CD Reviews

Kevin Drumm and Daniel Menche

Gauntlet | Editions Mego

By SUSANNA BOLLE | August 15, 2007

3.0 Stars

At just over 28 minutes, Gauntlet might not seem all that imposing. But given that Drumm and Menche are two of experimental music’s most ferocious noisemakers, some caution is in order — a lot can happen in a brief span. Drumm is best known for his recently reissued noise masterpiece Sheer Hellish Miasma, and Gauntlet shares some of that disc’s terrifying beauty. Using guitar, organ, loads of feedback, and miscellaneous noise, Drumm and Menche unleash a torrent. The CD’s single extended track opens with Drumm’s distorted guitar emerging slowly out of the silence and beginning its relentless ascent. It’s difficult to tell when the deep, rhythmic hum of the organ enters the picture — for much of the first part of the piece, it’s a menacing presence, felt as much as heard. As Gauntlet progresses, the distortion intensifies until Drumm’s guitar and Menche’s organ fuse into a dense, disorienting haze of propeller-blade pulsation and razor-edged hum. This is drone at its most abrasive and visceral, but if you can weather the onslaught, the effect is hypnotic.

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