MZ.412 – The Nar Mattaru Curses (Digital/CD Album – Cold Spring)
The story of MZ.412 began in 1987. Almost 40 years later, this Swedish project has established itself as a true pioneer in the Industrial and Dark-Ambient genres. On this release, Henrik Nordvargr Björkk, Jonas Aneheim and Jouni Ollila present a selection of 14 tracks composed between 1989 and 2017 and all recorded in the Nar Mattaru studio. These long-forgotten and exclusive recordings are finally brought together on an album that fans can only welcome with enthusiasm.
Over the years, MZ.412 has remained faithful to the influences that laid the foundations for its distinctive sound and success. What we get here is a fusion of Dark-Ambient and Industrial, with plenty of room for experimentation—sometimes bordering on what could best be described as free-form composition. Moving between orchestral passages and other fragments of overwhelming sonic intensity, MZ.412 continues to surprise its audience. I consider these guys genuine visionaries, yet they have also managed to develop a sound and style entirely of their own. What makes this even more fascinating to me is that, alongside MZ.412, these musicians also achieved considerable success with the EBM project Pouppée Fabrikk. How schizophrenic can you get? In the best possible sense, of course—and what a powerful combination!
This is far more than just a collection of insignificant tracks. It is a genuine musical treasure trove that was long overdue for release. (Rating:8).
Listen to “Fire”:
https://coldspring.bandcamp.com/track/fire
Support Side-Line
More people read Side-Line than ever, and there is still no paywall and no advertising. Readers pay for it instead - from $5 a month.
Why we ask
Advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations we have not put up a paywall, and we refuse to add annoying advertising, so we need to ask for your help. Side-Line’s independent journalism takes time, money and hard work to produce, and we do it to push the artists we like, who are equally fighting to survive.
Handled by PayPal.
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
