As one can tell from the title, here we find Dave Brenner on his own, and away from his home city of New York. Recorded at Atlas Brew Works in Washington, DC, May 4th, 2019, this was the fourth and final show of ‘Springtime In The Abyss Pt. 2’, and was Gridfailure’s first tour. Unfortunately, this is only 17 minutes long, but again the show can be seen on YouTube. As always, he is mixing different sounds and styles into something dark, oppressive, and pushing the very boundaries of the definition of music. The vocals are twisted, and the result is something which shocks the senses, with gentle high elements being overtaken and destroyed by the abrasive nature of what is going on in the lower registers. It is visceral, hitting into the chest in waves, with little in the way of lightness. While some musicians use light and shade, Dave’s palette is somewhat darker, and he twists the electronic knife like a scientist wondering just how much pain the patient can endure before passing out.
This is not easy listening, and is never designed to be as such, as this is a full-on sensory experience where the listener is blasted into a different time and dimension as this world simply ceases to exist. All there is the sound, and the sound is everything. If ever there was a remake of Clockwork Orange, then this would be a central theme and would be the music which Alex would be subjected to. Not for the fainthearted.
Rating: 7/10
