Review: Gridfailure ‘When The Lights Go Out Vol. IV’

Gridfailure‘s latest as you might have guessed, is the fourth instalment in the When The Lights Go Out Series, following 2021’s III, 2018’s II and 2017’s I, all of whom were released to coincide with the Halloween period. The Lower Hudson/New York City based artist has a multitude of guests on this latest recording including; Mac Gollehon (Duran Duran/David Bowie/Grace Jones etc), Leila Abdul-Rauf (Vastum/Lonophore), Dan Emery (Thetan) and Benjamin Levitt (Megalophobe). The aforementioned Dan Emery once more handles the album’s mastering, while Dave Brenner takes care of pretty much everything else including the artwork.

Shadows Manifest showcases a somewhat different side to Gridfailure, less confrontational and harrowing with Mac‘s trumpet instead lending the track a haunting quality to accompany the Lustmord-esque dark ambient goodness laden within. There’s a new age influence present too in the vein of Popul Vuh and a sound you’d expect to hear on Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu The Vampyre. An unexpected yet pleasurable opener.

Unfathomable Decomposition is another fascinating piece, the synth work recalls that of Roddy Bottum’s on early Faith No More tracks such as Greed while the subtle drone like approach is a far cry from the all-out apocalyptic, catharsis of his prior output. Deaden, with its use of heavy rainfall and neo-classical style instrumentation, wouldn’t be out of place on the sci-fi dystopian noir of Blade Runner, making for a truly majestic experience.

According to the Cleveland Clinic Parasomnia is ‘a sleep disorder that involves unusual and undesirable physical events or experiences that disrupt your sleep’ and boy is this represented sonically. Night terrors are the order of the day with screams, bewildered speech, heavy ominous bass and an ever-pervasive sense of dread all making for a deliciously disturbing listen. Clock Of Bones marks the record’s halfway point with a ticking clock motif and heavy jazz inflections, it’s the thematic avant-garde equivalent of Metallica’s For Whom The Bell Tolls. Time is relentless and death can’t be avoided, or to put it another way, when the bell tolls, it tolls for thee. Superb.

wouldn’t be out of place on the sci-fi dystopian noir of Blade Runner…

Something less than pleasant emerges in The Husking, remember Brian Yuzna’s film Society and the infamous shunting scene, this is what listening to this grotesque piece reminded me of. The promotional notes also mention Brenner taking inspiration from classic horror cinema, albeit in this case the body horror of David Cronenberg to brilliantly disgusting effect. Passe-Muraille is based on a short story by Marcel Aymé about a man who can walk through walls, though he abuses this power and gets himself trapped in the partition between them. The track is claustrophobic which is unsurprising considering its theme with an omnipresent industrial hum reminiscent of early Cabaret Voltaire.

It’s Only A Matter Of Time Now with its backdrop of howling dogs and werewolves brilliantly brings to mind the ‘keep to the roads’ scene from John Landis’ An American Werewolves in London and First Eyewitness Of This Grisly Development maintains a Hitchcockian sense of mystery, Brenner building the tension to unbearable levels thus keeping you glued throughout the track. Final Transition brings us once again the dark ambience of opener Shadows Manifest and this number helps draw the album to a suitably creepy conclusion.

Whilst I love Gridfailure‘s work, admittedly it isn’t always the most accessible or penetrable, layered as it is by harsh noise (think Merzbow, Hanatarash etc). That’s certainly not the case here however and it would appear that Brenner’s time away from the project has served him well as it has produced some of his best music to date. Check it out ASAP.

Label: Independent
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Scribed by: Reza Mills