Reviews:

From Ascension: (by Walter Piano)

  Dallo sferragliante cilindro della Cold Spring ecco fuoriuscire questo debut album dei nipponici South Saturn Delta, un progetto che si può tranquillamente difinire un super-gruppo dell'ambiente noise giapponese.

  Nati nel 2003, i South Saturn Delta sono Maso Yamazaki (chitarra, voce ed in practica la mente del progetto Masonna) e di quell'Hiroshi Hasegawa (synth e voce) già membro di Astro e C.C.C.C.. Come se non bastasse, a completare la line-up, c'è la partecipazione di Nobuko Emi alle percussioni (già nei progetto Tsurubami)...

  "Experience The Concreteness" altro non è che la riproposta di quattro tracce precedentemente registrate dal vivo tra il 2003 e il 2005 a Osaka e Tokyo. Ed è qui, proprio nel contesto live, che il gruppo dichiara il suo concetto noise-industriale senza concedersi un attimo di tregua. "Experience The Concreteness" è la trasposizione dei loro assalti live in alcuni dei vari templi nipponici dediti al culto di quella estrema violenza sonica che, in Giappone, trova un terreno culturale ideale. Un muro di rumori e di suoni devastanti contraddistini da interventi vocali che, insieme, formano un unico corpo noise / psichedelico estremamente tellurico e farneticante.

From Compulsion: (by Tony Dickie)

  Along with C.C.C.C.'s Chaos Is The Cosmos, Cold Spring continue their foray into Japanese noise with the debut release from South Saturn Delta. South Saturn Delta bring together Maso Yamazaki (Masonna) and Hiroshi Hasegawa (C.C.C.C., Astro), with Nobuko Emi (Tsurubami) on drums for one track. It's a brutal marriage comprising Masonna's noise and Hasegawa's more spacey and psychedelic noise drawn from four live performances from between 2003 and 2005.

  Slabs of frenzied guitar open 'Captain Beefstake Plant' quickly lunging headfirst into surging and throttling electronics. Washes of feedback quickly get sucked into the mix, alongside punishing cries and moans. Clocking in at a mere 6 minutes it's something of a teaser, quickly setting the tone for the impressive assault of the next two tracks. 'Decadence Cultivation' bursts forth with 20 minutes of rhythmic noise. A whipping throb underpins the layered electronic shudders of the analogue synthesizers. Whooshes of sound jet in and out. Siren-like tones are generated, as machines appear to malfunction. Yamazaki and Hasegawa scream for their lives. But for the most part this is a blistering assault of heaving, throbbing rhythmic noise, with an added dose of feedback. Lots of feedback. 'Banishment Snake' is like a hyper version of C.C.C.C. with the dials turned up full. It achieves lift-off within seconds imploding into a supremely executed slice of atmo-noise derived from feedback, static and drone, exploring finely nuanced variations in sound, occassionally setting off short blasts of ringing alarms. It's totally relentless for its 15 minute duration and definitely a highpoint of Experience The Concreteness. The final piece, 'Rocket Incantation' goes off at a tangent seemingly appearing to tap into a free jazz skronk type of thing with the synthesizer replacing the horns. Tsurubami's Nobuko Emi smashes his way around his kit while Yamazaki coaxes feedback and a din of squall from his guitar. It 'rocks' in a similar fashion to the UK's now defunct Ascension. Maybe it's a subtle nod to Jimi Hendrix, since Maso Yamazaki and Hiroshi Hasegawa lifted the name for this collaboration from one of his song titles. Who knows, but, aside from the final track, Experience The Concreteness is an assured piece of noise from two established figures in the Japanese noise scene. A full blown studio release would be welcome though.

From Obliveon: (by MK)

  South Saturn Delta sind die nächste “Japanoise Supergroup“ (Maso Yamazaki (Masonna), Hiroshi Hasegawa (C.C.C.C.) und Nobuko Emi (Tsurubami)), die mit „Experience Of Correctness“ hier das erste Ergebnis einer gemeinsamen Zusammenarbeit vorlegt. Cold Spring, das Label der Japaner, bezeichnet “Experience Of The Correctness” als “Extreme Psychedellic Noise Trip“, und damit ist diese über zweiundfünfzigminütige Lärmorgie noch verhältnismässig harmlos umschrieben. Songstrukturen sucht man vergebens und wer versucht, sich diesem Album mit einem „normalen“ Verständnis von Musik anzunähern, ist von vorneherein zum Scheitern verurteilt und wird sich in dieser Orgie aus purem Krach hoffnungslos verlieren. Wer allerdings auf einen absolut gnadenlosen und vollkommen kompromisslosen Mix aus brutalen Gitarren, infernalischem Geschrei und puren Soundwällen steht, der wird „Experience Of Correctness“ zweifelsohne lieben. Da dieses Album mit „normalen“ Masstäben nicht mess- und bewertbar ist, enthalte ich mich hier einer Bewertung.

