Though perhaps not the most consequential release in itself, Kelbeross does signify both an end and a beginning: the untimely death of cut-up legend James Cooke (a.k.a. Ahlzagailzehguh), to whom it’s dedicated; and the launch of Subvert, a new online platform for independent digital music distribution that aims to succeed Bandcamp. It’s also a treat to hear new material from Amphibian, the sporadic harsh side hustle of John Pyle (the man behind such well-loved industrial projects as Mistletoe and Pleasure Island). There’s only a handful of releases so far, but all have been of the utmost quality. Recorded back in 2023, Kelbeross also marks a turn away from the blown-out scrap metal cacophony of Hanging Nettles and toward a synth-driven approach. It’s a shift many artists make when they feel like they’ve hit a wall with their original setup and want to explore the infinite possibilities offered up by a modular system, but in the process it’s all too easy to lose track of the unique sound they cultivated in the first place. Not the case here—these two slabs are distinctly Amphibian. It helps that they were ripped from a master tape rather than DIed, probably because this was originally planned to be a C20… and because it just sounds better. “Don’t Say a Prayer for Me Now…” blooms with colorful distortion and a heaping helping of soupy delay, seesawing between pools of mid-heavy crackle and shrill laser blasts. The pacing and palette are more in line with Lowlife, which likely came together around the same time, but this one feels like more of an open-ended experiment, a scrawled sketchbook of ideas for later expansion on “Inescapable Gag,” a contribution for a V/A compilation that is now available on Subvert for standalone download, and (hopefully) beyond. “…Save It ‘Til the Morning” is even more diverse, complete with a trembling tonal coda that wouldn’t be out of place on a Mistletoe tape. It’s a fitting tribute, a look toward a bright and well-endowed future, and above all it’s just some great noise. Ahlz forever.
Noise Not Music 