Precipice Recordings: Vol 1

Precipice Recordings: Vol. 1

Review by Rotwang

This is the first release from Projekt offshoot label Precipice Recordings. Started by Padraic Ogl of Thanatos, Precipice Recordings is the new home of Thanatos and up and coming etherial artists Claire Voyant. Many new labels get started by putting out compilations, and Precipice is no exception. Contained on this disc are tracks by the aforementioned Claire Voyant, Chainsuck, Human Drama, Trance to the Sun, Shoong, Bleeding Like Mine, Rhea's Obsession, Nomenclature, Love Spirals Downwards, God Loves Over Dose (G.L.O.D.), and MNPLTR. Overall this is a compilation that has a lot going for it. It has a wide variety of bands and genres that compliment each other very well, and the bands themselves are all undergrounds acts that, while obscure (save for Human Drama and Love Spirals Downwards), are known by many in the industry for being very talented up and coming acts. That is nice because it gives the listener an opportunity to hear new bands that otherwise would be missed. This disc is heavy in the female vocals department, with only Human Drama, Shoong and MNPLTR lacking a siren at the mic. This will please the Hyperium and Projekt crowds, which is, I suppose, the intended audience. Highlight tracks include "Serenade" by Claire Voyant, a electronic piece that balances an high tech urban sound with some Victoria Lloyd's supple voice, "Hell in the Deepest Heart" by newcomers Nomenclature, an almost psycadelic piece with a very twisted classical spin, and "Asleep," a Love Spirals Downwards song exclusive to this disc. However, while this compilation seems to want to serve as a recognition platform for underrecognised musical acts, Precipice Recordings suffers from the same obscurity as the bands it tries to promote. That, when combined with a rather generic package design full of punctuation errors, means this disc must rely on Pat Ogl's name and word-of-mouth for it's own promotion, which it just may be able to do with overall high quality of the artists on the disc.

Relevant Links:

Thanatos Website at Projekt Records

Projekt Records

Claire Voyant Homepage

Chainsuck at Wax Trax!/TVT

Human Drama Homepage

Trance to the Sun at Tess Records

Bleeding Like Mine Site at Palace of Worms

Love Spirals Downwards at Projekt

A G.L.O.D. Site