From Rock-A-Rolla: (by Scott McKeating)

  Japanese Hiroshi Hasegawa is the link between [C.C.C.C. 'Chaos Is The Cosmos and South Saturn Delta 'Experience The Concreteness'], a man whose musical direction looks more like the output of an industrial shredder than a discography. As the founder of both established noise legends C.C.C.C. and his new South Saturn Delta trio, the pair of albums highlight why 2008 is already looking like his year.

  South Saturn Delta is a very different proposition [from C.C.C.C.], predating the current crop of synth module recidivists with a set of live shots between 2003 and 2005. Yet it's more than just the analogues that make this more psychedelic than noise influenced. The lack of projected aggression, and the placing of the centre of attention on pushing further instead of harder, makes this a gloriously leftfield collection. Roaring like a hirsute dinobot, 'Decadence Cultivation' is a glittering monochrome piece of E-Rush firework synthesiser, a stretch of tones that feel like solids. Elsewhere there are channels of face-to-moving-tarmac scrape, seas of extremity with all reverb hoarse shouts and brain melt anyone could want. Despite its title, this album is too energetic to stick with the limited potential of concrete's single dimension.

From Musik Terrorverlag: (by Im Blutfeuer)

  Nach „Chaos is the Cosmos” von C.C.C.C. erscheint mit „Experience the Concreteness“ eine weitere Scheibe des sogenannten Japanoise auf Cold Spring Records. Japanoise ist in unseren Breitengraden nicht gerade ein Kassenfüller, umso mehr zeigt sich damit das britische Label als „Kult Produktionsstätte“, die auch ungewohnte Wege geht. SOUTH SATURN DELTA ist eine Art Japanoise-Superband. Mit Maso Yamazaki (MASONNA, Gitarre und Stimme), Hiroshi Hasegawa (ASTRO, C.C.C.C., YBO2, Synthesizer und Stimme) und Nobuko Emi (TSURUBAMI, Drums) schlagen gleich drei hochkarätige Krachmacher bei diesem Trio auf.

  „Experience the Concreteness“ ist das Debütalbum des seit 2003 aktiven Projektes. Zu hören gibt es keine Songs, sondern vier Livemitschnitte aus den Jahren 2003 bis 2005 in Osaka und Tokio. Obwohl SOUTH SATURN DELTA wie eine richtige Band aufgestellt ist, bekommt das der Hörer doch nur wenig mit. Zu verzerrt und entfremdet sind alle Instrumente. Das klingt, als ob alles durch den musikalischen Schredder gezogen wurde. Auch die Stimmen haben wenig mit Gesang zu tun. Vielmehr sind es schmerzverzerrte Schreie. Aber trotzdem wirkt alles recht abwechslungsreich und interessant. Track vier überrascht sogar gelegentlich mit hörbaren Gitarrenklängen und Drums. An einigen Stellen kann man auch das Publikum vernehmen. Respekt an dieser Stelle an diejenigen, die sich freiwillig so ein Ohrengewitter antun. So sind sie halt die Japaner.

  Das Album ist ein psychedelischer Noise-Trip dosiert in vier überlange Tracks. Für Fans des Japanoise sicherlich eine Perle in der Plattensammlung. Für alle anderen bleibt es Krach.

From Darkroom: (by Piercarlo Tiranti)

  Debutto su Cold Spring per questo trio giapponese formatosi nel 2003, che racchiude quattro tracce live realizzate in un arco di tempo compreso tra il 2003 e il 2005 e registrate tra Osaka e Tokyo. Il gruppo è composto da Maso Yamazaki, alle prese con chitarre e voce, da Hiroshi Hasegawa (synth e voce) e Nobuko Emi alla batteria. Trattasi di puro e violento noise che si inserisce in quel filone power electronics che ha la sua punta di diamante negli incontrastati e incontrastabili Slogun. Nel caso dei South Saturn Delta, niente di nuovo sotto i riflettori, anche perché il Giappone sforna da anni una copiosa messe di produzioni di rumorismo ai limiti dell'ascoltabile, che molto spesso risultano fini a sé stesse e prive di reale spessore. Quanto proposto dai SSD si caratterizza per un uso intelligente dei synth e della voce che risulta abbastanza differente rispetto agli standard del genere (molto bella la lunga traccia "Decadence Cultivation"), e il menu proposto, nonostante le sole quattro tracce, copre oltre cinquanta minuti di caos sonoro. Nonostante la performance live sia stata rimasterizzata, a mio parere i suoni sono ancora troppo compressi e crudi. Il lettore potrebbe obbiettare che tanto, rumore per rumore, che cosa potrebbe cambiare? Direi molto, soprattutto se si prendono come metro di paragone i lavori dei già citati Slogun, che in fase di produzione calibrano sempre con grande attenzione i suoni per ottimizzare la resa sonora finale. La scelta di assemblare tracce live, se da un lato esprime la capacità del gruppo di creare muri sonori in diretta, dall'altro rischia di non essere apprezzata del tutto, nemmeno dopo un attento ascolto in cuffia, che evidenzia la confusione degli strati noise, la scarsa distinguibilità degli stessi e una certa mancanza di pulizia sonora. Il lavoro rimane comunque sopra la media grazie alla dose non indifferente di potenza allo stato puro, creata con una formazione 'live' di stampo quasi rock. A questo punto aspetto nuovo materiale per poter dare un giudizio più completo sul gruppo. Solo per super-affezionati del rumorismo più duro.

