COCKS OF THE DEAD "Blowskull Tape 1" (Phase!)

Housed in a nondescript cassette and nestled within a sturdy pink sheet splattered with a blue stamp appropriate for the group's tag, this Cocks of the Dead release looks slightly misleading, as if it were some hiss-saturated basement jam. It's not (although anything with a pink cover gets bonus points here). "Blowskull Tape 1" is a clean patchwork of static and moving layers of electronics, harsh in texture but measured enough not to overpower each other. Quietness is one of the best aspects on these sides, inviting attention to minimal stirring in the equipment and providing a dynamic for larger cut-up blocks to maneuver through. A few minutes pass on side A before the elements fall into a visible direction, but from there it's an engaging trip. One segment late on side B is an arresting frozen stasis where melodic whirring (possibly keyboard) lies beneath crackling electricity and all else is silent. Information on this group is nonexistent as far as I can tell, but hopefully there will be more COTD releases unearthed in the future. This is another item from the Athens, Greece label Phase!, which has a nicely done website here.