47 Ashes – Heilige Flammekueche

Even before I hear the first notes of this album “47 Ashes” causes some laughs. Does humour belong in music? Yes it does, if swallowed in small doses. This project obviously does not take itself too seriously. On the cover we find an over-the-top image of the artist involved, with a strange grimace while holding a large knife and a skull. Ooh, how satanic.. The other pictures in the booklet are just as serious. But 47 Ashes wants to make a profit: “Don’t give your money to Chtulhu, Wotan or Lucifer, give your money to 47 Ashes”. The songtitles are absolutely hilarious: ‘Brown Pretzel (for George W. Bush)’, ‘Svastikaffeeklatsch’, ‘Tattooed tits, turntables and totentanz’, Like a menhir on a dancefloor (smells like pagan spirit)’, to name but a few.

It’s hard to take the music too serious after this introduction. 47 Ashes treats us to dark ritual soundscapes, minimal and repetive, with occult hints here and there. Not so surprising, when you consider that Lord Evil of Melek-Tha participated in this creation. Noisy loops, a weird and sometimes grim atmosphere, some strangily manipulated sounds, menacing voices in the backgroundlo-fi production… Boyd Rice is watching behind the corner. All in all this album sounds more like a parody on the ‘misanthropocalyptic’ scene. A track like ‘Europalcoholocaust’ really sounds if it’s made in a drunken mood. “Heilige Flammekueche” makes me laugh, but I doubt if I will play it often pure for its aural delights.

artist: 47 Ashes
label: self-released
details: 12 tracks