CoC : Scorn - Gyral : Review

Scorn - _Gyral_
(Earache Records, 1995)
by: Laura Wiebe (7 out of 10)

_Gyral_ is the newest release from the brainchild of Michael Harris, former Napalm Death drummer. On Earache Records and Scorn Recordings, this vocal-less, ambient electronic album is very dark, not entirely suitable for the sunny afternoon on which I first heard it. Some of the machine sounds are quite cool, while others are too high-pitched to be anything but overdone and annoying. When the strings or piano parts come in, it often serves as somewhat of a relief. Although _Gyral_ contains some good ideas, I think in most of the songs it really wasn't necessary to take so long to express them, and there is a lot of repetition. The album's least pleasant offerings consist of Casio-like hip hop drum loops and synth-bass lines. Despite these failings, Scorn works as eerie background music, but this isn't something I'd play at a party or give the headphone treatment.

(article published 9/2/1996)