Hydra Head Nine
Heat

Hydra Head 9 is one of the many incarnations of Henrik Nordvargr Bjorkk. For those who have wondered "who the heck is he," we affirm that Henrik is the greatest dark-ambient musician currently around.

The originality, the depth, and the significance of his works alone describe this enigmatic character. A few names should suffice. "Sleep Therapy Treatment": an 8-CD box set resulting from a study by Norvargo on the effects that particular low sound frequencies might have on the brain. Each CD is numbered according to the day of the week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.), and the listener should enjoy this wonder with headphones, at not too high a volume, during falling asleep. The purpose of the experiment is to experience different kinds of sleep day by day, guided by his incredible music.

Another name: "Awaken." Absolutely amazing album, and in my opinion, beautifully reviewed by Grigio on this very site. 'Hydra Head 9' is a name I came across by chance while browsing the Old Europa Cafe site, one of the most important noise and dark-ambient labels (one of the most important in the world) and located no less than in Italy.
It is essentially a power-noise album interspersed with ambient inserts. Nordvargr has learned the lesson from his uncle Merzbow (with whom he played in 2004 in a fantastic split-collaboration: "Partikel") and has also ventured into the world of power-noise. In "Heat," we find quite a bit: dark atmospheres, hammering and cascades of sound, screeches, an acoustic guitar (?) in an almost tango-like dissociative loop (??), electric tracks, varied storms, mad centrifuges, eyes, demonic voices, and decidedly Merzbowian orgasms.

It might be seen as an exercise, a test, as proof that Norvargo knows "how to do this too," and he certainly knows how to do it well. The entire album is pervaded by a sense of underlying violence, wickedness, and resignation that is nothing short of adorable. All power-noise (as a genre generally understood) is made of cynicism, analytical ability, and fierce criticism of the structures and "dictates" of the song form. It has always been this way. Toward the creation of "other" products, understanding everything, these pioneers move on the fringes of music. With ups and downs, many groups have alternated and will alternate (the vast majority of these entities come from Japan) on this path, carrying out a process that I consider artistically and culturally significant.

Noise is social analysis: it is a deeply anthropological genre. Henrik guides our bleeding ears through a relatively predictable, albeit enjoyable, journey, alternating moments of fury with moments of observation of devastated sets. It is all marked nonetheless by a high quality, especially regarding some decidedly sophisticated passages. Describing this kind of work track by track is almost unthinkable, but I would focus on the bonus track: a 23-minute suite of pure pain.