Neoterrik Research “The Hidden History of Schloss Tegal” CD Cold Spring
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ubtitled The Hidden History, Cold Spring have here gathered a veritable feast of rare, deleted, remixed and unreleased material from the enigmatic partnership that is Richard Schneider and MW Burch that ordinarily would cost the ST aficionado a hefty sum to purchase separately, along with a fascinating essary on the history – and indeed mystery – of the castle from which the band name derives.Tracks such as ‘Felgeschrei’ and ‘Last Glint Of Consciousness’ are deft at showing the ‘noise’ side; heavy blasts of dissonant disquiet that are almost addictivly hallucinogenic to the point that the threat posed in speaker damage is completely ignored. That, however, is not to say that the pieces that follow a more mellow road are any less disconcerting. ‘The Demon That Feeds On The Chaos Of Man’ is a darkly brooding menace whose dense claustrophobia si made all the more harrowing by what it hides rather than what it displays. The ‘Anti-Life Equation’ trilogy is perhaps the standout of the album. A soundtrack into an uncharted territory to another world, this truly shows the quality and depth of thought in the use of sonic architecture that lesser mortals are unable to replicate. That said, the bleak intensity of the hitherto unreleased recording of ‘Black Static Transmission’ for Dutch radio does run a very close second. ‘The Hidden Variable’ showcases Tegal’s ability to weave an eclectic tapestry from found sounds that appears both serene and madcap in equal parts while ‘Invitation To An Outrage’ completes the journey through a particulary desolate vision of dark ambience. Having become one of the most name-dropped artists of the dark ambient world, ‘Neoterrik’ also offers, aside from the ‘snaggered it at last’ side, an excellent overview of the band’s career that stretches across time and also shows off several different facets of Schloss Tegal for both the experienced and novice alike.
by Glenn Burston