BLACK NEEDLE NOISE

“Seed of Evil”, the next single from Black Needle Noise has a certain, “Try not to sing, ‘I want to f*** you like an animal’” quality evoked by the swaying crunchy beat that drives it forward. “For fans of NIN, Ministry, KMFDM, etc.” indeed. Those immediate comparisons aside, this stands on its own. And it should. John Fryer has been around longer than just about anyone and all but cornered the market on the noisy, dirty (production), and borderline experimental industrial/EBM long ago. Fryer’s reputation precedes him, having produced Love and Rockets, Swans, HIM, Cradle of Filth, Clan of Xymox, Nitzer Ebb, Dead Can Dance, Yaz (Yazoo), Xmal Deutschland, Fields of the Nephilim, De/Vision, Stabbing Westward and many others over the past 20+ years. Fryer’s collaborator here, fellow legend and vocalist, Raymond Watts is formerly of KMFDM, did sound for Einstürzende Neubauten and Psychic TV, and toured with Nine Inch Nails. You could be tempted to say, “well … at the risk of being disrespectful, past accomplishments are wonderful, but what have you done for me lately?” The duo and their video producers answer with an emphatic, “THIS!” Yes, it’s just a single. But it’s loud, evil, and dripping with a vile energy of barely contained angst. The full length will probably tear you to pieces.

Charles “Chuck” MOORHOUSE
18/06/2020