A collaboration from M.Todd(Transcendent Device) and L.Kerr(Steel Hook Prostheses).
Dark ambient/death industrail ala YEN POX, older LUSTMORD, ARCHON SATANI etc.
Pro full color shrink wrapped Cdr
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Bandcamp:
http://novisiblescars.bandcamp.com/
(Includes immediate download of 8-track album)
Direct orders also at: novisiblescars(AT)gmail(DOT)com
***TRADE REQUESTS CONSIDERED***
"8 tracks of purely malevolent and murky darkness - minimal and claustrophobic tonal drifts emanating from the shadows of the crypt, akin to Archon Satani, early Lustmord, and Yen Pox. What's not to like?"
Malignant Records On-line catalog.
"One of my favorite truly underground labels, No Visible Scars, strikes again, this time with a short (35 minute) CDrof dark ambient and death industrial from M. Todd (Transcendent Device) and L. Kerr (Steel Hook Prostheses). Falling more toward the dark ambient end of the spectrum, these recordings reflect bleak feelings of hopelessness and will leave you feeling unfathomably lost. There's honestly not a whole lot of difference from one track to the next, in some or most cases, but that's part of the beauty of the album - it works mostly as an organic whole. The subtle variations communicate deeper details, so this album should be played when you cangive it your full attention. Loud, and alone"
"I recently summed up the current listening habits, so that in combination the likes and the developments of the last two or three years - and I was as straight Inade s Incarntation of the Solar Architects , ran clear what immense importance and weighting of the sound field of dark ambient for I now occupy. It is just in the genre out to be incredibly difficult to explain this fascination with an outsider - since one hand is the (in) music, which deeply touched the other hand basically completely abstract, in many casesalmost does not exist But it just draws its strength, a perfect visual example controls the quality label NoVisible Scars on this topic at, and it is this one also carries eponymous henceforth: Beyond the Threshold .Because, you practice in the paradigm shift, we see that purely factual in the recorded music is very little audible material: in the best Lustmord / LDRTFS -style is Beyond the Threshold in its entirety from subliminal, slow and cryptic roar, here from the and there small islands in sound shapeprotrude a built in voice and sound samples, where they've come in sizes called a lot more superficial than is the case here. So to all aspects and really very fine, heard only by concentrating on touching details, it therefore requires the best possible sensory reduction solely on hearing. Then unfolds the true depth of this work.Because that is exactly what this music alive - from a focus on the few and the sound negative space, or by what means we only perceive incredibly quiet or whatever might be not there. Each directs sound to be heard inside the ear into the deep fades slowly and leaves finally alone with the secondary imagination. Because even at room volume has everything that the two gentlemen Todd M. ( Transcendent Device ) and L. Kerr ( Steel Hook Prostheses ) create here, in his gloomy darkness constant distance, the sound itself is not really simple to approach possible - as is it is always a little fascinated by the incomprehensible and tries to understand what is actually there in the distance, which attracts as always. Such as covert listening at a wall where you can never be quite sure what is really happening on the other side, you fixed but always pushes them to delve more and more. This kind of music means pure contemplation, it takes place when a fresh layer of perception in himself and his preoccupation with his own sound reception, by their content as an ideological void, but in contrast, constantly produced basic emotional-associative stimulation by these same negative space for me an anxiety-like feeling with simultaneous fascination with that event. If, in Beyond the Threshold fade away quietly people screaming into the void, then irritates the rubbing of the imagination, if the tonal darkness gentle birdsong breaks the expectation, then generates the inspiration, the ideas carries far, far away, when the hearing in bizarre Field recordings can not decide whether to hear the flow of water or the slow breaking up of a human body, it holds only curious pause and dips further - then that's perfect for me, atmospheric work. Beyond the Threshold actually moved into the beyond, beyond the threshold - namely, into nothingness and infinity of its own imagination, in the universe behind the forehead of each individual. The fact that once the depression a person has been processed, is not so very important, but contributes to the fascination. Here, the protagonists need surprisingly few resources to develop to enormous effect, but to make the course, again represents a hopeless undertaking, because in fact these are only a few sounds, not more ..."
Translated from German.
