Reviews list for Noism - ± (2008)

I hadn't heard of Tokyo-based duo Noism before but I'm unlikely to forget them after experiencing (yes, experiencing) their one-off 2008 album "±" as I've rarely taken such a musical battering & that's saying something given my taste profile. You see, the racket this artist produces across the short 21 minute duration of this release is almost unparalleled. Imagine a continuous barrage of freeform breakcore drum machine programming with seemingly random psychotic death metal guitar noise underneath it, changing wildly from one idea to the next without any warning or thought for compositional integrity. It's relentless in it's savage attack on the senses, confusing the mind so as to ensure that identifying the individual components is almost too tiring to attempt. It's a confusing ride & it's probably a good thing that Noism opted to leave the album purely instrumental because I'm not sure my ears could stand another component.

"±" is certainly short for an album but there's little doubt that it needs to be as there's no way to differentiate between the individual tracks. They all sound very much the same, kinda like an argument between a nail gun & a machine gun has gotten wwwaaayyyy out of hand. It's just so fucking extreme though which sees my eyes being continually drawn to this creative car crash. Why do I find myself liking this cacophony so much? I think it's the underlying hum of authentic underground deathgrind in the guitar work which pays no attention to traditional structure but manages to fill the space with an authenticity that I can relate to on a purely visceral level. This is genuine cybergrind ladies & gentlemen. It fits the description perfectly & has single-handedly proven to me that the niche subgenre has some basis for existing in the first place. Approach this release at your own peril but, if you're prepared to take that risk, accept "±" for what it is & enjoy the undiluted chaos it throws at you from close range.