One-man French Industrial-Machine-Grind-Noise from estranged loner Gab, a long enduring & committed pillar of the Grindcore underbelly. This eleven track cassette from 2012, although definitely not his best is another excellent foray into Synod’s sewer network of murky pitched down Industrial GrindNoiseCyberDeath with IDM influences. Although clearly dishevelled & unapologetically lo-fi, Synod’s production has clarity & edge, just enough to cut through & avoid the inscrutably stagnant description of the ultra-garbage NoiseGrindMachine canaille. But for sure, soot smeared grime, flaking rust, pistons, congealed ash & crumbling post-fallout dereliction that shifts from militant Industrial Death-Dance-Grind to hyper erratic & non-typical IDM/Glitch-leaning ictus coated in fast digital blast-beats & classic D-beat Grindcore (programmed & arranged irregularly) are on the menu. Stridor, digital distortion, noise, FX synths, sound manipulation/defacement & samples all lurk in the containment zone with mutilated live Death & Grind samples/loops also providing further dysfunction. This is good shit, with the “core” elements at full maximization. Depending on the specific release, GS may be more harsh/Noise/Grind/IndustrialMachineMetal/Prog (GS sometimes employs heteroclite time signatures) or IDM & synth orientated. His best works for me are Ogre, Obsessism XXIII, & Mechanical Throat Repulsion, but very few of his releases fall-short & if you are fresh to Synod’s bizarre riot in the quarantine quarters I think pretty much any release will stand out significantly (Tilt! being no exception). This is absolutely not straightforward machine Grind/Metal/Digi-Grind, but highly accomplished, adroitly crafted with strong character/personalization, expertise & a staunch cult quality. Totally unconventional & adhering to the better buried tenants of CyberGrind (unpredictability, hyper obscurity, experimentalism & originality liaising with Noise & Avant elements). The old-school lo-fi production works wonderfully, adding the perfect layer of scum & dilapidation to the sound & music, but on occasions it’s a double edged sword as some sections are so good & would clearly benefit from sterner & better sound/fidelity. Overall, it works exceptionally well & secures a brilliant garland of rotting garbage for the final result.
The guy behind Synod is a lone nutter who runs the truly excellent Visceral Circuitry Records, a label that appears to diligently peruse the rarer more interesting & divulgating drifters of the underground that so seldom seem to get any investment from the pedestrian scene. He releases pretty much all his own stuff & renders all artwork, mostly in a really cool monochrome montage aesthetic. Cassette & CDR seem to be the sole formats utilized!
Glaukom Synod works on many levels but also manages to penetrate to that exclusive & rare enclave of distinguishably odd & accomplished Avant-CyberMachineNoiseGrind elites such as Jet Jaguar KR3 Kill Spree & Divelto. An important player in an extremely infrequent sphere that definitely demands attention.
Rekd: 2012
Label: Visceral Circuitry
Links: visceralcircuitry.voila.net