though MacFarlane is using the counterpoints of the destruction and horror of combat against the pride and sense of duty of those engaged in it.

  Division One is not an album that is easy to listen to and, in keeping with its consistent intense and cavernous industrial ambient nature, is punctuated with outbursts of harsh noise. Division One is an album that demands to be listened to when played but if this genre is for you, you could do much worse than check this out.

From Flash Magazine: (By FG)

  Ecco uno di quei lavori capaci di sintetizzare e "fotografare" lo "stato dell'arte" di un genere. Il canadese Harlow MacFarlane riesce, infatti, con il suo debut a tracciare un quadro d'insieme delle correnti principali dell'elettronica estrema, pescando da ciascuno di essi i segni tipici e distintivi. In meno di quaranta minuti, il progetto Sistrenatus passa dalla black ambient di matrice Archon Satani al death industrial di estrazione Brighter Death Now, riuscendo - nello stesso tempo - a dare spazio ad alcuni spunti "marziali", come nella quarta e nella settima traccia, e a brevissime incursioni in ambito power noise, come dimostra la parte finale del disco. Sicuramente chi non ama i lavori contaminati, non apprezzer? la velocit? con cui MacFarlane passa da un genere all'altro. Tuttavia, i difetti imputabili a questo lavoro, ne costituiscono - in un certo senso - anche il punto di forza: "Division One" si configura infatti come un album snello ed efficace che, pur non aggiungendo nulla al genere cui appartiene, mette in evidenza la grande abilit? del canadese di organizzare in maniera organica alcuni elementi caratteristici dell'industrial di confine.

From The Coven Of Janus:

  This debut release of Harlow MacFarlane's (Funerary Call) new project has been out for a while now but this is the first opportunity I have had to review it, having mislaid it behind the rat's cage a while back and only just rediscovering it. But what I have rediscovered is akin to what would happen should the legendary treasure of the Aztecs ever be found - this is pure gold. Abrasive slabs of death industrial grind, the siren calling for the rites to begin, conjuring up the slaughter of the abattoir with all its stench of blood, piss and shit, the aroma of fear all-pervasive, the scalpel, the drill and the chainsaw sharpened and honed to perfection and biting into flesh and bone, spewing marrow and plasma with a joyfulness and abandon that's almost obscene in its enthusiasm. This is death on a factory-size scale and mass-produced euthanasia, the sheer weight of the sound crushing the listener and browbeating them until submission, the victim being lead to the final despatch passively and almost willingly. MacFarlane has engineered the ultimate sonic nightmare, a dream bathed in palpable hatred, declaring that life is ultimately pointless and purpose, full of pain, sorrow and hurt and that humans are nothing but animated meat- that this is in fact our appointed end so why bother with all the troublesome bit in the middle and submit to the grinding machine, it'll save us all a lot of bother in the end. HIGHLY highly recommended prime death noise.

From Compulsion: (by Tony Dickie)

  It seems Harlow MacFarlane the Canadian musician behind Sistrenatus takes the term industrial music quite literally. Right from the get-go, Division One is awash with the sound of industrial machinery and disused factories. Steel doors slam shut, metal chains clink and clang, footsteps traverse along industrial shafts and corridors. Amidst the carefully controlled chaos electronics drone and shudder. Voices are distant and muffled, with only the occasional sentence becoming decipherable.

  Harlow MacFarlane used to record under the name Funerary Call and while that project was much more in the vein of ritual ambient, with Sistrenatus he switches effortlessly between industrial, noise and dark ambient, often in the course of the same track. Just to confuse the listener even more martial rhythms sporadically surface throughout. Division One foregoes proper song titles in favour of simple indexing ranging from I to IX, with the intention of Division One being played as one in its entirety. Sound and texture appears to be the key to unlocking its secrets.

  'III' ranges from harsh industrial rumbling noise to short controlled bursts of power electronics, while 'IV' is dark ambient with droning synths and thumping beats. As it progresses orchestral synths rise and fall to the sound of timpani drum rolls. Unlike the corrosive textures and factory smog of the other tracks on Division One 'IV' is like the soundtrack to a slave ship in the fiery pits of hell. 'VI', meanwhile, opts for throbbing synths and a cut-glass melody obscured by background industrial squeaks'n' creaks and more muffled voices. The following track, 'VII', takes in wartime news reel footage, cut-off by the piercing shriek of a drill accompanied later by martial drum beats and deep bass throb layered with assorted cut-up voices. After that its shuddering electronic tones and military eyewitness sample, over piercing shrieks and passages of industrial noise, The final track combines the electronic hum of harsh industrial noise with martial drum rolls. And throughout it all there remains the clatter of industrial activity and production.

