Catharsis / Drape Excrement -- Homo Homini Lupus -- Black Plagve / Malignant Records 1999

Catharsis / Drape Excrement

Homo Homini Lupus

"Black Plagve was started to provide an outlet for a dark, harsh, violent side of Malignant Records. The intent is to spread more disease to the listening public by focusing on artists known, and often yet to be known, for their death industrial and power electronic creations."
- Butch Clough / Black Plagve
"This 2nd release on Malignant's side label Black Plagve brings together two death industrial masters for a release that explores the blackest depths of man's soul with Catharsis and Drape Ecrement's work on, "Homo Hommini Lupus". From the bludgeoning, tortured doom of French artist Catharsis to the grinding drones and sonic assault of Soldnergeist sideproject Drape Excrement, these are the captured sounds of agony and inner torment, of madness and glorious insanity. A classic union of darkness, anger, and power that's a must for death industrial aficionados and admirers of heavy electronics. Punishment never sounded so good!"
-- Black Plagve web.

Catharsis

1. Holy War
2. ...and silent sins
3. Xi Nihil
4. Homo Homini Lupus
5. Fire Wind

Drape Excrement

6. Dark Skies
7. Birds, Only Birds?
8. Lullaby For a Society
9. Sudden Death
10. Engramm
11. Anger, Remember To My Words
12. Time to Change
13. Totenrichter

    Homo Homini Lupus is one of the more dark and moody industrial death-noise releases I have heard to date. Cartharsis and Drape Excrement split this CD with tracks 1-5 and 6-13 respectively. The music of Cartharsis is very unsettling. Their sounds range from long single drone with bassy rumble highlighted with slow yet steady noise beats to more chaotic scratchy layers with mildly discernable rhythms and eerie backgrounds. Catharsis is obviously a master of sound manipulation.
    Drape Excrement's work on this release is in a different direction bringing out a slightly less aggressive yet still caustic sound than Catharsis. There seems to be a bit more effects on vocals [echo's/reverb/sampling?], swirling and pulsing effects on sounds with static interference which create a sense of being in distant deep space or some sort of chemical spill area, and wanting to get out of it -- nightmarish!
    This release is nothing less than excellent for those of you who tend to enjoy the darker, less structured, experimental electronic music. There is never a dull moment on this release, and it captured my attention quite easily. However one could still put this release on as background music. I think it would also go over quite well on Halloween if you are into that sort of thing -- keep the lights down low...