Published by Davide Pappalardo on August 12, 2018
C.3.3. is the name of the solo project from Paul Jamrozy, co-founder of the famous industrial band TEST DEPT. In a time of political ambiguity and provocation used by the pioneers of the genre, the British artists stood as un-ironical supporters of socialist realism, representing with their early works the harsh reality of work in England during the 80’s. Their music mixed the use of scrap metal salvaged from waste ground and derelict factories with orchestral, tribal and noise elements, evolving in a more redefined form by time. During the 90’s they moved toward a techno-inspired sound with breakbeat and dub elements, before disappearing from the scene.
In 2011 Jamrozy released under the aforementioned name the first version of Ballad Of Reading Gaol – The Cacophonietta, a work based on a reading of Oscar Wilde’s lament for the execution of a fellow inmate while incarcerated in cell C.3.3 under gross indecency charges. The name of the cell was used by the poet as a pseudonym for the publication of the poem which bear the same name of the first part of the title of the album. Now UK label Cold Spring present us with a remastered version of the work with 2 bonus tracks featuring TEST DEPT. themselves. Here we will find dark ambient and industrial elements upon which the voice of Noel Macken is layered, tracing the history of the location through to the present current political and social situation, evoking the harsh realities of Victorian and modern day Britain. The soundtrack is composed by Paul Jamrozy with the help of Roz Corrigan on piano, keyboards and gramophone.
The prologue presents the reading expressed by a captivating voice, displaying theatrical innuendos and soulful passion without the aid of any music or sound for the first minute and half. Then, an evocative synth-layer is used in order to give us a growing intensity upon which the words still moves in our ears and souls. The first movement, Blood and wine, showcases dark ambient undertones and eerie orchestral sounds, crafting a beautiful soundscape with melancholic edges and a subtle use of percussion in the background. Few elements used at great effect, never indulging in any excess or interrupting the mantra made of music. Iron town is a marching episode reminding us of the tradition of English bands like the early Greater Than One or TEST DEPT. themselves, a hypnotizing affair crafted via industrial rhythms and monolithic drums. A powerful voice with reverbs recite its lesson, while the layers of sound becomes more vigorous introducing ominous atmospheres and sharper effects in the background. After the fourth minute a droning bass underlines the evocative words together with the dark ambient sounds we find i the track. Gallows tree deploys cinematic lines and grim arches and ghostly ambiances, preparing the ground for the heartfelt delivery of the voice. A droning mantra guides us among the dense sound, while we are engulfed by inquisitive effects, and after the fifth minute we have even more theatrical moments and a final climax underlined by harsh beats.
The devil’s own brigade ends the core of the album following lead with its mysterious atmospheres and heavily modified vocals, while sampled voices and the sound of chains craft a dark layer full of grimness, but interspersed with sudden majestic orchestral moments. A sonic microcosm in which dark ambient and industrial elements are fused with experimental electronics; and so, the greatest surprise arrives, being a syncopated ride reminiscent of TEST DEPT. techno years, An electro-industrial cacophony dominates the episode, doomed to collapse into a reprise of the previous sound, a sort of calm after the destruction. The reprise Pit of shame is an ambient piece full of beautiful keys and melancholic drones, a serene orchestra with soulful passages and cosmic synth-lines. It works as an outro before the two bonus tracks Acousticon (Segregation mix) and Panoptix (Vermin mix). The first is a new version of a track published on the compilation In Progress: Various Artists Volume II in 2013, here rendered as play at ambiances with droning effects and shrilling disturbances mitigated by heavily lines and spiraling climaxes. The usual skills in holding and releasing sonic tension are employed in order to evolve toward tribal percussions and film-score atmospheres with subtle electronic mantras, Then, sharp industrial effects have their say, but the track keeps changing course in an engaging structure, ending with beautiful melodies. The second is another orchestral piece full of sombre lines and mysterious ambiances, soon turning into a crawling affair with broken sharp rhythms and ominous distortions: the art of integrating modern electro elements into old-school industrial structure is an indication of seasoned veterans of the genre who have seen, and used, it all.
This new version of the work enriches the listening experience thanks to a more effective track order, a mastered sound, and two great bonus tracks which are not out of place on the album despite being not part of the original core. All the aspects of TEST DEPT. music are here used in someway: dark ambient passages, orchestral elements, theatrical performances. Industrial repercussions, techno-tinged rhythms. The result is an album outside of time and fashions, an artistic piece which works on many different levels at the same time. Poetry, experimental sounds, cathartic chaos, beautiful and sad melodies are here to be found, encompassing the human nature and experience. A great work demanding the attention of any true lover of this kind of music, and of good music despite the genre.
Label: Cold Spring
Rating: 9