From Terrorizer: (by Alex Boniwell)

  With Maso Yamazaki (Masonna) on vocal and guitar duties there is very little chance that this shiny disc of Japanese Noise is going to be sub-standard. And it's not, as these four tracks of glorious psychedelic noise confirm. All four tracks were recorded live between 2003 and 2005 in Osaka and Tokyo and capture one of the masters of organic noise in fine fettle. He is joined by Hiroshi Hasegawa (Astro, C.C.C.C.) on synth and additional voice and Nobuko Emi (Tsurubami) on drums. South Saturn Delta may not be as mental as Masonna but it's still pretty out there. The throbbing loops and hypnotic feedback all congeal into a spacelike mass. It's not unlike the music used to represent the living Matmos in 'Barbarella'. A strange outer limits burble with a sinister edge that is at once beckoning and frightening in equal measure. Something that will give you power but also a fear of unpredictability and danger. A fear that you crave.

From Ritual: (by Roberto Michieletto)

  I South Saturn Delta, una sorta di all star band del noise nipponico, con membri di Masonna, C.C.C.C. e Tsurubami, propongono quattro brani che lasciano indifferenti di fronte a tale violenza. Non perché certi suoni non spaventino più nessuno, ma per il semplice motivo che, del tanto sbandierato trip psichedelico-ru-moroso, non vi è traccia, solo un gran "fracasso" registrato live tra il 2003 e il 2005 a Osaka e Tokyo. Un esercizo di stile (dal taglio grosso) del tutto inutile.

From Heathen Harvest: (by S:M:J63)

  South Saturn Delta are a Japanoise supergroup of sorts, composed of Maso Yamazaki of Masonna on synth & voice and Hiroshi Hasegawa of Astro and C.C.C.C. on keys & voice, and augmented by Nobuko Emi on drum-thumping duties; this four track release on Britain’s Cold Spring label constitutes their debut album. Each piece was recorded in a live setting in a venue in either Tokyo or Osaka between the years 2003 (the year of their formation) and 2006. Not the best live recording ever made, but does it really matter when it comes to a total all-out thrashing instrument-abusing and amplifier-melting Japanoise band?

  The short answer is quite likely to be no. SSD set everything up, turn everything on and then proceed to pull you apart with some joyous ear-shredding and skin-blistering sonic abuse. This is the slaughtering machine primed and pumped, ready to flense you and render you into tiny little microscopic pieces of blood-soaked flesh. Or another way to look at it: SSD are a blast furnace hotter than the sun, ready to melt your flesh and bones into liquid which finally evaporates into nothing; more to the point they’ll enjoy doing it, grins splitting their faces practically in half. Instruments are pushed towards their own melting points complaining loudly as they’re getting there, an industrial and electrical massacre occurring right before your eyes and ears. This is the sound of rushing headlong towards the bottomless chasm; it also sounds like choking smoke and smog, hideous miasmas and factory smoke-stacks. It’s also the hymn of the abattoir and breaker’s yard, where both animal livestock and the behemoths of giant industry meet their nemeses.

  Okay, so I have been a bit over-the-top in my metaphors and descriptors, but there is a point I am trying to make here; noise isn’t just noise, especially not when in the hands of craftsmen. Noise can be extremely complex and a thing of both beauty and joy; the interplay of harmonics, the accidents of unintended sonic collisions, the consonances and dissonances can all play their parts in creating the bludgeoning end result. One could argue that in this sort of live recording much of those subtleties are lost in the general mayhem and crunch, but my answer would be so what? The power still comes through, albeit a shade less than in real life, but the presence of much promise is also contained within. All I will say is that the lair of the beast has been revealed and opened...

