Armenia, the project (unlike the country), has steadily been releasing noisy vinyl, tapes and CDs ever since half of the 90s, and from what I can tell, Sabatto (the guy who is Armenia, yes) has been doing a pretty good job of it, having released through labels such as Dada Drumming, Turgid Animal and R.O.N.F., and having released splits with the likes of Stimbox, Emil Beaulieau and Pedestrian Deposit, besides running his own esteemed label Bizarre Audio Arts. 10 Sangrantes Piezas Metamorficas was recorded live in Lumberton, North Carolina, in November 2007, and released that same year through the quality label Ruido Horrible, who have released some quality material from quality artists in quality packaging.So how about this one? 10 Sangrantes, as the title would have you believe, features ten short cuts (seven of 2:49 and three slightly longer ones), which sometimes fade in and out and sometimes do not, and which sometimes sound pretty fucking brutal and sometimes not, making the whole thing sounds more like a random collection of a near-dozen short lives than a single live gig, but what do I know. Neither does it really matter, since the overall impression this disc leaves is a pretty good one, and that is clearly the most important thing of all.10 Sangrantes wavers between high end harsh noise material on the one hand, and lower end crunchy material on the other. The diversity is interesting, and it makes for an enjoyable ride. The opener kicks in loudly and shrilly: high end screeching crashes by at a violently fast pace, leaving the listener little room to breathe, then eventually and suddenly kicking back, stumbling on confusedly and messedly, only to revert back into the relentless whizzing and whirring as Pieza 2 kicks in. The lower end is left nearly completely untouched here, and some extra crunch would have been enjoyable, but this reviewer wouldn’t dare complain about such an excellent ruckus otherwise.As the disc progresses, Sabatto presents us with some roomier cuts as well, with slightly crunchier textures undercutting some more dynamically rich high end noise, here and there reverbing like a maniac, looping shakily, Sabatto hacking away at the sound stream and leaving it battered and bruised. The dynamics are maintained throughout, and 10 Sangrantes stumbles from one joyride into another, thrashing like hell, getting sick to the stomach, puking all over and feeling pretty good about it, too. The schizophrenic and slightly masochistic experience this disc provides is grand, and as Piezo 8 tears at my bleeding ear drums I imagine I hear the voices of a thousand ghosts, and it’s a good feeling.That is not to say the disc is without fault. Like I said, the noise mostly seems to stick to the higher end of the spectrum, and it doesn’t quite manage to rub you like sand paper; with truly crackling layers of sound being largely absent, the sometimes slightly homogenous sound stream washes over you more like a (very obnoxious, very noisy, yes) bar of soap. And while the sound palette is mostly pretty fucking excellent, silly beeps and blips rub me the wrong way, and I can’t help it; as soon as they make their appearance, my brain tunes out of its own accord. However, these are minor objections, and the silly blips are kept to a minimum.10 Sangrantes is a highly enjoyable, if not slightly anonymous, disc, which is sure to satisfy those who enjoy a good and diverse bit of loud sound. While this disc is by no means unmissable, it is neither yet another (yawn) Sunday afternoon excursion down too well-trodden paths, and while it does neither explore new territory nor break new ground, it’s enough of a change of scenery to keep you happy.
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