Search - Merzbow :: Venereology

Pitiless...and brilliant

G. Laur | 07/22/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"You'll notice that this disc carries an "explicit content" warning. This is curious, because in the brief moments when vocals show up on the album, the words are not even intelligable, let alone offensive. Yet the explicit content is there; it comes in the form of the music.



"Venerealogy" is fifty minutes of harsh, punishing noise, amped up to an impossibly devastating volume, devoid of rhythms, harmonies, or a human presence of any kind (except for the aforementioned 'vocals,' which come in the form of distorted roaring and laughter and are really just another element of the music). It roars, screams, and pulses with a thunderous fury that is at first shocking, disturbing and overwhelming. Listen to a few minutes, and the "explicit content rating" actually makes sense. There is the potential here to permanently damage ears and traumatize the weak of heart.



It is also an album that is, if handled properly, potentially therapeutic. At first the sensation is of some massive ferocious beast preparing to tear you to shreds, but as the noise continues, unrelenting and drone-like, it quickly becomes familiar and you start to like it. The man behind Merzbow, Masami Akita, has stated repeatedly that his music is not about anger and destruction; it is meditative, and infused with eroticism. If viewed in this context, 'Venerealogy' has the potential to be as listenable as any CD in your collection. The noise will become a release of tension rather than a build-up of it, because there are no crescendoes or schizophrenic levels of intensity; the noise is up-front and relentless, and so overpowering that the rest of the world can be literally shut out.



I recommend a purchase of this, and other Merzbow albums such as "Pulse Demon." Play it for metalheads who think they are "hard," just to shut them up, play it at parties to get rid of the people who aren't cool, and play it on dates; if your girl tolerates it, she really is special."

Entry into the realm of Merzbow!

Igor Savtchenko | Long Beach, CA United States | 12/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is to piss off the haters and enlighten the curious people: I often refer to this album as the pan-ultimate MERZBOW album. It servers as a great entry point for anyone curious about the noise /avant-garde music. It you can handle and appreciate this release, you are in the glorious realm of Merzbow. There is only one artist that matches or even exceeds the harshness and intenstity of Merzbow, and that is WHITEHOUSE, which was a direct influence on Merzbow and continues to make the most extreme music ever recorded. Of course, listen first before you buy! To all the haters, go back to day care, have your dipers changed! There should be no surprise here. When something is catergorized as noise or avant-garde it means exactly that."

Pure music.

C. Quinn | County Louth, Eire | 02/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You'll have to make your own mind up, of course, as you always should. But I find it hard to take seriously the reviewers who accuse Masami Akita of being a charlatan and his listeners as merely wanting to look hip, cool and underground. Another reviewer has used the word 'honest' a few times and I can't think of a more honest artist than Merzbow, except Masonna I guess. He does what he does without shame, has never tried to fit into a scene, and remains totally true to his principles.



'Venereology' is one of his most abrasive records and in many ways a definitive Merzbow release. Sure it's atonal, arrhythmic, non-melodic. By most dictionary definitions I suppose it isn't music -- expect the one that has music as organised sound. Because this is certainly organised, for those who have ears to hear: brilliantly produced and mixed, with layer upon layer of textures and timbres creating a constantly shifting vista of immersive noise. It really is ambient music, hypnotic and, dare I say it, relaxing. Perfect for scouring your ears and head of all the UNwanted noise the world bombards us with.



Merzbow's discography is insanely huge, but not that hard to find your way into. This is a good place to start; "Pulse Demon", "Tauromachine" and "Bastard Noise" offer similar but subtly variant experiences. "Dharma" and "Sphere" are more 'composed'-sounding. "Frog", "Merzbird" and "24 Hours: A Day of Seals" find Akita in (relatively) more gentle moods. "Aqua Necromancer" is a more conventional collection of beat-based pieces. After that you're on your own -- enjoy one of the most unusual and suprising sound-worlds in modern music!"