From Blow Up: (by Paolo Bertoni)

  Che Hiroshi Hasegawa nel frattempo non si sia redento lo dimostra il debutto di South Saturn Delta, in cui sono raccolte quattro registrazioni live tra il 2003 ed il 2005. Il moniker è condiviso con Maso Yamazaki, universalmente noto come Masonna, e Nabuko Emi, attiva anche in Tsurubami al fianco di Kawabata Makoto, anche se la batterista compare solo nell’ultimo episodio, Rocket Incantation, pregevole divagazione free noise. “Experience The Concreteness”, come da pronostico, non eguaglia “Chaos Is The Cosmos” ma si apprezza per l’arguta lettura quasi psichedelica del rumore in Decadence Incantation, venti minuti oscillanti tra onirismo ed efferatezza, e per la fiera crudeltà di Banishment Snake, l’episodio più fragoroso.

From Mentenebre: (by Fernando O Paino)

  "Experience The Concreteness", podría definirse como un álbum frenético, exacerbado, desesperante, agónico y demoledor. Condensa en sí mismo la potencialidad más destructiva del género noise en cuatro ataques cargados de violencia e intimidación acústica.

  Estas agresiones sonoras fueron realizadas en directo para un selecto público muy acostumbrado a los efectos secundarios de las radiaciones más letales en las ciudades de Tokio y Osaka durante los años 2003-2005.

  Con South Saturn Delta la anomalía en el sonido se convierte en arte tintado de exceso y depravación descontrolada cuando los elementos que conforman el artefacto de ataque empiezan a saturarse y azotarse mutuamente hasta colapsar en éxtasis.

  Voces desgarradas, alaridos atronadores y sintetizadores en plena y continua oscilación se dan gala en su primera pista, ‘Captain Beefstake Plant’, tan directa como intimidadora, deja verdaderamente atónito al que se atreve a analizarla, es furia japonesa al cien por cien grabada durante una actuación en la sala 20000volt de Tokio en el mes de junio de 2004.

  Adentrándonos más aún en el destructivo contenido de este trabajo, se pueden encontrar joyitas como ‘Banishment Snake’, se trata de otra descarga de adrenalina indicada a las almas más salvajes, en la que se combinan sintetizadores en absoluto descontrol, generando de esta manera un caos sin precedentes.

  El último tema, ‘Rocket Incantation’ nos ofrece una verdadera amalgama de sonidos, introduciéndose en él complementos tan versátiles como la batería, golpeada por las manos de Nobuko Emi, que ya había militado anteriormente en proyectos como Tsurubami.

  De hecho, la totalidad de los componentes que conforman South Saturn Delta ya tienen un currículum muy interesante dentro de la música; por un lado Maso Yamazaki pertenecía a Masonna, el último miembro, Hiroanshi Hasegawa es también un perro viejo reseñado por formar parte de Astro o C.C.C.C, que, por cierto, han estrenado trabajo hace muy poco tiempo tras estar nada menos que diez años inactivos. South Saturn Delta se creó durante el año 2003 con un único objetivo: generar frenesí psicodélico.

  Este álbum fue masterizado durante los meses de diciembre de 2006 y febrero de 2007. Resulta ampliamente recomendable para los amantes del industrial extremo como Anenzephalia, Genocide Organ o Merzbow, sorprende enormemente por su agresividad y su fiel publico, que enloquece de forma absoluta al final de cada tema.

  South Saturn Delta es otro ejemplo perfecto de cólera noise extrema; si lo tuyo son los grupos tranquilos y románticos, este es el momento perfecto para cambiar de reseña.

From Dagheisha: (by Roberto Michieletto)

  Ti piace perdere facile? Il celebre spot (ribaltato al contrario) ci torna utile per descrivere la disfatta a cui vanno incontro i South Saturn Delta, sorta di all star band del noise nipponico composta da Maso Yamazaki (Masonna) alla chitarra e voce, Hiroshi Hasegawa (Astro, C.C.C.C. e YBO2) ai synth e alla voce e Nobuko Emi (Tsurubami) alla batteria nel pezzo conclusivo, nonché l’unico leggermente sensato. Quattro brani, che danno forma al lavoro di debutto attraverso il quale si dovrebbe sperimentare la concretezza (dal titolo ‘Experience The Concreteness’), ma che in realtà non fanno altro che lasciarti indifferente di fronte a tale violenza. Il che non accade per assuefazione o perché ormai certi suoni non spaventano più nessuno, ma per il semplice motivo che del tanto sbandierato trip psichedelico rumoroso qui non vi è traccia, solo un gran “fracasso musicale” registrato dal vivo in un periodo compreso tra il 2003 e il 2005 a Osaka e Tokyo. Un esercizio di stile (dal taglio grosso) del tutto inutile.

