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Lhasa Cement Plant — Chakra Full of Blood
(Warm o'Brisk WD2, 1996, CD)

by Peter Thelen, Published 1997-02-01

Chakra Full of Blood Cover art

This instrumental four-piece of dual guitars, bass, and drums features two ex-Borbetomagus members and occupies an area of the sonic spectrum shared with bands like Material and Praxis, a grinding and growling industrial ambient rock, purely improvisational in nature. There are some vague hints of classic Krautrock a-la Guru Guru or Can here as well, and also elements from the Japanese noise school, but the main thrust of this music is typically American, New York improv to be precise. One would think that this type of music would have the listener running for the Excedrin bottle, but quite the opposite is true; when used as an ambient backdrop for other activities, it can have a rather calming effect. Some of the material, like the ten-minute opener, "Cut," is fairly engaging, with dual guitars snarling at each other in a twisted rage while a busy rhythm section keeps the bottom end activated. Others, like the hyperextended "Selection," spend almost their entire playing time just trying to get off the ground. One would suppose that in such a purely improvisational setting that the results might be hit or miss, and indeed they are. Still, there's enough good moments herein to definitely make this one worth checking out. Recommended to fans of the industrial noise improv scene.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 11, 1996 releases

Related artist(s): Lhasa Cement Plant

 

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