  And that's the main problem here: Division One can't decide whether its death industrial, industrial noise, dark ambient or whatever. It seems to have a tick in every box. With 9 tracks in 36 minutes its also a tad short leaving little time for development before the next track is upon you. It's like listening to an industrial effects record; a Radiophonic Workshop release designed for an industrial and noise audience maybe. As mentioned earlier sound and texture appear the key here and Sistrenatus veer between genres with some good sounds and good tracks, but ultimately Division One fails as it tries to be so many things in such a short space of time. Sistrenatus appear to be highly competent at what they do, and I certainly wouldn't write them off, but I'd like to hear them tackle less over longer tracks. Perhaps things will become clearer on Wrought Iron Railings, their new CD due later this year on the French label Hermetique.

From Filth Forge: (by Simon V)

  Sistrenatus, a new presence in the industrial underworld, spreading menacing hybrids of dark ambient and marching machinery noises, debuted two years ago with a self-produced mini-CDr. Its long-awaited full-length sees finally the light under the name "Division One" and sporting the banners of Cold Spring. The cover artwork is brown / grey and foggy, suggesting the idea of cement, iron and dust, perfectly coping with the music.

  For those not yet familiar with the distinctive sound of this elusive Canadian project, you have to imagine to be led through blood-soaked battlefields, where unidentified armies are fighting to the last breath an endless and hopeless war, or travel through nuclearized cities, where a thick radioactive fog makes it difficult to distinguish what's around, and sinister noises and presences are your only company. Nine uneasy, unsettling and untitled tracks compose this fascinating post-atomic and post-human scenery of metal thuds, slamming iron gates, sudden explosions, intercepted radio frequencies, razor-sharp synths.

  "Division One" doesn't betray the expectations created by the CDr, on the contrary it boosts Sistrenatus' sound with an excellent and powerful production, as well as a wide variety of original sounds and atmospheres. Extremely recommended, especially if you are fed up with a scene overcrowded by the same old dark ambient soup and sloppy noise craftsmen.

From Stylus: (by Cosmo Lee)

  "Black ambient," "power noise," and "death industrial" are but a few of the terms tossed around to describe this malevolent creation. Whatever it is, it's evil as hell. It's as if the typical ambient intro to a metal album took a detour past the guitars and took on a life of its own. Factory noises churn as static hisses and mechanical voices stutter and chirp. Martial snares tattoo unrelenting patterns with ordnance exploding nearby, disrupting electronic communications. Glass breaks; live wires hiss; a TV goes on the fritz. Bulkheads collapse amid oceanic reverb. If you're wondering what this release is doing in this column, brace yourself for Sistrenatus' upcoming cover of Napalm Death's "Multinational Corporations."

From Heathen Harvest: (by G. P.)

  Harlow MacFarlane, the man behind Sistrenatus, originally entered the ambient world with the project Funerary Call. I am familiar with his past work and was unsure what to expect with his new musical release. Fans of MacFarlane’s older project might be in for a bit of a shock as the music has taken a different turn. Gone are the somber, at times medieval keys of Funerary Call; Sistrenatus is powerful and loud.

  Division One opens with loud echoing booms while distant factory sounds provide the backdrop. Creaks, groans and screeching metallic noises build in preparation for the second song that displays the albums first real elements of power electronics. Harsh noises rumble in and quickly diminish leaving sounds best related to being in a massive, dark, damp cellar beneath a decaying factory.

  The first two songs are almost a prelude for the rest of Division One whose tone becomes noticeably more intense as of song three barely letting up until the CD ends. Division One does an excellent job of genre melding as it casually drifts between rough and ugly power electronics and dark, gloomy industrial. Fans of vocal screeching overtop their power electronics might look elsewhere as Division One contains only a few select such performances throughout. Mingled in between various noises and scattered across the album are samples of dialogue adding a human element. Of interesting note were a few songs towards the end with an almost martial, albeit harsh, feel to them. These helped provide some variation and interest and blended nicely into the mix of Division One.

  Division One is an excellent album of death industrial / power electronics with good variety that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. For me, standout tracks would have to be II, III, V, and IX though the album would best be appreciated listening to it from start to finish. If you are a fan of this genre, I see no reason for you not to buy Division One. I am looking forward to hearing future releases by Sistrenatus.

From Synthesis: (by Troy Southgate)

