Prurient - Bermuda Drain

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5...according to our Ant on Fri 15 Jul, 2011.

I imagine Dominick Fernow is a busy man, what with his Prurient project, playing in Cold Cave, creating black metal with Ash Pool and running his Hospital Productions label and NYC record store. Over the past couple of years he's put out some records that show a way less abrasive side to his work and been embracing synthesizers. This record then is the apex of that direction kicking off with the lush synth orchestrations of 'Many Jewels Surrounding The Crown' and then the hyper tempo upbeat darkwave pop of 'A Meal can be Made'. reminding me a little of Skinny Puppy. The spoken word vocals of the title track recall his "All Are Guests In The House Of The Lord" collaboration with Kevin Drumm. The overall mood makes me think of another of Cevin Key's projects, Download. This track could have fallen right off the back of their 'The Eyes Of Stanley Pain' album. 'Watch Silently' has machine gun blasts of noise and squalling feedback while he delivers an outstanding impassioned vocal. 'Palm Tree Corps' has a lovely melodic synth melodies, chimes and the words "If I could I would take a tree branch and ram it inside you, but it's already been done". 'There Are Still Secrets' is a euro type dark synth/electro pop style track but with shouted "metal" style vocals which don't sit quite right with me. 'Lets Make A Slave' has gorgeous synths and moody electroscapes that recall Skanfrom but with half-whispered semi distorted vocal. A really powerful track and a highlight of the album. 'Myth Of Sex' is an instrumental which has rumbling noise that gradually crumbles away and makes way for a saddened synth line and very slightly acidic bassline. Closer 'Sugar Cane Chapel' ends with profound lyrics, dramatic industrial stabs, field recordings of flowing water, and finally epic synthetic angelic choral vocals and the words "Peace is coming". Apart from the odd moment which gets too close to dodgy side of Ministry/ Nine Inch Nails this is breathtaking stuff.

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Dominick Fernow has been delivering genre defining noise/experimental/electronic releases as Prurient (and via his slew of other bands/collaborations, including Cold Cave, Ash Pool and others) for nearly a decade and a half, many on his own NYC based Hospital Productions. Revered in many circles, and often loathed within them as well, he's cultivated and curated a tastemaking-ly obsessive worldwide following of like minded folks. The beautiful irony is that it is these very folks that will no doubt be most challenged by what Bermuda Drain represents. We have rarely experienced another artist who has so
openly and candidly shared the drive and meaning behind something so painful and powerful. The beauty in his sharing has no limits, and the further we engage with him the more deeply we feel committed to our role in the process. In so many ways art is life, or at least art is an extension of persona. Its this very idea that continues to challenge us day after day. His intent vs our own individual interpretation... On these nine tracks, we can clearly hear the echoes of Prurient's howling past, but are also faced with something perhaps even more unsettling - that being the territory of the unknown present and its indication of possible futures. The album, both in content and sound, is at once violent, magnetic, abrasive and emotional. The more we listen the deeper
we fall into it, taking what has been provided and using it as a tool for our own self reflection.
If the true idea of noise is perpetual freedom, then Bermuda Drain may well be the genre's most profoundly challenging record since Merzbow went laptop.
Bermuda Drain is a boldly melodic, beat based synth record, complete with the very verse/chorus/bridge structures that the community so often defines it self by eschewing. The Prurient of today is more truly in line with the original spirit of noise than ever before. We give it two years before there is a collaboration with Trent Reznor.

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