C.3.3. – Ballad Of Reading Gaol – The Cacophonietta (CD Album – Cold Spring Records)

Genre/Influences: Cinematographic, dark-ambient, experimental.

Background/Info: Cold Spring Records is used to bringing ‘old’ releases back to life. C.3.3. is Paul Jamrozy assisted by Roz Corrigan. Jamrozy was one of the founding members of the legendary industrial formation Test Department. C.3.3. is taken from the cell number where Oscar Wilde (“The Portrait Of Dorian Grey”) was incarcerated in Reading Goal – prison. This prison also is the main source of inspiration from this album originally released in 2011 (as CDR). This is a remastered version featuring 2 bonus cuts.

Content: It’s not easy listening to this work without keeping Test Department out of mind. It becomes even a bit confusing when realizing Test Dept. allowed Jamrozy to use some samplings. But even if there’re some similarities like on the orchestral arrangements running through “Movement IV – The Devil’s Own Brigade” and the narrative format featured at some cuts, C.3.3. is not Test Department.

The work reveals dark-ambient atmospheres, pure experimental treatments, industrial passages and even neo-classic parts. Tracks are now accompanied by slow rhythms and next carried by heavy, bombastic drum sections. There also is a part of poetry, directly taken from a poem by Oscar Wilde.

+ + + : You somewhere can hear that Paul Jamrozy has this early industrial music background. The work is not stereotypical, but brings different influences together while in the end it all becomes pretty compact. It gives me the impression that music is a kind of puzzle, where each little piece is matching with another. The engaged and sometimes enraged narrating style is absolutely great (and also reminds me of the early 80s experiments and Test Dept. in particular). It’s exactly the same for the heavy, orchestral arrangements. Both bonus cuts are really great cuts and adding a real ‘bonus’ to the album.

– – – : I would have liked to hear a bit more vocals (narration), which I think is one of the main characteristics from this work.

Conclusion: C.3.3. will be (re)discovered by this re-release. I’m not always fascinated by old releases that are recovered from the dust, but when it concerns such an artist with a great past I can only, but be thankful to Cold Spring to bring this ‘dark industrial ballad’ back to life.

Best songs: “Movement IV – The Devil’s Own Brigade”, “Movement II – Iron Town”, “Panoptix – Vermin Mix”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/C33HQ

Label: www.coldspring.co.uk / www.facebook.com/coldspringhq