Review: Scathing – Venomous Blossoms / Carnivorous Blooms (self-released, Feb 28)

Ah, the C10. A format/length that’s incredibly easy to fill up but incredibly difficult to actually pull off. When it’s done right you get the perfect mix of densely packed quality noise with the inevitable desire for more… but there isn’t any more, so you just have to flip it over and play it again, and again, and again. As Scathing, Kenny Brieger is no stranger to well-executed brevity (his various C20s over the years on New Forces, Narcolepsia, and Cruel Symphonies, as well as a previous C10 on Oxen, attest to that) but the quietly self-released Venomous Blossoms / Carnivorous Blooms is a different kind of beast, born from a hefty chunk of raw material that he hacked, sculpted, and faceted into a razor-sharp jewel. Needless to say, there’s not a single second of wasted time. Brieger has always thrived off both an abundance of ideas and an agility in moving between them, and even with the extensive editing, the explosive momentum of his live sets also comes through. I often associate Scathing with an interest in screeching, upper-register frequencies that other artists would use merely to contrast the low end; he, on the other hand, jumps into those treble-storms headfirst, anchoring the noise high and then diving down. But all that said, neither of these two tracks are anywhere near that simple. There are always three or more things going on, layers gnashing against and twisting into each other, squeals and wails answered by skull-shaking crunch. Any time there’s even a hint of a lull, a new wrench gets thrown in. “Venomous Blossoms” is already ridiculous before it crashes to earth with one of the most life-affirming loops I’ve ever heard. At first, “Carnivorous Blooms” almost seems tame in comparison before it reveals itself to be more of a slow burn, until… well, I won’t spoil it. This is truly top-shelf harsh, the kind that leaves only ash in its path, and all you can do is yell “FUCK!” and—you guessed it—play it again, and again, and again.