Black Dice - Number 3 - CD (2000)

Labels: Troubleman
Review by: Andy Malcolm

Woah, 15 songs in 10 minutes! This is going to rage! Right? Think again, sucka.

Fuckin’ shitty artnoiseviolence. The first 12 “˜tracks’ all blend in as one and mainly feature screechy guitars, drum beats played at random in a manner that doesn’t even get anywhere near disconcerting, gargled yelps and screams, and a few other noises. By about track 8, I was wondering what on earth I had wasted my precious funds on. Surely a band with a track record such as this wouldn’t put out such a pathetic release? They’ve had 7″ singles on Gravity and Vermin Scum!!! And this is on Troubleman! Somebody save me.

Luckily, and this saves it from being consigned to a fast death in my waste paper basket, with track 13 they suddenly remember who they really were. And that’s a pretty decent chaotic, emo violence band. The feedback and the annoying hum that has been buzzing in your ear the past 6 minutes gives way, and they lurch into an offkilter blast that is 12 seconds long. In the vein of the Locust and Combatwounded and all that kind of thing. Track 14 is sludgey and painful, guitars squeal and the song reels and staggers like a pathetic drunk. Unfortunately, the final 3 ½ minutes of this track is just a couple of electronic noises and a repeated drum beat looping over and over with minor variations in pitch and frequency. They then take it to the wall with the final song, a 50 second powerful blast in the face. Which is where they keep the interest.

But that’s it. 3 songs, one of them which is exactly a dozen seconds long. One of which features annoying noise for the majority, and one of which is under a minute. Barely enough material for a 7″ single. Give this a miss, unless your tolerance for directionless art noise is of a higher level than mine.