  HIDDEN away in the province of British Columbia, Sistrenatus is the cavernous brainchild of Harlow MacFarlane. His previous incarnation, of course, was as Funerary Call, through which a spate of disturbing titles were released between 1996 and 2004 on, amongst others, the well-respected Fossil Dungeon and Fluttering Dragon labels. My favourite of these, "Beckoning at the Black" (2004), was particularly good, especially the brilliant 'Hill of Skull and Bone'. This present CD, however, which is adorned with grim images of barbed wire, power switches, brick walls and dark recesses, only serves to further enhance the growing reputation of its creator. But whilst very little is known about Western Canada‚s leading exponent of Dark Ambient, the music speaks for itself. 'I' is a cacophony of slamming doors and clanking chains, full of melancholic squeaks, runaway shopping trollies and indecipherable vocal samples. 'II' begins immediately with the ching-ching of hammer against anvil and is infused with electronic discord and cascading water. Rhythmic machines seem to resemble marching feet and here and there sharp electric bursts appear on the scene, but again, the theme involves more slamming doors and conversations centred on the subject of incinerators: "Tell me about it, what the hell happened?" Track 'III' is more of a Power Electronics affair, bustling with discerning vocals and jagged shards of feedback. A few extra layers are added and the sound becomes a whip-lashed blend of beeps and radio interference. The low voice at the beginning of 'IV' is soon channelled into a steady thumping and sounds like someone trying to tarmac an airport runway in the rush hour. The arrival of 'V', meanwhile, is marked by a combination of echoed clattering and a constant droning that eventually becomes a mixture of tubular muzak, machine gun fire, metallic shuddering and a sustained electronic gale-force that could part your hair at twenty paces. 'VI' has a slight choral dimension going on, submerged as it is beneath the sound of breaking glass, multi-tonal swirls, relentless throbbing and a vocal breathlessness. By comparison, 'VII' is fairly gentle at first, but the melodic strains of a 1920s ballroom are suddenly interrupted by the voice of a newsreader and what sounds like something forcibly entering a tooth cavity. I love the militaristic feel of this track, with its pounding bass juxtaposed by a discordant screeching and a cut-glass English accent that has been completely dissected and rearranged. Fantastic stuff. The sampling used for 'VIII' is delivered with a broad Yorkshire accent and there is a lot of violence and aggression in this track, the Industrial and Noise elements combining perfectly like two disparate peas in a rotten pod. The final track, 'IX', is the best on the album and makes for a great finale. This is an uncompromising war dance at which everything - nincluding the kitchen sink - has been hurled with wild abandon. Martial discipline meets metallic frenzy in a futuristic war of the machines and all conducted on the plains of Waterloo. Eventually, the snare drums subside and the uncontrollable forces of iron and steel triumph. There's no doubt about it, "Division One" is easy listening for disturbed minds

From Feindesland: (by Raphael)

  Den Anlass zu dieser Rezension, stellt das Debütalbum "Division One" des kanadischen Ein-Mann-Projekts Sistrenatus dar. Es scheint ein neuer Stern am Power Noise bzw. Death Industrial Himmel geboren.
 
   Nein, der denkende und lenkende Kopf hinter Sistrenatus Harlow Mac Farlane hat schon eine bewegte Karriere im Noise- bzw. Industrial Sektor vorzuweisen. Im Zeitraum von 1994 bis 2005 galt seine komplette Aufmerksamkeit Funerary Call, womit er eine große Anzahl an Releases auf die Menschheit hetzte. Die Kritiken auf seine vergangenen Arbeiten waren durchweg positiver Natur und große renommierte Magazine bescherten ihm einen guten Ruf innerhalb des Genres.

   Mit Sistrenatus muß sich Harlow Mac Farlane die Sporen neu verdienen und es bleibt abzuwarten, ob seine neue Kunst, genauso gut angenommen wird, wie in der Schaffensphase von Funerary Call.

  Bei solch einem Opus, nach einem tiefgehenden Inhalt zu schürfen, dürfte sich als problematisch rausstellen. Hingegen wichtig scheint die Tatsache, gut in die Klangkonstruktionen eintauchen zu können und ab diesem Zeitpunkt muß jede Hörerin bzw. jeder Hörer selbst mit seinen Interpretationen beginnen.

  Meiner persönlichen Ansicht nach, gibt uns Harlow Mac Farlane mit "Division One" die Möglichkeit in ganz dunkle und mysteriöse Dungeons einzutauchen und sich im Kampf gegen seine musikalische Macht zu verteidigen.

  Diese Art der Musik wird gerne von einigen Gruppierungen als purer Krach abgetan, eine absolute Fehleinschätzung, der ich an dieser Stelle entgegen wirken möchte. Harlow Mac Farlane erzeugt mit seinen Soundcollagen Bilder für ein großes Kopfkino, welches natürlich nicht für zart besaitete Personen in Frage kommt. Mit den Stilmitteln Noise, Industrial, Dark Ambient und Sprachsamples zaubert der Soundtüftler atemberaubende Klangbilder, die Menschen in Angst und Schrecken versetzen können. Die Adjektive für die Tonkunst von Harlow Mac Farlane sind martialisch bzw. militärisch, bombastisch, rituell, okkult, tief, düster, dunkel, atmosphärisch und mörderisch.

  Eine einwandfreie Produktion liefert der Soundakrobat mit "Division One" ab und lässt somit diese Klangwelten in meiner Wertschätzung steigen. Harlow Mac Farlane konstruierte diese Stücke mit analoger und digitaler Technik im Dezember 2005. Bleibt die Frage offen: "Wieso erblickt dieses Highlight, erst jetzt das Tageslicht auf Cold Spring Records in England?"

