(02.23.05) One of the progenitors of the entire rhythmic noise genre is Winterkälte and, after a few years of silence, they’ve turned the knobs all the way to eleven once more for Disturbance. A ululating howl of strangled noise and caustic beats, Disturbance continues Winterkälte’s blistering commentary on mankind’s unchecked aggression against the biosphere. The opening two tracks, “Solar Peace” and “Yes2wind,” are flush with the eruption of magnetic pulses, strong flares of solar radiation that stir up atmospheric maelstroms.
Less all-out noise than previous records, Disturbance focuses more on rhythm. “Nuclear Free North America” pounds with a rhythmic jackhammer pace that any sluggard with a pulse can get down to, a relentless rhythm that sweeps across the dance floor like a scythe. “Ban Depleted Uranium Weapons (Poison Dust)” howls with an inchoate voice, a shriek of anger that whips the maelstrom of noise and beats into a greater frenzy.
“Eco-Lateral Damage” is a tsunami of sound that sucks up the lamentation of the owls, the fading signal of old rusted satellites and the fiery hiss of shortwave interference and throws all three into a high speed blender. While a heavy beat pounds against your skull, the accelerated ingredients fuse together in their whirlwind mass, attenuating into a long shriek of splintering noise. “Modulation Four” is an echo of earlier work and is the closest Winterkälte gets to a pure noise track on Disturbance. Fueled by a shotgun-style noise bomb, the sonic overload of “Modulation Four” grows and grows until an elastic limit is reached (your ears probably) and everything scatters in a haze of charged electrons. “Genetic Imperialism,” on the other hand, is nearly a pop song, albeit with a heavy dose of static laid over the thunder of the drums. Vocals (as much as they can persist in this sea of white noise) bleed through the heavy curtain of pounding rhythm and sound like angry ghosts being tortured on the other side of the veil of life.
This is my favorite Winterkälte release in some time. More accessible than their previous works, Disturbance is a self-assured record, a recording made by a band that has nothing to prove and is simply exploring the possibilities of harsh sound and burning beats. While they don’t do anything new with the genre, they certainly do it well. As one of the grandfathers of the rhythmic noise genre, Winterkälte shows the rest of the whippersnappers how it is done. An excellent piece of work that’ll leave you dazed and breathless.
Disturbance is available on Hands.
