MARAX - FELO DE SE

ARTIST: Marax

TITLE: Felo De Se
ARTIST LINK: www.myspace.com/maraxnoise, soundcloud.com/maraxnoise
ARTIST COUNTRY: USA
CATALOG: MS20
LABEL: Muchausen Sound
GENRE: Noise/Dark Ambient

TRACKLIST:

1_ Felo De Se
2_ Anxiety-Guilt Cycle
3_ Hidden Need
4_ Soul Murder
5_ Tension Breaking

I am very excited to bring word of this new work by the great young man who goes by Eric Crowe, AKA, Marax. Mr. Crowe had been responsible for giving us one of the most compelling Noise releases of the past couple of years to hit the PostIndustrial underground, a little EP called "Black Veil of the Sanguinarian", which I had the privilege of reviewing for Heathen Harvest back in o8. I had felt a significant admiration for the work upon first listen, as it showed a sort of darkness that ran into some varied, yet also inspiring depths of expression. I had tried to make Eric a regular contact because of the effect "Black Veil" had on yours truly, but almost two years or so before myspace got all desperate and transformed into a highly unwelcome, very stifling jock/mix of facebook/last.fm formats, Eric was unfortunately NOT a regular. But with this release, which I can attest to have anticipated HIGHLY, we now see the young Crowe as a regular presence on facebook, and while facebook isn’t yet really set up to be the haven conducive to creativity and communication for musicians the way the fallen and corrupted myspace once was, I am happy that he's there.

"Felo De Se" is only in a couple of ways similar to "Black Veil of The Sanguinarian", Eric's style withstanding, but what sets this one aside is that this was originally intended to be a split/collaboration with Never Presence Forever. While his previous work showed desperation, tension, eeriness, and yes, even a sort of cynical sense of wonder [the beautiful and passionate epic "Nod"], this new tape brings only a seething, borderline maddening set of some of the dirtiest noise-drones I've heard to date. This is a different noise palette than before, and while I cannot say for sure just who threw in what into the fray, the best way I can describe this Felo is an extension of the track "Inside the Inner Voice" off of "Black Veil". Only this time, that scary ass voice has PLENTY more to say...

The frequencies on the work are decidedly deep, and while the noise element is not as pervasive or intense as was on tracks from "... the Sanguinarian", what will get under your skin here is the almost unbearable tension and atonal void this piece has to offer. The title track is the longest in question, and this one will make you want to pull your hair out because it’s seemingly a perpetual and disturbing presence inside your head. There is a good amount of vocal dirt in this track, nothing I can make out, but like "Inside the Inner Voice", this side has a down-pitched tinge, with a subtle distortion, possibly sped-up to make it sound even more uncomfortable. The whole of "Felo De Se" rumbles unceasingly, like a half-hour trembling of the Earth. "Anxiety-Guilt Cycle" only further pushes the theme of the album with its name, this one having some awesome, death-rattle-like phrases that come in and out. The same rattle is in the transitional "Hidden Need", giving ground then to the static-ridden "Soul Murder”, and finally, "Tension Breaking" by way of a slowly flanging end.

The Devil is really in the details in "Felo De Se". While not as elaborate, it has the same vibe as Tzii's "Vuole Morire", a very challenging one, comparable to some psychopath staring vacantly over a long, engulfing stretch of the American Southwest desert, so I suppose it is very appropriate that the tracks were laid down in a place called Southern Discomfort Studio. Conceptually, it has no bullshit and is flawless. Black and abysmal enough to induce anger, but also simple and ambient enough to actually channel anger.

The Crowe flies LOW for this one.