Black Vase

Prurient | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 23, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Load Records
• ASIN: B000ADWDGG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #373,836 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Pitched somewhere between S&M fests -- a chunk of the album art might as well be Merzbow approximations if not direct outtakes -- and instrumental abuse that will prompt tinnitus checks while any dogs in the area dance wildly about, Black Vase shows that it just needs a day for Prurient to do what it does. Quite literally -- the whole album was recorded at a one-day session, with sole Prurient member Dominick Fernow occasionally helped by engineer Kris Lapke on drums and related beats. "Roman Shower" demonstrates that it's not only possible to create "ambient" music that irritates, but that even at low volume high-pitched squeals are just plain obnoxious -- and that to keep it going for 15 minutes is as perfect a way to find out just who will have the patience to listen to the rest of the album and who will run away screaming. At least after a while he breaks into extended periods of more conventional if frenetic feedback buzz, so by the time his anguished vocals appear at the end one can assume it's black metal without the beats and riffs. In contrast "Silent Mary" is almost power pop, though not many would call a song with near indeterminable lyrics, nervous squelchy drum hits, and sheets of trebly feedback and distortion ear candy power pop -- still, it does show how "noise" as concept even has its own rules and limits, and how aiming for catchiness can show them up. From there Fernow and Lapke make a joyful noise unto the Load Records audience, touching on everything from demi-tribal drumming and sudden klaxon buzzes that almost act as melody ("Sorry Robin") to near full-on high-volume rampages. The rising and falling swells of sound on the almost title track "The Black Vase" do show Prurient can create almost conventionally attractive songs, in a calmer, cyclical vein -- but not the majority of the time. ~ Ned Raggett, Rovi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Zen Killing Art Death, December 9, 2005

By 

Proud Mother of 7 (Colorado Springs) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Vase (Audio CD)

Packaged with some truly beautiful CD liner notes, this is one of the "artier" noise releases I have come across, and succeeds admirably at presenting a version of austere, Japanese-infused S/M style art as pain that seems pretty appropriate, and somewhat common to this musical niche. As someone relatively new to the genre, and certainly a novice regarding Prurient's voluminous work, I can't situate this terribly well, except to say that it's certainly more brutal and less accessible than Lightning Bolt, and rawer, sparer and perhaps even more aggressive than Wolf Eyes. This is power electronics and for those into Whitehouse or whatever, I'm sure this will be pretty enjoyable. For myself, I just found it to be totally captivating, and unrelenting in method. The first track was nearly unlistenable, but everything else was very much a "positive" experience. Like I said, I don't know how this compares to Prurient's other work, but anyone with an interest in branching out to extreme forms of noise shouldn't hesitate to pick this up. Simply amazing.