Praying For Oblivion

Another day, another parcel. This time from Andrew Seal (AKA Praying For Oblivion). Enclosing a collaboration CDr with Insomnia and the latest PFO album on new Finnish label Obscurex. A nice surprise too. I saw an advert for the Obscurex CD on the web a few weeks back and added it to the "to get" list...cross that one off then....
Had to play the new album straight away.
"Turm Schweigen" (Silent Tower) comes packaged in a slim DCD case and is limited to 200. 7 tracks culled from the Oblivion archive ('98-'07) and remastered in December last year. Track 1 "Invocation" is a great opener, full power electronics with vocals - a bank of screaming electronics with Dando style vocalisation. Next on is "PaleGreyShadow". I know this track from the 2008 mini CD "Euthanasia Institute", unfortunately I think this the weakest track on that release. Sounding like a poor mans Slogun, or at least very American.
I saw Slogun live in Leeds a few years back at The Fenton Arms and I almost pissed myself laughing....but as they used to say on "Tales Of The Riverbank": That's another story.
The next 3 tracks meander into noise territory but as soon as track 6 began my ears picked up. I stood up and had to listen carefully. Excellent PE. Think along the lines of Soldnergeist and Thorofon, I did on hearing "RuneFilledMind". Excellent stuff and the final track "LeichenKeller" (Cellar of Corpses) is the best of the album. Praying For Oblivion are best when sticking to the hard electronic rhythms and instrumental tracks.
All in all an excellent album. I shall cherry pick whilst playing (tracks #1.6+7) but I shall be playing often.

I was fortunate to meet Andrew last December in Lille. The nomadic travelling famalie Cammai spent a few days as guests of Stephane and Sylvie of Nuit Et Broulliard and Andrew was in town too. On a walk from the old town of Lille back to Stephane's apartment we had a great chat on the state of play and the way of the world. Hopefully we shall meet again - I would love to see Praying For Oblivion live.

Pics:
1: "Turm Schweigen" CD Sleeve.
2: Praying For Oblivion sticker.
3: Myself + Andrew with the sleeping Isabel (back row) at the Nuit Et Broulliard HQ. Lille. December 7th 2009.