From Judas Kiss: (by Lee Powell)

  Aside from having one of the most impressive names I've heard for a long time, South Saturn Delta are by all accounts some sort of Japnoise super group, featuring members of Masonna and C.C.C.C. The very thought of such merchants of extreme sonic fun will be enough to make many jump with joy at the impending noise they'd expect from a group consisting of some of the genre's bigger names. And of course, 'Experience the Concreteness' delivers the goods in four noise-infested live tracks spanning the 51-minute length of the album.

  This debut release by SSD marks Cold Spring's second current venture into the gritty world of extreme Japanese noise, with the album 'Experience the Concreteness' being the sister album to the extreme sonic workout of C.C.C.C.'s Chaos Is The Cosmos', which Cold Spring released at the same time.

  Featuring four live tracks recorded between 2003-2005, 'Experience the Concreteness' is a harsh sonic workout pumped up to extreme proportions by a schizophrenic amalgamation of screamed and tortured vocals, walls of disjointed noise, electronic screeches and rumbles of distortion, melting furiously into one another to create a thick gloppy quagmire-like mess of dark, claustrophobic noise. Not nice. Unless you're into that sort of thing and the chances are, if you're reading this review, you are. So, in this case, not nice is just how it should be. Noise for noise's sake. At a deafening level. Unrelentingly extreme and constantly powerful. The thing that makes this album stand out somewhat, apart from the fantastic name of the band, oh how I love that name, and the impressive artwork that accompanies the disc (good work, Cold Spring) is the odd psychedelic form that the explosions of noise sometimes take. This is especially prevalent on the album's muscular ten-minute closing track 'Rocket Incantation', which features the addition of drums being hurled into the mix, which seems to work extremely well and adds an unusual dimension to what you're expecting.

   As you'd expect from a label with such a high pedigree as Cold Spring, they know what they are doing. So when they put out an album (or two in this case) of Japnoise it's going to be extreme, challenging and difficult, which is exactly the boxes this CD ticks. Of course, the extremities of Japnoise are only for a select few, as you certainly have to be made of stern stuff to make it through to the end of this release, especially with the volume, as it should be, turned way up. But if you're that sort of person and the thought of relentless, pounding noise and distortion with a freaky psychedelic flair gives you a tingle down below, then you should certainly get your hands on this extreme little gem.

From Heathen Harvest: (by S:M:J63)

  South Saturn Delta are a Japanoise supergroup of sorts, composed of Maso Yamazaki of Masonna on synth & voice and Hiroshi Hasegawa of Astro and C.C.C.C. on keys & voice, and augmented by Nobuko Emi on drum-thumping duties; this four track release on Britain’s Cold Spring label constitutes their debut album. Each piece was recorded in a live setting in a venue in either Tokyo or Osaka between the years 2003 (the year of their formation) and 2006. Not the best live recording ever made, but does it really matter when it comes to a total all-out thrashing instrument-abusing and amplifier-melting Japanoise band?

  The short answer is quite likely to be no. SSD set everything up, turn everything on and then proceed to pull you apart with some joyous ear-shredding and skin-blistering sonic abuse. This is the slaughtering machine primed and pumped, ready to flense you and render you into tiny little microscopic pieces of blood-soaked flesh. Or another way to look at it: SSD are a blast furnace hotter than the sun, ready to melt your flesh and bones into liquid which finally evaporates into nothing; more to the point they’ll enjoy doing it, grins splitting their faces practically in half. Instruments are pushed towards their own melting points complaining loudly as they’re getting there, an industrial and electrical massacre occurring right before your eyes and ears. This is the sound of rushing headlong towards the bottomless chasm; it also sounds like choking smoke and smog, hideous miasmas and factory smoke-stacks. It’s also the hymn of the abattoir and breaker’s yard, where both animal livestock and the behemoths of giant industry meet their nemeses.

  Okay, so I have been a bit over-the-top in my metaphors and descriptors, but there is a point I am trying to make here; noise isn’t just noise, especially not when in the hands of craftsmen. Noise can be extremely complex and a thing of both beauty and joy; the interplay of harmonics, the accidents of unintended sonic collisions, the consonances and dissonances can all play their parts in creating the bludgeoning end result. One could argue that in this sort of live recording much of those subtleties are lost in the general mayhem and crunch, but my answer would be so what? The power still comes through, albeit a shade less than in real life, but the presence of much promise is also contained within. All I will say is that the lair of the beast has been revealed and opened....

