HIVE MIND "Ashen Geometry" (Throne Heap)

You could probably release a Hive Mind recording wrapped in a plastic grocery bag and sell out of all copies. The work of Greh Holger is practically synonymous with rock: not as in ripped Maiden shirts and hair but igneous, sedimentary and volcanic. There might be more HM tapes this year than last, but since the runs dry up as quickly as they're filled it's a hard tally. "Ashen Geometry" is a bit more effects-saturated and disorienting than the recent tape on Hanson Records. It might have more in common with the "Bade Mecum" 3 inch CD on Holger's own Chondritic Sound imprint (I might be talking s**t since I haven't listened to it in a while). The textures have become more complex and dirtier at the same time, with a glacially slow movement that takes a few turns to really comprehend. While side A covers some familiar but enjoyable deep bass territory, side B introduces a high-pitched buzz that becomes embedded in the rotting sub-tones until it's all grit and silt. The last minute is about as harsh as a bass-driven track can get, as if Holger was going to segue into a Cleanse set. This one has a black cardstock insert with a killer silkscreen job in silver, a perfect accessory for misanthropic creeps running devious errands. Impressive veteran release from one of the best new labels.

MAMMAL + HIVE MIND “I've Been Sick” (Animal Disguise)

Michigan wastoid kings descend into the shock pit for 30 minutes of flat-lining tonal fisticuffs. Severe stasis shrieking gives way to oscillating bursts of blurry distortion roars, all coated in a cold hiss of galvanized steel and low-wage hostility. Not as stoned as most Hive Mind excursions but more loose and rambling than a lot of Mammal jams, “I've Been Sick” works pretty effectively as a nihilistic meditation tape. The B side in particular has a long back-and-forth swaying section that accurately simulates the sensation of staring drunkenly down at a table of pedal junk, eyes clouding over, everything going slowly black. The sickness thickens, building into a dense hypnotism of buried sirens, screeching wheels, and lifeless loops. Sounds like men being defeated by machines.