"What can be said about a collaboration between two artists working within relatively abstract genres and deciding to make that collaboration abstract as well. The idea of two artists coming together from noise, from what I understand, genres and wanting to make something a bit less noisy, I can get that concept. I was a little worried about how this would end up sounding however because it does seem like this idea is one that I've been coming across quite a bit within the noise and dark ambient communities. The eight tracks that make up this album are composed of exactly what I was talking about above, dark ambient soundscapes. In my head, I guess I kind of assumed that this would be based more or less in the industrial side of things but instead each of these tracks evokes a more shapeless atmosphere that morphs and moves around throughout its length. A lot of the sounds used throughout each track lends them to be more abstract and anthropomorphic than a lot of other dark ambient artists I've heard, at times recalling bits of what makes Lustmord a king of the genre. I don't want to give the idea that this is totally devoid of industrial elements though, because there are moments on here where a "harsher" and more "gritty" edge can certainly be heard from within the ambiance. But to be fair, the whole thing does have a sense of coldness that I wouldn't have expected from either side of the sonic spectrum from where this thing is coming from. It's that sort of isolated factor that does make this record stick out among other rather bland dark ambient records. I think it's a decent record that would be a good addition to anyone in the market for some rather cold sounding ambient music. I do refrain you from listening to this record in the car or when you're in a more crowded environment as it can, and most likely will, fade into the background where you forget you even had it on. I'd say it's ambitious enough to be interesting but not as groundbreaking as I've heard it was, still worth checking out though."
Overall Score: 7.5
Highlights: 1, 5, 8
"As usual NVS serves up another gourmet platter of dark and abysmal sounds with this classic nightmarish Lustmord ambient release from the duo M.Todd (Transcendent Device) and L. Kerr (Steel Hook Prosthesis). Beyond the Threshold is a droning and rumbling beast of dismal concrete landscapes and an uneasy “quiet before the storm” sensation running throughout but the storm never comes. The first three tracks begin to unravel from an almost silent muffled hum and resonance to a gradual increase in volume as you begin to feel as if you’re wandering through the image on the cover. There’s a horror film soundtrack meets minimalism and sci-fi that builds up in track 4, you can actually hear sounds in the background that appear to be getting closer of what sounds like machines breathing. It reminds me of the scene from the Matrix with the garden of humans being grown, and from the way the electronic sounds are manipulated an image of something cyborg and diabolical is present in the near distance. Track 5 is this humming and almost melodic whirring drone collage until about halfway in sounds of birds and nature begin to slowly become audible and a subtle bass tone acts as a beat to give some thrust and rhythm to the somnial dronescapes.“6” fades in with a heavy bass tone drone that rattles the speakers like a subway train passing underneath and muffled audio clips of what sounds like a television news broadcast or radio broadcast. The way the physicality of the bass drone combines with the stifled audio, it feels like a dream or some half asleep insomniac experience. Although the 8 untitled tracks consist mainly of drone textures, it’s the way the 8 surreal atmospheres are crafted from proper manipulation and effects usage that make the entire album cohesive and trance inducing without falling into the monotonous, sterile, and boring. It’s creations like Beyond the Threshold that mix that sense of hypnotic droning and dreamlike states with so much subtle detail that you can literally drive yourself insane trying to get out of that labyrinth of sound because it’s so complex and fluid, it keeps changing dynamics and direction within itself that it’s hard to determine if it’s coming of going although it’s clearly moving. M. Todd and L. Kerr further prove that subtlety can be more enticing than the blatant and bold."
"This is a deep dark record. Super low drones that are so low that they are almost inaudible. If there was sound in space this is what it would sound like. This is could also be described as soundtrack for a cold lonely death. Without words or melody it perfectly describes all the sad, forgotten shallow graves and empty wells that offer sleep to the corpses of our unfortunate brothers and sisters. I don't have too much more to say about this one. It's great. The layout is appropriate in it's minimalism. I would have liked to see them do a little more with the presentation and a little less with the thanks list but it's fine. Look into this one."
"After one listen to this release I knew was in for an evening of flashbacks. This release is a joint effort created by M.Todd of TRANSCENDENT DEVICE and L.Kerr of STEEL HOOK PROSTHESES. Lovely names aren't they? I wonder if they're listed in the book? Anyways what we have here is purely background noise to give you the willies. More specifically these are the types of sounds that you hear when you're laying on the bottom of a lake or even the ocean floor waiting to die. I say that from personal experience (obviously I survived) because when you're lying in that murky darkness not breathing there is still activity going on inside your skull. I don't know the medical term but you can hear this ominous pulse that grows and fades. It's almost comforting. Other times the sounds on here are like the back ground sound effects to some 50's Sci Fi flick most likely when viewing an alien world. There's also voice recordings so low you can barely make out what they're saying. It's almost like listening to the neighbor's radio from the other apartment window across the way in a tenement house. Personally it's not what's being said which is important. It's just that there's a voice an actual human voice which stays away the loneliness. Beyond The Threshold is eight tracks (all untitled with only their corresponding numbers as separations to designate one from the other) all reflecting like after images from some past shadow realm. It's the Twilight Zone put to tape and should be enjoyed loudly when you're sober and alone. Personally after a while of this I need coffee. When you stare at the cover art you can't help but think maybe this was an attempt at video game music. At least it's not the sound of a carnival carousel."
RATING 3/5