  Das einzige Manko an dieser CD, stellt die kurze Spielzeit von knapp 37 Minuten dar.

From Zero Tolerance: (by Simon Collins)

  Sistrenatus is a new project of Canadian musician Harlow MacFarlane, who previously recorded as Funerary Call, and Division One is their debut album, following the remix of 'IV' on Cold Spring's 2006 sampler Swarm. The album's nine tracks, simply entitled 'I' to 'IX', offer a mixture of harsh electronics ('III', 'V', 'IX') and black ambience ('IV', 'V') with distorted vocal samples, feedback, heavy industrial percussion, and occasional martial accents like the air-raid sirens and foreboding orchestral horn section of 'IV', and the crisp snare rolls of 'VII'. Best of all is 'VI', with a synth throbbing away like the helicopters landing in Apocalypse Now and susurrating whispers, ritualistic flute tones and clanking background noise conspiring to create a powerful atmosphere of menace. Overall, I was reminded of Predella Avant, Archon Satani and some early Der Blutharsch. One criticism I would make of Division One is that, at 36 minutes, it's a little short. I'm used to musicians in this genre extending themselves at more leisure, and it'd be interesting to hear Sistrenatus tackling a lengthier track or two.

From Blow Up: (by Paolo Bertoni)

  Dopo i trascorsi con Funerary Call, dieci anni d’attività con il magro bottino di due 7” e l’album “The Black Root”, il canadese Harlow MacFarlane adotta il moniker Sistrenatus per questo notevole esordio per i tipi Cold Spring. In “Division One” l’equilibrio tra dark ambient ora pericolosamente possente (I), ora sottilmente orrorifica (VI), ora inesorabilmente ipnotica (V) o ancora con tocchi di marziale solennità (IV), e power electronics, ora striata di field recordings (II), ora vera gragnola noise (III e VIII), è dosato alla perfezione. La conclusiva IX, innalzandosi altresì come l’episodio migliore, condensa ottimamente il tutto tratteggiando un infernale affresco da incubo.

From Lunar Hypnosis: (by Ginnie Moon)

  This is crazy dark. Like visiting a sanitarium at night. No really. Like being locked in solitary. Waking up and finding out it isn't a dream and the drugs don't work. From the ghost of William Burroughs to thick steel doors; from incinerators to electric shock, the nightmare's all here. The experience of the noise is definitely tactile; exquisitely sensory. The effect is of sonic rust, corrosion, mildew; to sink into these sounds is to disintegrate slowly; to be dismantled over time. If you loved the most outward lands Skinny Puppy traversed as well as the experiments of Scorn and Lull, I think you'll find this journey a delightful way to tear yourself apart. Elegant apocalypse. (10/10)

From Mentenebre: (by Fernando O Paino)

  Fantástico. Esa es la palabra con la que definiría el primer trabajo de Sistrenatus, el nuevo proyecto del canadiense Harlow MacFarlane, que ya había demostrado grandes aptitudes compositivas en su anterior punto de vista conocido como Funerary Call.

  MacFarlane conseguirá en “Division One” algo nada fácil y poco logrado hasta el momento: conceptuar musicalmente, y de forma perfecta, ideas como el miedo, el hieratismo, la ira, el vacío, la nada, el caos o la guerra. “Division One” concentra una tensión inesperada para el oyente que hace que éste quede absolutamente perplejo ante su resultado. Bandas como Noisex o Hipno Skull ya habían realizado años atrás supremos trabajos dentro del ya longevo campo creado por mis queridísimos y alabados Genesis P-Orridge y Peter “Sleazy" Christopherson de Throbbing Gristle.

  Sin embargo, el industrial, nacido al mismo tiempo que el movimiento punk rock, y de la misma forma que le pasaría a éste, ha ido sufriendo una serie de cambios y bifurcaciones de las que nacieron múltiples variantes dentro del nuevo campo del ruido y la electrónica, desde el maestro Boyd Rice con su particular proyecto NON, hasta maravillas psicodélicas como Nurse With Wound, o menos psicodélicas y más funcionales como Whitehouse.

  Durante la última década del siglo pasado, Genocide Organ se convirtió, junto con Brighter Death Now, en referencias inexcusables de este género que para muchos resulta prácticamente incomprensible.

  Sistrenatus aporta en “Division One” una síntesis magistral a modo de tesina, que combina los elementos más característicos del noise y el indusrial combinados, en canciones puntuales como su séptimo corte, con sonidos de carácter marcial, como pueden ser percusiones militares y discursos. Su contenido fue grabado durante diciembre de 2005, utilizando sonidos que podemos escuchar en la vida cotidiana, estos fueron digitalizados hasta ser convertidos en lo que ahora se presenta.

