Inheriting Throbbing Gristle's aesthetics
of industrial chaos, and the
brutal, visceral, dissolute abrasiveness of post-psychedelic
improvisers such as F/I and
Gravitar,
Wolf Eyes, founded by vocalist and electronic musician Nate Young in 1997 in
Ann Arbor (Michigan),
crafted frantic, distorted, violent trancey electronic soundscapes
on Wolf Eyes (Hanson, 1997 - Bulb, 2001), a Nate Young solo project,
and Dread (Hanson, 2001 - Bulb, 2002), a trio with
guitarist Aaron Dilloway and drummer John Olson devoted to
more extended, electronic and cacophonous pieces
(the 21-minute Let the Smoke Rise,
the 11-minute Wretched Hog,
the 14-minute Desert of Glue).
After dozens of live cassettes and CDs, including the abstract electro-noise
collage Slicer (2001 - Hanson, 2002),
and the EP Dead Hills (Troubleman, 2002), titled after the
11-minute hailstorm of Dead Hills,
Wolf Eyes' reputation was established by Burned Mind (Sub Pop, 2004),
a better organized and recorded work whose distorted pounding vignettes such as
Stabbed in the Face,
and especially Village Oblivia
impressed those who had never heard industrial music and
Chrome.
However, the album still contained some extreme pieces such as the
hyper-psychedelic guitar freak-out Burned Mind and
Rattlesnake Shake, that harked back to Gordon Mumma's musique concrete.
The eight-minute Black Vomit sounded like an expressionist kammerspiel drenched in muriatic acid.
The deluge of releases continued with mediocre recordings such as
Mugger (Hanson, 2004) and Fuck Pete Larsen (Wabana, 2004).
Collaborations included
Black Dice & Wolf Eyes (Fusetron, 2003), an intense prog-rock jam,
and
Beast (De Stijl, 2004) with Oregon's improvising collective Smegma.
Their ability to release more than 50 works in less than 7 years has
little to do with their artistic value (which remains very low).
Amateurish and uninspired collages such as
Deranged, Lung Malfunction and Six Arms and Sucks give
the avantgarde its bad reputation.
Fuck The Old Miami (Important, 2005) reissues a live cassette.
No Face Lives (Destijl, 2003) is a collaboration with synth trio Smegma.
Black Vomit (Victo, 2006) was a collaboration with jazz saxophonist Anthony Braxton.
The Black Plague (Heathen Skulls, 2006) was a collaboration with
the Australian collective Grey Daturas that includes the
24-minute Post Civilization Muzak, one of their harshest noise sculptures.
River Slaughter (2006) collects two CD-ROMs: The River of Haze
and Human Slaughterhouse.
Another project of the era was the limited-edition LP Dog Jaw (Heresee, 2005), possibly their most futuristic vision yet, drenched in strident galactic drones, harsh electric turbulence, warped vocal samples and manipulated found sounds; pure abstract horror soundsculpting.
Standout A1 is a stormy wind of whipping dissonant electronics and savagely distorted vocals.
A2 is a documentary of alien life: flashing electronic hisses, agonizing zombie growls, pulsating dissonances, etc.
A3 is a bombing campaign.
B2 is industrial drilling coupled with radio interference.
The nine-minute B3 is the sound of radiations after the nuclear holocaust.
Having replace Dilloway with Mike Connelly, Wolf Eyes displayed a more
catastrophic side on the mini-album Human Animal (Subpop, 2006).
Here their apocalyptic post-industrial noise-industrial music is channelled
through
a series of therapeutic shrapnel-like shocks that begin with the gloomy
industrial noise of A Million Years, plunges into superhuman depression
with the ghostly electronic turbulence of Leper War
and culminate with the eight-minute "concrete" concerto Rationed Rot for android drones, vocal samples, synthesizers, thunder, wind, saxophone, etc.
But the peaks of clangor and distortion come with the shorter, barbaric Lake of Roaches, Human Animal and Noise Not Music.
