Sweden's quartet Skull Defekts (Daniel Fagerstrom, Henrik Rylander, Jean-Louis Huhta, Joachim Nordwall) debuted with
abstract electronic soundscapes such as
the 55-minute piece of Open The Gates Of Mimer (2005),
Magnetic Skulls, off Magnetic Skulls & Intense Sound Stimulations (Conspiracy, 2006), basically an atonal version of cinematic cosmic music,
and the 43-minute piece of The Sound Of Defekt Skulls And Intense Cranium Contact (Utech, 2007).
Other recordings include:
Rotating Feedback & Save The Skulls (Ideal, 2005),
Infekted Skulls (Meudiademorte, 2006),
etc
Pared down to the duo of Joachim Nordwall and Henrik Rylander,
they embarked on the not particularly wise project to release 12 records over 12 months. Needless to say, the result was less than mediocre.
The Black Hand (Riot Season, 2007) was the first installment of a trilogy
devoted to dissonant synth-drones (notably the side-long Skreamer).
Drone Drug (Release The Bats, 2008) was the second part, containing just
four lengthy pieces.
Bone Tone is a majestic river of rumbling dirty radioactive static in which a terrifying monster breathes in its sleep until the vision disappears
in a fluttering helicopter-like effect.
A Drone Drug pivots around an even more imposing bass synth drone and
purified of all the dirt that litters Bone Tone.
Dispensing with magniloquence for the sake of it,
Day One Is Done pushes the boundaries of synth distortion,
and is basically the electronic equivalent of a Jimi Hendrix solo.
The only drawback, of course, is that there isn't much one can do with a
drone other than warping it a bit at a time.
SKull Addikt tries to introduce a stronger narrative element while
increasing the doses of painful noise, and it mostly works, but it sounds
like the whole word is the launching pad and not the destination.
Blood Spirits and Drums are Singing (Conspiracy, 2007) was their "dance-pop" albums because it introduced vocals and regular beats.
Skkull (Release The Bats, 2007) and
DFX (Cut Hands, 2008), that contained just two 21-minute untitled jams,
veered towards glitch music.
Oceans Of Silver And Blood was
a collaboration between Joachim Nordwall and Mark Wastell documented on
Live At Cafe OTO (Confront, 2009).
Skulls VM Von Hausswolf & The Sons Of God Descending The Silver River Of The DFX (Important)
collects two live improvisations, one with
CM Von Hausswolff and Jean-Louis Huhta and the other one with
Leif Elggren and Kent Tankred,
The Temple (2009)
The EP 2013-3012 (Thrill Jockey, 2011) documents a first
collaboration with
Lungfish's vocalist Daniel Higgs.
Peer Amid (Thrill Jockey, 2011), featuring Higgs on vocals,
Henrik Rylander on drums and Jean-Louis Huhta on percussion besides the two
leaders on guitars and electronics, is
a thick, shamanic, propulsive soup of electronic and percussive effects.
Pieces like
the single Gospel Of The Skull,
and the lengthy jams In Majestic Drag and Peer Amid,
evoke primordial landscapes and spirit forces.
The hellish ambient music of The Silver Ring and the epileptic noise of
Fragrant Nimbus take detours in opposite directions.
Higgs steals the show in What Knives What Birds.
