REPTILJAN

"Archaeodermophagia"

Some Place Else - 2007

CDr - 104 copies

Reptiljan, one of the many disguises of Finnish noise label's grandmaster Niko Skorpio, is back with its third full-length release. "Archaeodermophagia" (the title refers to the habit of certain snakes to eat their own old skin once they've changed it, possibly a metaphor for the project's change in sound) comes as a professional black CDr, limited to 104 copies and presented in a hand-made sleeve including a hand-numbered certificate of authenticity.

If you are familiar with the multi-headed hydra that is Niko Skorpio's sonic art, you should know what to expect by these new reptilian recordings: 7 new tracks show all the Scandinavian's mastery at manipulating and throwing out the noise substance, sometimes in form of a monstrous frontal assault, but, fortunately, more often in a subtler, more intelligent way, in which subterranean structures and what could resemble the corroded corpse of a melody are to be spotted. It's the case of crazy "Cheerleaders Untied", sounding like a H bomb dropped on an American football match, with the dissolving skeletons of cheerleaders still singing their dumb anthems, while waves of boiling radiations are running everywhere. The heavy, swapping atomic storm of "Fireflies I", the nocturnal excursion of "Fireflies II", and the piercing, buzzing frequencies of "Never Let Go (Rock & Roll)" are other examples of this approach.

Not the easiest listening you can find around for sure, "Archaeodermophagia" won't fail to satisfy the hunger of every hardcore noise aficionado, while sensitive ears should keep distance for their safety, or give a try at low volume before venturing in the lair of the Reptiljan.

- Simon V.

Website: http://www.nikoskorpio.net/reptiljan

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/reptiljan