single-sided 12″ vinil, , 2007
www.myspace.com/bluesabbathblackcheer
Blue Sabbath Black Cheer began in December of 2005 and consists of members WM. Rage (Electric Heavyland) and Stan Reed (Broken Penis Orchestra). The first mistake a person should not make when approaching these artists’ body of work (and it is getting rather large with all the limited edition cassettes and LPs coming out) is to think he or she is jumping into some form of stoner rock. I’ve never knowingly listened to Blue Cheer, but I’ve heard plenty Black Sabbath, and Blue Sabbath Black Cheer comes across as evil enough to make them sound like church music.
This untitled 12″ starts off with crackly noise and dooming horn sounds and quickly evolves into something far noisier – and this noise isn’t mindlessly blasted feedback. There are squeals, static-like blasts and other nameless things giving this slab of vinyl a thick, harsh wall of noise. Tortured screams kick in that almost blend into the wall of noise themselves at first, until they become more pronounced in parts. It quite literally sounds like the duo is being tormented as they perform this track. Two things that really stand out in the mix are the throbbing bass in certain parts and the use of horns that sound like the marching music for if the gates of hell were thrown wide open and its legions were to overrun the Earth. The wall of noise eventually dies out into some rough clatter (aptly enough Reed is credited with “clatter” in the credits) before a droning high-pitched noise comes back to show you that it’s not quite over yet. Although this section has less going on, it is no less powerful in pushing discomfort upon its listeners. At the end what sounds like more screams enters along with a wall of static before it promptly ends.
Although this release is less creepy and more straightforward “noise” than what I’m usually used to from these guys, it was a welcome addition to my collection. Limited to only 100 copies, I’m sure this will follow in the footsteps of other B.S.B.C. releases and quickly go out of print. Hopefully someday they will have a widely available release for all to enjoy (or be extremely disturbed by? take your pick!).
[8.5/10]
— Charlie Martineau