Since I am such a great, and therefor popular, reviewer (don’t you dare to laugh), I focus on material that I get directly from a band / project or a label - after they did ask me, politely of course, whether I would be that kind to spend some time on listening to, and writing about, this or that specific recording. I am that sympathetic that I do invest my confined spare time on reviewing material that I do like, and which deserves my time and energy. Sort of…
No, seriously, this is how it usually works. I get stuff, I write down what I think about it, and I curse the fact that days last for 24 hours only (otherwise I could write more reviews). I do not spend time in writing reviews for stuff I hear that are not related to bands / projects or labels I am in touch with. Normally, at least, I do not. But hey, I just heard an album that is just so intriguing that I cannot but present to you: The Culling Of Human Existence For Pleasure And Necessity by international duo Regiment VX. I didn’t know them, but apparently it is a collaboration of composer / instrumentalist / lyricist Martin W Daniels from the U.K. and lyricist / vocalist Carlotta Loth from Chile. The duo did record this album during Winter 2020/2021, with Daniel taking care of the production and mixing duties himself. It gets released via Poland’s finest Gates Of Hypnos, a young yet extremely productive label that focuses on a rather dark-edged and ritualistic niche of Noise and related genres, run by Przemysław ‘Sadox’ Grochowski (the guy behind the mighty project Sado Rituals).
So, what’s up? Well, Regiment VX have nothing to do with Noise whatsoever, yet seen their obscure and misanthropic approach, they do fit to an open-minded label like Gates Of Hypnos for sure. Actually, what this guy and this girl bring is an expression of misanthropy, disgust, hatred, negativism, anger, intolerance and abhorrence towards the human race. It gets sort of canalised via two related genres, i.e. Neo-Folk and Dark Ambient. Okay, this is a general description, but it is within these genres where one might define this project’s sonic approach.
The Culling Of Human Existence For Pleasure And Necessity is not a very lengthy work, for the ten ‘songs’ lasts for about thirty-seven minutes. But even with brief messages, their hateful propaganda gets clear very soon! Remarkable are the texts, for the revulsion and aversion against modern society and the stupidity of mankind get spawned with a surprisingly deeply-profound conviction and persuasion. It’s almost punk and anarchy, it’s a manifest for mass-extinction and total war. And it is impossible to count how many times the f-word passes by. You like it or you do not, but if not, you can indeed f* off! The texts trespass borders of normality and decency (‘I command you all: do my murderous work, I command you all [sic] to make photos of their bodies for me’), but it’s brought so explicit and, at the same time, so intrinsic and personal, somehow evoking sympathy for these dreadful convictions…
The better part is of the ambient kind. It all starts with the opening track, Poison Gas Is My Weapon Of Choice. It opens with some martial drum-patterns and a mesmerizing synth-line, soon joined by the voice of Carlotta. She sings in English, okay, with a non-English accent, but there’s rage, disgust and superiority in it. Actually, she does not really ‘sing’; rather her voice is like narrating, bringing poetry of death. Ah, that combination of hypnotic keyboard lines, tribalistic percussion and those female voices works intoxicating, intriguing, and threatening. In a comparable vein, pieces like the title track, I Command, Fuck Authority (the support of total anarchy) and Kidnapped Horizons promulgate more negative opinions through minimal yet hypnotic ambience and semi-spoken vocal proclamation.
A composition like The Jubilance Of Triumph goes even further, trespassing the border of the Martial Industrial scene with a sardonic persuasion. Vocals and militant tribal drum patterns, like a military parade, marching onward to victory and eternal honour. No troops can stop this horde! Also We Use Chemical And Biological Weapons is extremely martial in execution, with pounding percussions and hypnotising synth melodies – and lyrics about love and forgiveness, of course (as the title suggests). Poison the enemy, gas the enemy, infest the enemy…
Some pieces are based on the origins of Neo-Folk and Apocalyptic Folk. Symbols In The Storm, Destroy The Minds Of Fools or New Age Warrior are such thing, based on melodious acoustic guitars (and floating yet distant keyboard-lines) by Martin and the characteristic spoken-like terror-propaganda voice of Carlotta. What if Puissance play Folk-styled stuff, then this could be the answer. No tolerance for traitors, nor for the government, the weak and the masses…