  La producción resulta magistral y es, en cierta manera, uno de los factores que hacen de esta obra algo perfecto. El desarrollo del disco se establece desde una estructura ordenadamente caótica. Por lo que el planteamiento utilizado en “Division One” para generar un sin sentido desenfrenado y agónico es algo remarcable y digno de resaltar por derecho propio.

  Cold Spring ha vuelto a acertar de pleno en la edición de uno de los proyectos mas sorprendentes del nuevo siglo. Sin duda, un disco perfecto. (10/10)

From Medienkonverter: (by Björn Kunze)

  Geheimnisvoll, Endzeitstimmung verbreitend, okkult, düster bis dunkel, laut, leise, geräuschvoll, erschreckend, bedrohlich, Unheil verkündend und alles mit Verstand zusammen gebastelt. Diese Attribute sind das Ergebnis aus der Verpaarung von Samplern und anderen elektronischen Klangerzeugern und führen schlussendlich zu einer Mischung aus Black Ambient, Power Noise und Death Industrial. Das sind die vom englischen Label Cold Spring Records bzw. dem kanadischen Projekt Sistrenatus selbst gewählten, allerdings wahrlich zutreffenden Kategorien zur Beschreibung des vorliegenden Debüt-Werkes „Division One“. Und da es tatsächlich als Werk zu verstehen ist, begnügte man sich damit, den Gesamteindruck wirken zu lassen und die Songs einfach von I bis IX durchzunummerieren. Zwar liegt die Albumspielzeit bei gerade einmal knapp 37 Minuten, doch für ein unterbrechungsfreies Durchhören ist sie eigentlich optimal. Diese Zeit sollte man sich auf jeden Fall nehmen, denn zum Nebenbeihören eignet sich die 'Musik’ beileibe nicht.

  Kurz aber ausreichend, weil nicht immer schmerzlos – das sind weitere Impressionen, die durch „Division One“ entstehen. Eine visuelle Geschichte dazu muss man sich zwar selbst spinnen (eventuell mit Rückblenden), aber eigentlich geht es auch ohne, weil die Geräuschkulisse einfach fasziniert. Und die gestaltet sich wahrlich facettenreich. Von typischen Noise- und Industrial-Klängen, über gesampelte, echte Industriegeräusche und Sprache, monoton dunklen Hintergrundflächen und einer fast immer fehlenden Rhythmusspur, die nur als trommelnder Marschbegleiter bei VII und bei IX auftaucht, finden sich noch viele weitere Dinge, die entweder rhythmusfrei oder doch sequenziert eine geballte Düsternis entwickeln, wie sie derart intensiv nur selten auf einem Industrial-Ambient-Release vorzufinden ist. Voller Spannung weiß man nicht, ob in Kürze alles für den Zusammenbruch vorbereitet wird oder doch noch etwas Zeit verbleibt. Um es vorweg zu nehmen: er kommt, ganz am Ende mit der IX – als Marsch ins Verderben (so hört es sich zumindest an). I bis VIII, mit der VI als quasi klassischem Düster-Ambient-Track, sind sozusagen die langsame, dramatische Vorbereitung auf das unvermeidliche Ende.

  Spontan, ohne großartig auf eventuell vorhandene Ähnlichkeiten einzugehen, fällt mir hierbei Cyclotimias „Eschaton“ ein. Sistrenatus könnte so eine Art (noch) dunklere Seite dieses russischen Projekts sein, hat aber ansonsten trotzdem nichts damit gemeinsam. Wer industriellen Ambient der anspruchsvolleren Kategorie mag und ‚Experimental’ den kompositorischen Konventionen vorzieht, der wird mit Sistrenatus’ „Division One“ seine wahre Freude haben. Für alle anderen Unkonservativen, die sich mit diesem Genre sonst nur peripher beschäftigen, ist es eine spannende Empfehlung zu Horizonterweiterung.

From Black: (By M.F.)

   Mit "Division One" legt via Cold Spring Records ein neues amerikanisches Industrial-Projekt namens SISTRENATUS sein Debüt-Album vor, welches einmal mehr das weite Feld zwischen White Power Noise und Dark Ambient beackert. Die mit gerade mal 37 Minuten im Vergleich zu ähnlich gelagerten Produktionen recht kurze Spielzeit des Albums gereicht SISTRENATUS aber zum Vorteil, well dadurch keine Langeweile beim hören aufkommt und man sich so auf die inzwischen doch sehr austauschbaren Sounds einlassen kann. Auf die unterstützende Hilfe von Trackbezeichnungen für das Kopfkino verzichtet man auf "Division One" jedoch und so entstehen wieder einmal die üblichen Bilder von verlassenen Katakomben, Fabrikhallen und Grüften - Cold Meat Industry lässt grüßen. Mit "Wrought Iron Railings" has SISTRENATUS inzwischen schon den Nachfolger auf "Division One" eingespielt, der diesmal über das französische Label Hermetique veröffentlicht werden soll. Ich bin gespannt auf die eventuell zu erwartende Weiterentwicklung.

