This project had previously been unknown to me, a world I did not want to explore by myself without anyone by my side – a sickening gut-wrenching feeling – coupled with astonishment as I ventured deeper into my own insanity. Anemone Tube is without a doubt one of the most complex experimental industrial, dark ambient acts out there right now. Stefan Hanser – the real name of this musical culprit – also runs the label that released this compilation, The Epicurean.
He was kind enough to send me one of his three latest releases, featuring earlier unreleased material and bits plus pieces that have been featured on obscure releases. The one I was sent is the last one in the series, “The Three Worlds – Allegory of Vanity” – playing around with the word vanity, depicting it in different settings and with different edges to make a complete red line throughout the releases.
The aesthetic aspect of The Three Worlds – Allegory Of Vanity
It is very clear from the beginning as to how much time have been spent on the artwork alone, there are subtle meanings which you can draw from the artwork itself, and it is a delight to hold on to the physical material and view the aesthetic splendor. Not many artists have such a beautiful, harrowing cover. A lot of inspiration is drawn from Buddhism in general, specifically the spiritual aspects of the religious teachings of it.
There is a rejection of death, there is an embrace of death in the cover itself – nothing lasts forever, it is as if there’s a mummified corpse propped up on the artwork – which is frightening for a Westerner like me. A certain aspect of what makes or breaks the modern human is the fear of death. The photography taken by Dario Lehner encompasses much about what makes Anemone Tube a great artist, there’s a depth and a thought not just on the music – but on the aesthetic aspect – it is entwined with everything else.
The musical aspect of The Three Worlds – Allegory Of Vanity
Extreme music in different shapes and forms have always been interesting for us, but we’ve never gotten around to the more extreme forms of industrial music. Here’s a real combination of the occult and the experienced at the same time, a veteran of industrial music is more likely to deliver something listenable or thoughtful.
The first song “Ausweg” encompasses material recorded during 1997 – which is unfathomable that it has been over twenty years since then. It is with an urgency that you’re thrown into the chaos of crackling noises, what sounds like gunshots into the air – a veritable nightmare that we’d make sure to never live to see. The word in itself, “Ausweg“, portrays a grim reality which musically is not far away from turning into a mish-mash of continuous loops, into a more controlled and adventurous mixture of dark ambient and experimental industrial music.
Throw in a bit of power electronics to shape the mold that it goes by, just to hear the sirens roar as the skies blacken above you – this music is perfect to listen to in the evening, because the same kind of mayhem isn’t believable musically during daytime. Towards the end of the song there’s a lull of acceptance, a small concentrated steadily shifting atmosphere that leaves nothing more then an overlook of the maniacal frenzy that just occurred musically.
“Primary Slave“, also one of his works from 1997, is a descent into nothingness, a nihilistic tendency that devours all the joy you’ve worked up through your day. It is emotionally draining to be listening to, but admirably complex in both the subjective topics being disseminated among a barrage of strong, abrasive rhythm that leaves nothing to be desired musically – it is thought-provoking without having to leave an inch to the imagination. It is like being told what you should be doing, despite a nervousness that slips through the cracks of your subconsciousness.
Honestly, there’s few people that manage to pull off such a masterful combination of the darker genres in electronic music, once you’ve listened until this song, there really isn’t much that can bring forth anything – unless you look far back into the 1980’s, and the primary sources of where this music actually comes from. One of the negatives with this kind of music is that if you’re not heavily into it, there’s nothing you could gain – egotistically speaking – from listening to this. It is a niche that is waiting to reap its benefits, but Anemone Tube’s completeness is what ultimately could break this kind of basic thought.
The third song, “Illusions“, is a previously unreleased track from 1998. Here he makes a clear example with his lyrical ingeniousness, combining the harshness in his vocals with the overall spearheaded atmosphere that thrusts with all its combined weight – into a morbid dark ambient spectacle. A spectacle that leaves no-one undisturbed, a whirlwind of the most uncompromising power electronics, industrialized experimental music that you’ve heard for a long time. This satisfies every man’s need of true, infectious anti-music.
In comparison with the other songs, this one is our favorite. That’s one of the main benefits of listening to Anemone Tube – when one song is surprisingly great – another one strikes out from below and takes the throne. It is almost unbearable to listen through the end, as the intensity is ramped up and you feel a great deal of paranoia – surely one of the most emotionally charged songs thus far.
“Asphyxiate” and “Imminence” were both recorded in 1998, previously released on “Allegories For The Future“, a cassette-release on Loud!. The only reason both of these are written about in the same column, is because it feels like they are more intimately connected then the other songs, both logically but also musically. The aforementioned one isn’t that big of a deal in comparison with the last song, but it bridges over a gap between the more emotionally charged songs, and the fact that it fills you with total indifference.
“Asphyxiate” is literally what it aims to be, just by looking on the title. It is indescribably horrid – not in the musical way – but as it lacks the complexity and forcefulness of the other tracks on the release. “Imminence” grabs a hold of the classic power electronics sound and puts in an atmosphere where it otherwise would be lacking, a constant disarray of charged electronica that bashes in your skull with such frequency that it must be played out loud. If punk is dead then it will re-surge post-mortem through this release – this kind of music is as uncompromising now as it was back then – and this first compilation is a tribute which holds the spirit to a high degree.
For those of you who have been following Anemone Tube for a long time, we sincerely recommend getting this release. Instead of just buying it digitally, but this wonderfully crafted CD and play it quietly, or aloud. Stream it in full down below, this release is as brutal as it possibly could get, and it isn’t a forced re-hash of older material.
Repartiseraren 