From Brainwashed: (by Simon Marshall-Jones)

  TThis japanoise supergroup was formed in 2003, pooling the talents of Hiroshi Hasegawa (Astro & C.C.C.C.) on voice and synth, Maso Yamazaki of Masonna on guitar and voice, and Nobuko Emi on drums. This is their debut album and features four live recordings taped in various venues in Osaka and Tokyo between 2003 and 2006.

   I am not a fan of live albums as a rule, as they are invariably crude documents completely divorced from all the elements that make gigs and events successful and rarely do they do the artists any justice; moreover they always leave me a tad disappointed. Noise albums, however, present something of a dichotomy, as by definition they are collisions of unstructured chaos and the element of the accidental plays an enormous part. So one could quite legitimately posit the idea that the vagaries and limitations of the recording process in a live situation become part of the performance as well, adding a further layer to the end result.

  SSD assail from the get go. The usual tropes of the genre are there: unrelenting guitar distortion and feedback; electronic screechings, blips, growls and drones; along with shouts and screams batter the listener in an ear-bleeding aural assault. It is a one-sided sonic battle intended no doubt to crush the senses into submission, drilling into the skull and vacuum-cleaning the brains out through the resultant aperture, machine-like in its inhuman intensity and industrial brutality; no amount of pleading and begging will stay their course. The machines will go on until every last one of us is extinct and quite likely they will then turn on themselves and each other because there will be nothing else left for them. It is complete mayhem just for the joy of indulging in wanton mayhem and it seems that just like the ethos of fellow noise artists C.C.C.C. there is no attempt here at intellectualism, just an aggressive form of play, slaughtering with a smile on the face. Even so, there is a distinctly different approach to the aforementioned outfit, instead of a slow unfolding evolution (as displayed on C.C.C.C.'s latest, Chaos is the Cosmos) there is a fast-breeder reactor style of progression: everything being a chain-reaction from one moment to the next; one idea suggesting something else which turn suggests yet another idea in a mushroom cloud of unbridled creativity.

  My only complaint is that while I can sense a small glimpse of the sheer exuberance and rawness of an SSD live performance from these recordings, the essential element of being there and experiencing it first-hand is missing, thereby slightly emasculating the power. There's no denying though that it didn't detract a great deal from any appreciation of what was on offer here and that the 'live' recording aspect DID add another crunchy dimension to it. As an introduction to the work of this band it more than suffices and it is obvious from these performances that each musician works well with and plays off each other brilliantly to produce a homogenized and whole aesthetic. However, I would still like to hear a 'studio'-based album to get a fuller flavor of the wall of noise assault that SSD promises on this debut album.This is not saying that this is a bad record, far from it, every second of it is enjoyable and only whets my appetite to go and see them should they ever make it to the shores of of the UK.

  I hope that another album is in the works or at least being thought about, but there is no doubt that we will be hearing a lot more from them in the future and for my part that would be very welcome.

From Gothtronic: (by Marius Meyer)

  In one rough tug you have been pulled down into this cacophonous kaleidoscope of colliding stars by this Japanese super noise trio South Saturn Delta by Maso yamazaki ( Massona) on guitar and voice, Hiroshi Hasegawa (Astro, C.C.C.C.) responsible for the synths and Noboko Emi (Tsurusubami) on drums.

  Experience the Concreteness is an extreme psychedelic noise trip of harsh hypnotizing noise in which structure lays hidden beneath a thick blanket of pulsing loops, screaming and feed backing guitar, pure thrashing and raging noise from which you cannot escape. It is sweeping you wildly around like a harmless prey, kicking and abusing. But always there is structure.

  In “Decadence of Cultivation” it is like being in a battle zone with machinegun fire and bullets ricochet around. Sounds of breaking glass and shattering buildings. Shrapnel is flying around your ears. There is a sense of panic and disorder in this pandemonium. You are in a cauldron of intensive gunfight. In “Banishment snake” it becomes even worse when you will be surrounded by a whoosh of accelerating effects in maximum overdrive. Multi dimensional whitenoise of most fascinating kind. Absolutely one of the most extreme recordings but with such excellent sound one rarely hears.

  Relentless and merciless, it grasps you tightly at the throat till you hear the blood pumping through your ears to realize it is South Saturn Delta punishing your senses. In “Rocket Incantation” you will hear for the first time that you are partly dealing with a rock band set up of drums and guitar, you can compare this track to recent Skullflower.

  Awesomely you listen to this power noise record, in trance, unable to turn it off. At the end you open your eyes, you open your mouth… drooling and say…Whhaahh!

  There are four tracks on this fabulous debut album, all recorded live between 2003- 2005 in Osaka and Tokyo. Experience the concreteness is definitely not for the weak of hearth for this is a pure and intensive power noise adventure in which you need some callosity on the eardrums. For those who dare; you will not be disappointed.