From Obliveon: (By MK)

   Sistrenatus stammen aus Kanada und bieten auf ihrem Debüt die volle Breitseite aus Black Ambient, Power Noise und Death Industrial. Verstörend, brutal und doch faszinierend führt Harlow MacFarlane durch eine Welt voller Schmerzen, die in ihrer unvorhersehbaren Disharmonie und ihrer kalten Unberechenbarkeit zuweilen hart an die Schmerzgrenze des Erträglichen heranreichen. Geräuschkaskaden und entmenschlichte Sounds sowie das Fehlen jeglicher Emotionen durch Stimmen oder Sprachsamples machen „Division One“ daher zu einer wirklichen Geduldsprobe, die aber durch die Dynamikwechsel in den einzelnen Stücken nie monoton oder fatalistisch zu werden droht. Sistrenatus sind sicher nur Genre-Fans zu empfehlen, für unvoreingenommene Hörer wird sich die harsche Klangwelt dieses Albums kaum erschliessen.

From Blood Ties: (by xdementia)

  This is actually my first exposure to the project although I've been awaiting the release for quite some time after hearing mp3 clips from the website. I have to say my hype has been answered with a fucking excellent album consisting of a unique style that includes harsh noise, power electronics, death industrial, and even neo-classical melded into an impressive and cohesive work of art, not to mention a heavily detailed 40 minutes.

  Division One's tracks are titled only by number leaving the listener with the few scattered and subtle spoken samples that exist within the album. The concept seems somewhat obscured but leaves the listener guessing which is a good thing in the long run. The decayed industrial landscapes in the artwork move me to think that this may be dealing with ideas of global takeover, either in reference to WWII or some strange Orwellian vision.

  The general sound can be described as incredibly cinematic in terms of atmosphere and quality. The production is great and although there is a large variety of different sounds and sources it they all meld together with clarity and vision that is extremely effective. At the start of the album you are immediately thrown into a world of huge machines pounding at your door, muffled frantic conversations lost somewhere unknown, and humming industrial soundscapes groaning with displeasure at being pummeled with unforgiving blasts of wicked noise and pulsating synths.

  Although there are many passages that gradually change, Division One can feel like a blur between the fast cuts, large dynamic ranges and jolting in between styles but Sistrenatus easily manages to keep me anticipating how I will be assaulted next, or if he's going to lay low. The “passages” is one of my favorite things about this album, particularly the few harmonically epic parts, the first which can be heard at the start of track 4. A bombastic alternating rhythm with excellent moaning synths and orchestral percussion to form a unique blend of industrial music with a symphonic tinge, but nothing at all cheesy here, it still has a “raw” and epic quality to it without trying to be something it's not. This is done just right.

  The only negative thing I really feel about these tracks is that they move too quickly. Sistrenatus moves onto the next thing before I can even get a grip on what is currently happening and as a result, my favorite parts only last about a minute or two. Either way there isn't anything here that feels like “filler” or half-assed material, it's all excellent in it's own way and although it may seems scatterbrained at times it has consistent and focused crafting throughout the entire work. I can easily say there isn't one moment here that hits me in the wrong way. This is exactly the kind of styles I like to hear with an original edge and well-thought out editing and execution. It's tough to get better then this, Sistrenatus delivers an unusually impressive debut. I'm not only already anticipating his next move, but I still haven't tired of the album after listening to it frequently for about 2 months.

From Gothtronic: (by TekNoir)

  Sisterenatus from Canada is the follow-up to Funerary Call. A project of Harlow MacFarlane, with which he was inspired by the pitchblack darkambient of the early CMI times. Sistrenatus is more powernoise focussed, nevertheless it has it’s roots firmly in the dark industrial darkambient spheres. Division One is the debut album and is released via the famous British Cold Spring records. A Second album has already been finished as well and will be released later this year by the French Hermetique. The cd has nine tracks with scraping industrial sounds, samples of for instance metal sounds and powernoise, with a forceful underlying layer of drones, which creates a nice build-up of tension. Added are processed vocals and voice sounds that add to a haunting atmosphere. In the last tracks militant samples are used which make the atmosphere even more aggressive. Recommended to those who love minimal powernoise and darkambient combined.

From Musique Machine: (Roger Batty)

  Division One is the debut album from this Canadian noise/ dark ambient project. Delivering a shifting dark stew of sounds touching down in:dark ambience, sample driven dread be it ; voices, water drip, door slamings, metallic death machines chatter. With deathly rhythmic work-outs, all manner of metallic clunking and some more fiery noise moments though for the most part this stays fairly atmospheric more than anything, never really letting the noise run riot.

