‘Cor Cordium’, OvO’s last album was one of the most far-out, fucked-up, schizoid releases you’re ever likely to hear. This is fairly typical of the Italian duo, who’ve spent the entirety of their decade-long career to date defying categorisation and expectations.
‘Harmonia Mocrocosmia’ starts the album with a gentle ringing… but then the tranquillity is torn apart by a psychotic scream… and then the drums start… and then the head-shredding bass and feedback and bleeps and what the f*ck is going on? What IS this? ‘Can you feel it?’ Stephania Pederetti growls from the maelstrom of doomy racket. She sings like she’s possessed and being strangled by her demons, a deep guttural sound that’s hard to credit as coming from an woman, or man for that matter. It’s beyond scary: we’re talking heartstopping, shit your pants terror inducing here.
The percussion explodes on the frenetic ‘Tokoloshi’, and ‘I Cannibali’ combines punk with heavy drone. Elsewhere, ‘A Dream Within a Dream’ is sparse and every bit as surreal as the title suggests. How two people with such a minimal set-up (Bruno Dorella uses only half a drum kit but makes more noise than a whole percussion ensemble) can make so much sound, and vary their sound and style so greatly is almost incomprehensible – although the incorporation of drum machines, samples and synths into the mix has unquestionably added more depth and range to the sound.
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Needless to say, the use these elements to add shiveringly fearsome effect, and the sludgy guitar mania is still the driving force. The grunge-metal noise-fest of ‘Tokoloshi’ is reminiscent of Fudge Tunnel – on acid – the snarling mania of ‘Aenesis’, with its clanking industrial percussion and barked vocals is nothing short of terrifying, while ‘Harmonia Macrocosmia’ whips up a violent vortex of monstrous proportions
The tile track is beautifully deranged, and the last track, ‘Demon’ isn’t only appropriately titled but sees OvO joined by a full backing band in the form of Evangelista to bring even more psychic and sonic mayhem.
It’s a truly impressive release that’s truly in a league of its own. It’s also shit-yer-pants scary, not simply because of its monumental weight and bowel-shuddering frequencies, but because it’s without doubt the sonic encapsulation of hell and the underworld and every psychopathy imaginable compressed into a single LP. Terrifying.. and awesome.
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