Search - Imminent Starvation :: Nord

Inside the Machine

Jesse Melat | Cleveland | 02/24/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'll be frank. The industrial genre hasn't seen a paragon of this caliber since the heyday of Skinny Puppy. Full of stagnant, gothy electro/EBM and all who would be :wumpscut:, "industrial" has almost become a dirty word to me.But not so now. Oliver Moreaux, the genius behind Imminent Starvation (now simply called "Imminent") is the founding father of industrial's latest mutation: powernoise. There are no vocals, no guitars. Only machines. Machines to the nth degree. Machines everywhere. And it's wonderful. Though Nord will certainly be off-putting to the majority of listeners, it is undeniably powerful in its noisy, rhythmic coldness. Noise rhythms, icy synthesizers, a blizzard of metallic impacts, and a hail storm of static. I'm being a tad dramatic, but this is how I get when something excites me this much. Nord had me hopping up and down like a little kid when I first listened to it two years ago, and its still sending shivers down my spine today. It's powerful because, while respectful to industrial traditions, it has no time for its cliches. Nord grabs up and assimilates influences by the dozen to create itself: a bit Merzbow here, a bit of sound collage there, and some IDM rhythm for good measure.While there are songs that could be used for the dance floor, this is clearly not the intent. The effort Moreaux has put into the atmosphere, the sheer urgency, and the sheer menace of these tracks is too monumental for it to have been simply another utilitarian dance LP. As I mentioned, the album is now over two years old, but it's held up like the classic it is, needless to say, with no one else in the powernoise field having surpassed it in scope, or in emotional depth. I anxiously await Imminent's next release, and recommend that anyone with the stomach for something a little noisier than usual pick this up immediately."

Beautiful noise

StruwwelHexe | 05/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not a big fan of noise or hardcore into industrial sounds, but this CD has helped me expand my view of the genre.
It's tribal music made entirely with machine sounds! When i first heard it i was a bit taken aback, but instantly intrigued. This is the kind of music that can put you in a trance. Play this in your car on a long trip but be sure to be in the passenger seat so you can properly space out to it. Tentack One is my favorite track by far, think early 1900's train sound set to a beat of hammer and anvil with a touch of my washing machine on spin cycle. Strangely rhythmic...this guy is a genious. This whole album is (in my view) the best of both worlds, both primitive and current all at once. Beautiful noise to dance to."

Beautiful noise

nox@stones.com | Toronto, Canada | 02/18/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Shades of Autechre, Throbbing Gristle and Einsturzende Neubauten. Think of drum and bass made with machine noises. That's an approximation of Imminent Starvation's sound. Tracks like Tentack One are dancefloor destroyers. Others, like the phenomenal Ire, are crazed industrial drill-n-bass epics. Sure to be loved by Rythmic Noise fans and those who favour harder techno."