  This works best as a flowing whole as each track leads into the next, not really having enough about them either in concept or melody wise to stand on their own, but as a flowing near on 40 minutes track this really works creating the feel of an hellish world between realities. Like the soundtrack to hells dark dungeons, or a clunking and demon raising netherworld. As it drifts from one dark drone smudge and noise eruption painted sound world to another, that nevers gets too crowded for it's own good, always keeping the atmosphere of touring the corridors of hell.

  An impressive debut, showing a real ability to build up one hell of an atmosphere, and at the same time keep ones attention through out it's running time.

From NecroWeb: (by Deathbringer)

  Aus Kanada kommt die neueste Hoffnung des Death Industrial. Sistrenatus, aka. Harlow MacFarlane, legt mit dem etwas verspätet veröffentlichten Debütalbum "Division One" einen ähnlichen Traumstart hin wie Atrium Carceri dies mit "Cellblock" im verwandten Genre des Dark Ambient tat. Parallelen zwischen den beiden Alben gibt es durchaus, denn beide setzen grundlegend auf einer sehr düsteren und beklemmenden Atmosphäre auf, die in erstklassiker Manier transportiert wird. Während Atrium Carceri den filigraneren und zurückhaltenderen Dark Ambient Stil bevorzugte, setzt Sistrinatus auf härtere und bedrohlichere Mittel. Mit gewaltigen Bässen, Noisesamples und schrilleren, aber dennoch unglaublich stimmungsvollen Melodiestrukturen transportiert Sistrenatus solch eine Düsternis, daß einem selbst am hellichten Tage vor Freude kalte Schauer über den Rücken laufen. Paradebeispiel dafür ist "VI", das eine derart klagende und leidende Melodie auf den Hörer loslässt, daß es schon fast eine Qual ist zuzuhören - im positiven Sinn.

  Sistrenatus hat mit "Division One" ein wahrlich beeindruckendes Debüt hingelegt. Es ist schon einige Zeit her, daß mich ein Dark Ambient Album, oder wie in diesem Falle ein Death Industrial Album so begeistern konnte. Unbedingt empfehlenswert!

From Alternativmusik.de: (by Marius Meyer)

  Division One ist das Debütalbum des kanadischen Noise-Projekts Sistrenatus um Harlow MacFarlane, der zuvor bereits bei – dem inzwischen aufgelösten – Projekt Funerary Call aktiv war. Es präsentiert einen Angriff auf die Gehörgänge, dargestellt durch eine Kombination von dunklem Ambient, Power Noise und Death Industrial. Auch Schlagworte wie „harsh“ und „martial“ sind sehr treffende Bezeichnungen für das auf Division One Dargebotene. Um das geschaffene Werk als ein Gesamtwerk zu präsentieren, tragen die einzelnen Titel lediglich Kapitelnamen von I bis XI.

  Auf ihrer Homepage sprechen Sistrenatus von Überbleibseln der industriellen Revolution, bestehend aus Zerfall und Nutzlosigkeit. Zerreißende Gegenstände, brechendes Glas, auf den Amboss schlagende Hämmer, Dampfmaschinen und andere Thematiken werden angeschnitten. Alles Vorstellungen, die unmittelbar hörbar in den klanglichen Gefilden von Sistrenatus. Maschinenklänge und Maschinengeräusche sind etwas, das sowohl die Grundlage als auch die Inhalte des Schaffens von Sistrenatus darstellen.

  In den neun Kapiteln des Albums treffen verschiedene Schichten der musikalischen Dekonstruktion aufeinander, die ihre Grundlage in noisigen Klanggefilden bestehend aus noisigen Sequenzen, Rauschen und teilweise vocodierten Stimmen haben. Darauf bauen sich die im vorangegangenen Abschnitt erwähnten Dinge programmatisch auf und sorgen so neben der obligatorischen Verstörung für eine gewisse Spannung, da man an keiner Stelle so recht weiß, was als nächstes passieren wird. Die Flächen halten sich dabei überwiegend in einem moderaten – ambienten – Tempo und fordern den Hörer weniger durch Geschwindigkeit, sondern eher durch den noisigen Charakter.

  Martiale Rhythmen treffen auf Störgeräusche, im Hintergrund tauchen immer wieder unerwartete Instrumente und Klänge auf. All das präsentiert auf die Spannung erhaltenden Klangcollagen im düsteren Ambientbereich, die bei Einhaltung des Tempos gelegentlich aus dem Ambientbereich klangtechnisch eindeutig in den Industrialbereich übergehen und durch ihr Rauschen, Flimmern und Flirren den Gehörgang zu malträtieren ersuchen.