From Alternativmusik: (by Marius Meyer)

  Das Label beschreibt South Saturn Delta als seine Art Supergruppe im Bereich des Japanoise. 2003 gegründet besteht die Gruppe aus Maso Yamazaki (Masonna) an Gitarre und Stimme, Hiroshi Hasegawa (Astro, C.C.C.C., YBO2) an Synthesizer und Stimme sowie Nobuko Emi (Tsurubami) an den Drums. Die insgesamt vier Stücke dieser Veröffentlichung sind Live-Aufnahmen aus den Jahren 2003 bis 2005, bei denen sich zeigt, dass man zwar theoretisch die Instrumente und Rollenverteilung nennen kann (wie an dieser Stelle geschehen), praktisch aber alle Instrumente und Stimmen so dermaßen verfremdet sind, dass die Grenzen extrem häufig verschwimmen.

  Es ist eigentlich kein großer Unterschied darin zu sehen, ob man die Stücke als isoliert nebeneinander stehend oder als geschlossene Einheit sehen will. Zwar ist es bei Weitem nicht so, dass alles gleich klingt, aber es handelt sich hier eben um puristischen japanischen Noise, der mit Songstruktur ungefähr soviel zu tun hat wie Heino mit Heavy Metal. Vor allem die ersten drei Stücke wirken dabei wie aus einem Guss: Alles, was an Stimme und Instrument da ist, wird – salopp gesagt – geschreddert, rückgekoppelt, verdreht, modifiziert und was so alles denkbar ist. Die Krachschichten sind dabei in einem stetigen Fluss, der Gesang – oder besser: das, was davon übrig blieb – wirkt oft aggressiv und ist selten wirklich als solcher zu erkennen.

  Das vierte Stück Rocket Incantation weicht nun nicht gerade ab, sondern passt sich vielmehr optimal in den Krachcosmos ein, aber man erkennt hier zweierlei: Dass tatsächlich bei diesen Darbietungen ein höchstbegeistertes Publikum anwesend war ist das eine. Das andere: Die Gruppe holt hier ohrenscheinlich zum großen Finale aus. Dies ist erkenntlich, so ist die Gitarre immer wieder klar hörbar und auch das Schlagzeug spielt in einer Art und Weise, wie bei Rockmusik das große Finale eingeläutet würde. Natürlich mit der Eigenheit, dass dies hier in Art und Weise, Struktur und Klang so stark verfremdet wurde, dass nach wie vor nur die Bezeichnung „Noise“ sinnvoll ist.

  Es ist ein typisches Stück Japanoise und im Grunde ist es Cold Spring hoch anzurechnen, immer und immer wieder Veröffentlichungen dieser Art auf den Markt zu werfen, ist doch die Zielgruppe für derlei Musik in unseren Gefilden sehr klein und die Menge derer, die sich einen solchen Tonträger von vorne bis hinten anhören, noch viel geringer. Dennoch: Qualität steckt in dieser Veröffentlichung drin. Und auch Spielfreude – wenn man das in diesem Kontext so nennen kann – ist eindeutig aus dem Schaffen des Allstar-Trios herauszuhören. Wer Spaß an dieser Musik hat, wird auch den Spaß der Beteiligten merken. Und auf diese Weise könnte der Spaß auch auf den an dieser Musik interessierten Rezipienten gut übergreifen.

From Judas Kiss: (by Simon Collins)

  After Cold Spring’s recent forays into folk, with the new Von Thronstahl album and the John Barleycorn Reborn compilation, the label is reasserting its rank within the industrial scene with a brace of Japanese noise releases, South Saturn Delta’s Experience The Concreteness and Chaos Is The Cosmos (also reviewed by me for Judas Kiss) the first C.C.C.C. album since 1996’s acclaimed Flash. South Saturn Delta is a Japanoise supergroup, consisting of Masonna’s Maso Yamazaki on guitar and vocals and Hiroshi Hasegawa of Astro, C.C.C.C. and YBO2 on synth and vocals. Nobuko Emi of Tsurubami plays drums on one track. And despite ‘Experience the concreteness’ sounding like something a Californian mediation guru would tell his acolytes in a soothing voice as they trance out, you’ll be experiencing this concreteness like a fucking paving slab in the face, believe me.

