Various Artists - Torture Garden

Whenever you guys are ready, there's a review down here, away from the boobs. I'll just go ahead and wait for you to realise that.

Guys?

This is the kind of review that I haven't written since 2006 - possibly for good reason. It encompasses (according to Discogs - and most likely accurate, as the track listing dictates) at least one case of the following :

Brass & Military, Electronic, Folk, World, & Country, Industrial, Abstract, Electro, Darkwave, Rhythmic Noise, Drone, Noise, (Dark) Ambient, Military, Neofolk, and finally; Experimental.

That's where the problems usually lie with these releases - for even the most hardened of post-industrial fanatics, there's going to be a large portion of this disc that doesn't appeal. On the flip side, it's a great advertisement for Shinto records, who are truly raising the bar in the amount of variety they promote and give a vote of confidence to - acts such as Mexico's Harsh EBM outfit 'Alienoxir' through to the female fronted Darkwave/Shoegaze project that is 'Scarlet Slipping', and this unorthodox album is styled to push twenty-two more acts into the public domain.

Our first foray into the Garden comes from old-timers 'Post Abortion Stress', with their tribal contribution 'Outside the Void'. Those of you looking for an introduction to Dark Ambient could settle for much worse than this, and it features the barren illustrative that permanently brands an image on your mind's eye with no less ease than its established peers. The addition of a ticking clock, in synchronicity with the tolling 'bell' sounds marks this track as a poignant, futile reminder that we could all be off doing something much more worthwhile, but fuck it, I like this chair.

Similar applies to 'e.g.:' (I've been informed they have since changed their name, but cannot find any information on this - information would be appreciated, please). Their interesting title 'Black Grass' leans a bit more towards the IDM scale of Electronica, yet retains a chillout sense that forces you to lower your guard and enjoy the Spring-esque bliss that filters into your eardrums.

'Twisted Subterranean Death Trap' attack us with an un-nerving piece of Drone, ironically entitled 'Settle Down', swiftly followed by the truly prolific, experimental duo 'Phantoms Of The S.S.'

This compilation so far leans heavily towards the quieter, more sombre aspects of Ambience, and I'm reserved to find that with such a mis-match of artists, the order hasn't been shuffled about some more - the tracks that are coming through aren't in any way weak, which is what frustrates me - as someone who isn't as hardened a listener of this niche as I used to be, I can feel my interest starting to vex - there's no doubt that more veteran fans will happily lap this up like the finest of Caviar, however.

Succeeding the offerings of Mutcer and Schultz (Power Electronics), Vincent Andelmoth's 'iN[s]CissorS' calms things down with it's piano-led elegance. Vincent is also involved in the Greek Harsh EBM act 'Hydra Division V', for those fancying a bit of history.

The album takes a turn hear towards Neofolk and Martial Industrial, with French act 'Life's Decay' kicking us off. The seven tracks that follow are in no way poor or void of ideas, but simply need to take a backseat, as no reviewer can go into a track-by-track with something like this.

'Barbarossa Umtrunk' return with Wolfen, and as one of the figurehead Martial Industrial bands in 2012, will likely act as one of the main selling points of this truly unique compilation album.

Those of you who aren't currently looking at the boobs can be intrigued by the remaining two tracks of critical interest - Eigenstate's short, interestingly titled ' Blood and Semen', and 'Homesick', by the ever-warped, bass-laden, distorted sounds of DBPIT (Der Bekannte Post Industrielle Trompeter).

Every sound that has ever been created in the blackest of ambience can be represented in some form here, and the introduction of genres such as Neofolk to spread out the talent makes 'Torture Garden' more of a possible success then it perhaps deserves.

At times awkward, cumbersome and slow to follow, but for the duration,
Shinto have proven that their knack to identify the true pioneers in even the harshest of environments is without question.

Worth a listen via any legal medium where you can stream this album - the gems are hidden underground, but there's plenty of them. Feb 23 2012