  Kritikpunkt bei diesem Album ist die Länge. Mit knappen 37 Minuten erreicht die Veröffentlichung gerade mal so Albumlänge und stellt somit sein Preis-/Leistungsverhältnis ein wenig in Frage. Auf der anderen Seite gibt es dafür allerdings auch ein geschlossenes Gesamtwerk bestehend aus neun Kapiteln, die einen inneren Zusammenhang erkennen lassen und nicht lieblos aneinander gesetztes Stückwerk darstellen. Anzumerken ist dabei, dass diese Veröffentlichung eine sehr spezielle ist und eher was für wirklich eingesessene und/oder passionierte Industrial-Hörer ist. Diese dürften dafür aber auch ihre wahre Freude an diesem Werk haben.

From Twilight Zone: (by Michele Viali)

  Sistrenatus è il nuovo progetto del canadese Harlow MacFarlane, la mente che aveva dato vita all’ormai defunto act death ambient Funerary Call e che adesso sceglie di cambiar pagina e optare per sonorità più decise e aggressive. Division One raccoglie in sé stili differenti, racchiusi in poco più di trenta minuti e divisi in 9 tracce, fatto importante che permette di gustare al meglio la brutalità del dischetto, senza il rischio di perdersi in un arco temporale altrimenti troppo doloroso da sopportare. Si susseguono brani tipicamente death industrial, memori di MZ 412 o Archon Satani, a base di rumori spettrali e drones malefici, ma anche tracce più violente e uditivamente disturbanti, costruite su samples, schegge impazzite di rumore proveniente da chissà dove e cacofonie in analogico, tutto in tipico stile Brighter Death now o Whitehouse. Ma non mancano momenti incentrati su ritmiche guerresche o su un riflessivo “white noise”. Sistrenatus mescola rumorismi di varia derivazione, mostrando di saper conoscere alla perfezione il genere che tratta e di saper realizzare ottime tracce evitando di essere prevedibile e anticipando l’ascoltatore. Unico neo di un disco altrimenti convincente è tutto ciò che circonda il CD ad iniziare dall’assenza dei titoli, di un booklet e soprattutto di informazioni riguardo il progetto in questione (quel poco che c’è si fa fatica a leggerlo). La stessa copertina non fa che ricalcare quanto già prodotto con gli artwork classici della Cold Meat industry. Insomma questo tipo di releases richiedono messaggi forti (o ironici, come spesso capita) che facciano da controcanto alla musica e che creino un’idea che di supporto. Al di là di questo il contenuto del CD è di gran livello, ma –s’intende- indicato solo per timpani allenati.

From Vital Weekly: (by NMP)

  This is a quite interesting release from Canadian project Sistrenatus. British Cold Spring Records is known and respected for their orientation in wide spectres of genres, from Martial music across orchestral ambience and industrial to harsh expressions of noise/power electronics. Normally these various styles are not combined, though this is exactly what Sistrenatus does on this, their debut-album "Division one". And they succeed in doing so! The overall expression is a mixture of harsh industrial and orchestral black ambience. Drones of noisy electronics permeates the works, sometimes subtly, other times with overwhelming power developing the work into harsh noise. Starting out with the sound of church bell, the opening two tracks set the pace and the atmospheres of the album with the blend of concrete sounds, industrial noises and subtle spoken voices. Chapter "III" represents the first assault of extreme aggression as hordes of crushing electronics wash over the innocent listener meanwhile evil voices of pure wrath strengthens the feeling of discomfort. An excellent mixture of power electronics and death industrial on this one! As chapter "IV" takes over slow and heavy martial rhythms occur assisted by screeching noises and ancient horns giving the atmospheres of Middle Age. "IV" represents the calm before the next storm, which comes as chapter "V" penetrates with deep rumbling buzz-drones. Throughout "Division one", Sistrenatus nicely changes between expressive aggression and settling ancient atmospheres. Towards the end of the album (chapter VIII + XI) the gates of hellish noise open completely resulting in an anything but friendly farewell to the listener from Sistrenatus. Certainly a promising debut from this powerful Canadian project.

From Beyond All Remorse: (Matt S)

  Spewing forth from the twisted mind of creator Harlow, we have here the long awaited full length album from Sistrenatus. An album that has been highly anticipated since its curious sounds were featured upon the now legendary Cold Spring ‘Swarm’ sampler.

  So does ‘Division One’ live up to expectations? You fucking bet it does!!! This is one twisted mind fuck of an album which will appeal to a large cross section of genre huggers. From the outset this is designed to warp your conscience, confuse those senses and take you on some mindful trip that will if your not careful leave you nothing but a shadow of your former self once the journey is completed. Funny thing is though; you’ll not resist taking another spin in the Sistrenatus vortex of textures, sounds, bleeps, noise, silence and simply damn well constructed tunes.

  Classified as Black Ambient, Power Noise and Death Industrial, its fair to say all three fit near on perfect and as previously outlined there is something here for everyone from Industrialists to the Black Metal hordes.

  A stunning album from beginning to end!