For anyone keeping track, yes, I did just post the BMT track from this 2024 split, as it was released digitally for the first time just last week. But as I listened to that track, I wanted to take a deeper dive into the split release. And what a rabbit hole I ended up going down!
Controlled Death is an industrial noise/black ambient project from Japanese artist Maso (Masonna) Yamazaki. I had never heard any of his work before, but was immediately hooked at first listen. Very discordant, with tons of reverb, ear-piercing distortion, and a prominent organ sound throughout, giving the track a bit of a classic "creepy sounds" feel to it. It all sounds like it was recorded on an old handheld tape recorder pulled from the back of a closet. Right up my alley!!
As I was already familiar with Black Mountain Transmitter's work, I ended up taking a deep dive into Controlled Death's releases and was giddy with what I have heard so far.
There are a ton of cassette and vinyl releases and I have only begun to scratch the surface, but it gives me something to enthusiastically explore throughout the Halloween season and I will share much more as I go along.
Correspondingly, I ended up also discovering Deathbed Tapes, the label that released this and many of Controlled Death's offerings. Completely DIY, limited, handmade black-and-white cassette releases of similar industrial/ambient/noise artists that I will be quickly adding to my collection throughout this season. I literally cannot wait to hold these releases in my hands, appreciating the craftsmanship and enveloping myself within the audio of each cassette.
Please enjoy the full release of "Horror Rises From The Tomb," which pays tribute to the 1973 Spanish horror film of the same name from Paul Naschy.
And as an added bonus/request, if anyone has the physical cassette release for this I will gladly pay you for it. The cassette comes in an old clamshell VHS case and features... A SILKSCREENED VOMIT BAG!!! Outstanding!
