At the Heart of the World
Quaquaversal
self-released
Portland electro-industrialists At The Heart of the World have a short but potent discography; we were so taken with grit and vigor of their 2022 releases Inosculate and Paroxysm (handily compiled on the All Torments Are Just LP) that they immediately became a watchlist band. The long wait for a follow-up is finally over with the release of 3-track EP Quaquaversal, which takes the classic drippy, horror-infused post-industrial template and runs hard with it into still meaner territory. Opener “Not Worth Having” is all crashing drum hits and mixed clean and distorted vocals, but the track’s real impact lies in the way its wormy lead snakes its way through its cascade of percussion and waves of distorted reverb, eventually melting down in its final moments. “Lick the Face of God” is ambitious in its chaotic arrangement, forgoing any symmetry in how its various sections and breakdowns fit together, eventually fusing them into one final burst of mechanical ire, venting smoke and bile before falling apart. Their most ambitious moment comes on “Heaven is No More”, which starts with a slow-rolling melodic section, accented with distorted breaks before transforming into a swaying, rolling lurch whose intensity threatens to burn itself out launching one final volley. For their dedication to wrath and ruin, At the Heart of the World keep building upwards, even as it all falls apart around them.
Zirkular Dion
Hole
self-released
With a number of releases on the celebrated (and on hiatus?) Detriti label, Ukrainian act Zirkular Dion has certainly passed over the desks of in the know tastemakers in the past, but new EP Hole also makes for a perfectly suitable jumping on point for those just catching up. The analog style of EBM plied by Zirkular Dion is as muscular as ever on these six tracks, without losing the lo-fi grit that’s defined it from the beginning. Even working with the somewhat limited and limiting toolkit of stripped-down DAF worship, with minor chord changes and twiddling of phase and filter being the only structural ‘progression’ within these numbers, there’s just enough variety on tape here to keep Hole from wearing out its welcome. The pinchy, almost snooty upturn on the programming of “Дыра” and the more anhalt trudge of “Жестокость” clearly spring from the same ur-source but with different expressions and moods. It’s not the most complex or dynamic fare, to be certain, but that’s kind of the appeal. If you’re the sort of listener with a craving for throwback EBM and find even the monochrome delivery thereof from the likes of Jager 90 to be a bit too showy, Zirkular Dion have the sort of disciplined workout you’re looking for.