  The four tracks on Experience The Concreteness are all live recordings made between 2003 and 2005, in Osaka and Tokyo. ‘Captain Beefcake Plant’ opens with a monstrously discordant fuzz guitar riff and then piles on frenzied shouts, screams and surging electronics until there’s no room for any more. But at a mere six minutes, this is merely an hors d’oeuvre for what is to follow. ‘Decadence Cultivation’ is much longer – over 20 minutes – and more measured. A loose clanging, knocking rhythm acts as a foundation for whooping siren-like tones and reverberating guitar, which lends a certain psychedelic flavour to the proceedings, a little like Acid Mothers Temple or Lt. Caramel, although in noise music terms, the closest comparison in overall sound would be to Dissecting Table. ‘Banishment Snake’ is the noisiest noise of all, a 15-minute snowplough of rending feedback, static and destruction. ‘Rocket Incantation’ features live drumming from Nobuko Emi, with plenty of crash cymbal work punctuating the sonic maelstrom, the track eventually fading out to a post-orgasmic hum of warm circuitry and a thin whine of feedback.

  Although both this album and the new C.C.C.C. album are important additions to the Japanoise canon, I think the C.C.C.C. album has the edge in terms of originality, though that’s not to say that noise fans won’t lap this up as well, gluttons for punishment that they are.

From Chain D.L.K.: (by Maurizio Pustianaz)

  Formed by Maso Yamazaki - guitar (Masonna), Hiroshi Hasegawa - synth and voice (Astro and C.C.C.C.) and Nobuko Emi - drums, South Saturn Delta is a sort of japanoise supergroup. EXPERIENCE THE CONCRETENESS is their first album which contains four live recordings which span from the 2003÷2005 period. Recorded at four different locations in Japan, the four tracks, to tell the truth, go beyond the concept of pure noise because the use of dilated sounds (see the treated guitar or the synth which sounds like a theremin) form an hypnotizing magma which is distorted to its limit. I have to admit that I'm not a noise lover and some moments are hard to enjoy but I appreciated the psychedelic attitude of the compositions and I found the use of guitar and drums a sort of link with the krautrock genre.

From Feindesland:

  Im Metalsegment bilden Allstarprojekte seit Jahren einen festen Bestandteil der Szene. In den elektronischen Breitgraden existieren diese Zusammenschlüsse ehr nicht, dafür erscheinen in Massen Splits in unterschiedlichsten Formaten (vornehmlich 7inch). Mit South Saturn Delta erwartet Sie ein japanisches Allstarprojekt im Genre Noise, welches im Jahre 2003 von Maso Yamazaki (Masonna), Hiroshi Hasegawa (C.C.C.C. , Astro) und Nobuko Emi (Tsurubami) gegründet wurde.

  Welches inhaltliche Konzept das Projekt, wie auch "Experience The Concreteness" verfolgt, bleibt mir armen Rezensenten komplett verborgen. Vielleicht einfach nur die Lust am Krach machen oder das Abreagieren von anderen musikalischen Aktivitäten? Falls Sie eine Idee haben, melden Sie sich umgehend per Mail, damit mir die Dunkelheit in diesem Fall entschwindet.

  Konzertmitschnitte auf Tonträger zu bannen, nimmt in dieser Szene so langsam überhand, aber es passt natürlich hervorragend zum chaotischen Image. Deshalb publizieren die Herrschaften auf ihrem Debütwerk "Experience The Concreteness" vier Liveaufnahmen, die im Zeitraum von Oktober 2003 bis Mai 2005 in Tokio und Osaka in verschiedenen Clubs entstanden (Warum auch Studioproduktionen, wenn Liveauftritte. Die Fetischisten von reinen elektronischen Collagen kommen auf diesem Tonträger nicht auf ihre Kosten, hingegen Liebhaberinnen bzw. Liebhaber von Klangwelten, die mit herkömmlichen Instrumenten (Gitarre, Bass, Schlagzeug) Erstellung fanden und schlussendlich durch den Mischer gejagt wurden, erleben mit dieser CD ein Highlight. Purer intensiver Krach, der ausschließlich im Vorwärtsgang daherströmt, dürfte die passende Beschreibung des Sounds von South Saturn Delta sein. Die Gesangs- bzw. Kreischlinien von Maso Yamazaki und Hiroshi Hasegawa gehen leider in dem Lärm unter und bleiben somit nicht bewusst im Ohr der Rezipientin bzw. des Rezipienten hängen.

  Sehr amüsant erscheint die Tatsache, dass wir das anwesende Publikum wahrnehmen können. Hut ab vor den Besuchern, die sich diesen extremen Noise geben konnten!

  Die abschließenden produktionstechnischen Arbeiten nahm Kelly Churko in Zusammenarbeit mit Hiroshi Hasegawa vor und verleihen dem Ganzen einen wunderbaren Feinschliff.

  Diese Kunst bzw. Irrsinn kann nur bei einer Tonträgermanufaktur in Europa erscheinen - Cold Spring Records. Sie bieten ihrer Kundschaft ein breites Spektrum an verrückten bzw. abgedrehten Releases an und gelten mit Recht deshalb als Kultlabel.