Philipp Münch – New Ritual Music (Album – Ant-Zen)
Genre/Influences: Experimental, Industrial, electro, Noise.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: German sound alchemist Philipp Münch strikes back with a new album under his own name. The work is inspired by the quest for new rituals in times where people are more and more turning their back to rites.
Content: This is probably one of the most diversified works I’ve heard by this artist. It feels a bit like he brought the wide sonic canvas from all his different projects together. From electro-Industrial music driven by a Technoid kick to Experimental and Cinematic music he also touches ground with EBM with haunting vocals on top while getting back to the early years of Experimental/Industrial music. The album comes to an end with Noise waves.
+ + + : You’ll for sure find one or more tracks to your taste; this album being very diversified and collecting an impressive number of influences. It clearly indicates Philipp Münch is and remains an open-minded musician who also feels comfortable dealing with different music genres. Whatever the music path he walks on he remains driven by the taste of creating great sound sculptures. “Still Angry” is one of my favorite cuts for reminding me of Throbbing Gristle elements which have been meticulously adapted into modernism featuring a Techno kick and Acid-like influences.
– – – : The main strength of this work also is its weakest point; a very versatile opus which sometimes sounds like a compilation instead of a compact album made by one and the same author.
Conclusion: Philipp Münch remains first of all a true sonic guru.
Best songs: “Still Angry”, “Violently Psychotic”, “Crystal In A Well”.
Rate: 7½.
Artist: www.facebook.com/philippmuench.de
Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official
About Philipp Münch
Philipp Münch is a German musician active under his own name and through a long list of projects, including The Rorschach Garden, which he set up in 1988, as well as Synapscape, Ars Moriendi, Mandelbrot and Rasputin. The Rorschach Garden has been put on hold and reactivated several times over the decades, with Münch remaining its sole constant member; the project’s most recent album, “We Are Vanishing”, appeared on Ant-Zen. “New Ritual Music”, released under Münch’s own name on Ant-Zen, gathers the range of styles he has explored across his different projects, from electro-Industrial and EBM to Experimental, Cinematic and Noise material.
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.