On the other hand, Rusted Mange steps into an electronic form of grindcore and Driller even intones a relatively catchy and anthemic melody at martial pace in a monster voice.
Despite the violence inherent in their sound, Wolf Eyes were converging towards
the old aesthetic of gothic rock of the 1990s.
Black Wing Over The Sand (Ideal, 2007) contains just one 40-minute piece
that summarizes the new (relatively restrained and gothic) mood of Wolf Eyes.
Equinox (2007), recorded between 2004 and 2005, is a collaboration with
John Wiese
of expressionistic electronic mayhems.
Aaron Dilloway, on his own, recorded highly experimental works such as
Beggar Master (Hanson, 2007)
and especially Chain Shot (Throne Heap, 2008), comprising the
atonal industrial/concrete suite for tape loops, metal and horns
Chain Shot and the glitchy soundscape of Execution Dock.
The Squid (Hanson, 2007 - Hanson, 2008) is a collaboration with C Spencer Yeh of Burning Star Core.
Aaron Dilloway & Jason Lescalleet released Grapes And Snakes (2012), enterely performed on analog synths and tapes.
Demons' Frozen Fog (Aryan Asshole, 2007) was a collaboration between
Nate Young of Wolf Eyes and Steve Kenney of Werewolves.
Hatred (Ultra Eczema, 2007) was a collaboration between Nate Young and Alivia Zyvich.
Wolf Eyes rediscovered the song format on
Always Wrong (Hospital Productions, 2009), a much less ambitious
work.
Failing Lights, the solo project of Mike Connelly, debuted with the
three-cd box-set A Cruel Picture (2008), followed by
Failing Lights (Intransitive, 2010) and
Past And Future Secret (2011).
Connelly's imagination had no limit:
Afternoon Summer Sex (Holidays, 2012) collects electronic noise music,
and
Dawn Undefeated (Dekorder, 2012) was cut at 45rpm but can be played at any speed.
Black Vomit (Victo, 2011) was a collaboration between
Wolf Eyes and jazz saxophonist Anthony Braxton.
Nate Young's solo album
Stay Asleep (Regression V.2) (NNA, 2012) was old-fashioned
power electronics of the "industrial music" age.
Nate Young's
disco-music side-project
Moonpool & Dead Band debuted with the
EP Moon Pool & Dead Band (2011) and the
single Human Fly (Not Not Fun, 2012).
Victoriaville Mai 2011 documents a live performance by Richard Pinhas (on electric guitar and electronics), Masami Akita (computer and electronics), and Wolf Eyes.
Olson played electronics, saxophone and bass clarinet in a jazzy trio called
Graveyards with drummer Ben Hall and cellist Hans Buetow that debuted with
Monument Centers (2005).
Nate Young and John Olson became more active as Stare Case:
Colony Collapse (American Tapes, 2010),
Stare Problem (2010),
Public Vanity (2011),
Lose Today (De Stijl, 2011),
Bouquets For The Living (American Tapes, 2011),
etc.
Aaron Dilloway's Modern Jester (Hanson, 2012)
recorded between 2008 and 2011, was an experiment for
tape loops, percussion, synthesizer, junk, voice, and tape.
Wolf Eyes
replaced guitarist Mike Connelly with James Baljo for
No Answer - Lower Floors (De Stijl, 2013).
There is very little of the demonic fervor of the past.
The loop of abrasive noise that constitutes Warning Sign could have
been done by any child with a laptop.
Chattering Lead is the most lively piece, and it is basically a tribute
to goth-rock of the 1980s; cute but hardly revolutionary.
The centerpiece is
the 12-minute glitch horror ambient suite Confessions of the Informer
for sub-bass, vocal samples and sporadic electroacoustic events.
Wolf Eyes then flooded the market with lo-fi cassettes of live performances,
besides I Am A Problem - Mind In Pieces (Third Man, 2017) and
Undertow (Lower Floor Music, 2017), which contains the 14-minute Thirteen.
The 13 short pieces of Dreams in Splattered Lines (2023) span a vast range of styles.
