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Inheriting Throbbing Gristle's aesthetics
of industrial chaos, and the
brutal, visceral, dissolute abrasiveness of post-psychedelic
improvisers such as F/I and
Gravitar,
Wolf Eyes, founded by vocalist and electronic musician Nate Young in 1997 in
Ann Arbor (Michigan),
crafted frantic, distorted, violent trancey electronic soundscapes
on Wolf Eyes (Hanson, 1997 - Bulb, 2001), a Nate Young solo project,
and Dread (Hanson, 2001 - Bulb, 2002), a trio with
guitarist Aaron Dilloway and drummer John Olson devoted to
more extended, electronic and cacophonous pieces
(the 21-minute Let the Smoke Rise,
the 11-minute Wretched Hog,
the 14-minute Desert of Glue).
After dozens of live cassettes and CDs, including the abstract electro-noise
collage Slicer (2001 - Hanson, 2002),
and the EP Dead Hills (Troubleman, 2002), titled after the
11-minute hailstorm of Dead Hills,
Wolf Eyes' reputation was established by Burned Mind (Sub Pop, 2004),
a better organized and recorded work whose distorted pounding vignettes such as
Stabbed in the Face,
and especially Village Oblivia
impressed those who had never heard industrial music and
Chrome.
However, the album still contained some extreme pieces such as the
hyper-psychedelic guitar freak-out Burned Mind and
Rattlesnake Shake, that harkened back to Gordon Mumma's musique concrete.
The eight-minute Black Vomit sounded like an expressionist kammerspiel drenched in muriatic acid.
The deluge of releases continued with mediocre recordings such as
Mugger (Hanson, 2004) and Fuck Pete Larsen (Wabana, 2004).
Collaborations included
Black Dice & Wolf Eyes (Fusetron, 2003), an intense prog-rock jam,
and
Beast (De Stijl, 2004) with Oregon's improvising collective Smegma.
Their ability to release more than 50 works in less than 7 years has
little to do with their artistic value (which remains very low).
Amateurish and uninspired collages such as
Deranged, Lung Malfunction and Six Arms and Sucks give
the avantgarde its bad reputation.
Fuck The Old Miami (Important, 2005) reissues a live cassette.
No Face Lives (Destijl, 2003) is a collaboration with synth trio Smegma.
Black Vomit (Victo, 2006) was a collaboration with jazz saxophonist Anthony Braxton.
The Black Plague (Heathen Skulls, 2006) was a collaboration with
the Australian collective Grey Daturas that includes the
24-minute Post Civilization Muzak, one of their harshest noise sculptures.
River Slaughter (2006) collects two CD-ROMs: The River of Haze
and Human Slaughterhouse.
Another project of the era was the CD-ROM or limited-edition LP Dog Jaw (Heresee, 2005), possibly their most futuristic vision yet, drenched in galactic drones, electric turbulence, vocal samples, manipulated found sounds and instrumental doodling; pure abstract horror soundsculpting (notably A2).
Having replace Dilloway with Mike Connelly, Wolf Eyes displayed a more
catastrophic side on the mini-album Human Animal (Subpop, 2006).
Here their apocalyptic post-industrial noise-industrial music is channelled
through
a series of therapeutic shrapnel-like shocks that begin with the gloomy
industrial noise of A Million Years, plunges into superhuman depression
with the ghostly electronic turbulence of Leper War
and culminate with the eight-minute "concrete" concerto Rationed Rot for android drones, vocal samples, synthesizers, thunder, wind, saxophone, etc.
But the peaks of clangor and distortion come with the shorter, barbaric Lake of Roaches, Human Animal and Noise Not Music.
On the other hand, Rusted Mange steps into an electronic form of grindcore and Driller even intones a relatively catchy and anthemic melody at martial pace in a monster voice.
Despite the violence inherent in their sound, Wolf Eyes were converging towards
the old aesthetic of gothic rock of the 1990s.
Black Wing Over The Sand (Ideal, 2007) contains just one 40-minute piece
that summarizes the new (relatively restrained and gothic) mood of Wolf Eyes.
Equinox (2007), recorded between 2004 and 2005, is a collaboration with
John Wiese of expressionistic electronic mayhems.
Aaron Dilloway, on his own, recorded highly experimental works such as
Beggar Master (Hanson, 2007)
and especially Chain Shot (Throne Heap, 2008), comprising the
atonal industrial/concrete suite for tape loops, metal and horns
Chain Shot and the glitchy soundscape of Execution Dock.
The Squid (Hanson, 2007 - Hanson, 2008) is a collaboration with C Spencer Yeh of Burning Star Core.
Demons' Frozen Fog (Aryan Asshole, 2007) was a collaboration between
Nate Young of Wolf Eyes and Steve Kenney of Werewolves.
Hatred (Ultra Eczema, 2007) was a collaboration between Nate Young and Alivia Zyvich.
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