Toner Low - s/t
(Roadkill Rekords RKR013)
Toner Low - s/t
(Roadkill Rekords RKR013)
From Aural Innovations #32 (November 2005)
Toner Low is from Holland and this is their first full length CD. It contains 6 tracks in 46 minutes with never ending riffing, sonic drones, psychedelic trips and low-end heaviness, and fucking great sound production. (but you might have to turn down your subwoofer if you have one or the building might collapse!) Strange artwork on this sort of digipack. No song titles on the CD or artwork, no mention of who or how many people are in the band. Just some minimal info and some lyrics and the words" You are about to enter into the world of TonerLow, play Loud for maximum Effect". It is not until you put the CD into the player that you realize that the 6 lines of which appear like a poem are actually the track titles. Clever…
The CD begins with an 8˝ minute track that begins with a Colour Haze like bass line before the enormous guitar riffs kick in. The vocal is highly distorted an adds a strange effect. I like the bands use of samples in the next track, weighing in at nearly 9 minutes! "Endless Fields" is a short 2 minute track over which a strummed tuned down guitar or bass is played, and a sort of static slowly builds up and takes over before the next track begins. "Praying for Murphy's Law to Arise" begins with a slow Circle like repetitive bass line which suddenly pauses and the heavy shit begins a cool story told by an Irish or Scottish guy speaking behind the wall of sound. This track fades into the "Sunn of Nymrod", which is a slow spaced out drone track. The final track, "We Will Conqueror" is a killer 14 minute journey with spaced out synths at the beginning and a groove that is quite cool. This track is a monster. Phew… awesome stuff… get stoned!
For more information you can visit the Roadkill Rekords web site at: http://www.roadkillrekordz.com.
Reviewed by Scott Heller