SCORN

mjeanes

This was Scorn's first album with Invisible Records. The album Whine is basically the live version of this album, so if you have heard it and wanted to hear the studio versions, this is where you can find them. Again devoid of vocals, this one is full of droning hypnotic patterns and bass-heavy beats. You should have your subwoofer turned all the way up for this one.

Fleshpile

The final chapter in the SCORN story (discounting the live reinterpretation of this material) seems to plough the furrow of uncompromising Ambient Dub which started with "Gyral" right down to the bedrock and perhaps beyond. MICK HARRIS had set course into regions where experimentalism was held foremost over the need to feed the already-established audience what they craved and understood. After the painful birth of the sample-heavy post-NAPALM DEATH debut album, through the commercially-lauded third album, SCORN had forged themselves a unique sound. The sudden whiplash direction change into regions where repetition was not always guaranteed and predictable must have taken most of their followers by surprise - stripped rhythms, faltering and stumbling as if pumped full of designer drugs, they were by no stretch of the imagination 'easy', and so the kudos garnered in the commercial quarters of the music industry was atrophied, replaced instead by a growing respect among the underground scene, who rejoiced in it's often unpredictable nature. "ZandER" consists of deceptively simple, almost metronomic drum patterns, and crawling black reptile bassline, over which noises are layered like diaphanous decorations - fragile nouveau cuisine over frugal but sustaining meat & veg. Simple in effect, but steeped in dark drama atmosphere. As a soundscape, it equals Holland or the Fens in the UK - flat & spatial, each view changing the vista minimally, yet with something new to perceive if you care to focus through the apparent simplicity.........

Antony Burnham (courtesy of the Metamorphic Journeyman website)

Ah, MICK HARRIS. Where would we be without you? Never mind that the man releases more material in a month than most musicians do in their entire career. '94s "Evanescence" was (and still is) a landmark release, bridging the gap between amt. and rhythmic experimentation and leading the way for the Experimental / unconventional underground's acceptance of Drum 'n' Bass and Dubbed-out beats, perhaps even bringing some long-neglected credibility to Hip-Hop. HARRIS' recent projects - among them QUOIT, MATERA (with MAURO TEHRO TEARDO of MEATHEAD), "Overload Lady" (with ERALDO BERNOCCI of SIMM / SIGILLUM S) and EQUATIONS OF ETERNITY (with BERNOCCI and the omnipresent BILL LASWELL) have run the gamut of styles: atmospheric twittering to aggressive D'n'B to Electronic Dub warfare. But at last, at long last, HARRIS gives us his (truly) final outing as SCORN, "ZandER". (Note: at press time it seems that INVISIBLE will be releasing a live SCORN recording, despite rumours that KK will sue anyone who tries...) "ZandER" is, perhaps, HARRIS' finest moment. His trademark drones and scrapes are more haunting, more unsettling than ever; the bass is low, the beats are sparse and driving. Ignoring entirely verse-chorus-verse style arrangements, each of these 8 instrumentals create a sonic landscape, a universe in which to swell and explore. Not as minimal as '96's "Logghi Barogghi" but less fluid than '95's "Gyral" to which it probably bears more resemblance, HARRIS manages to reinvent himself with every recording. There's certainly not the difference between say, "ZandER" and "Logghi" as between "Vae Solis" and even "Evanescence", but HARRIS seems to be refining his style, making subtle alterations, small but vital adjustments in the fabric of his work, so as to create the effect of something even more powerful than before. Since the release of "ZandER" HARRIS seems to be losing his touch, after a fashion: his recycling is more obvious, he seems to be getting comfortable with his status and style. Which is a shame. I like to think we have another good solid 10 records coming from this guy. And if "ZandER" is truly his swan song, make sure you don't pass it up.

Review from INDUSTRIAL NATION #16

SCORN is MICK HARRIS alone in the studio, toying with Ambient scape-textures and looped drum 'n' bass patterns. On paper it looks great. As an ex-member of NAPALM DEATH, HARRIS's background of sonic excess at the extreme end of Thrash seems ideal for drum 'n' bass placement; both genres share a common aesthetic of Breakneck pace and textural exhilaration, of paring things down to their basic essentials. HARRIS remains a reductionist at heart, simply shifting from a basis of riffs/screams to the opposite end of the sound spectrum with a project based entirely on rhythmic interplay and low end rumble (surely every drummer's fantasy).

Sadly, however, the reality of SCORN music is a much more pedestrian affair. From the 'weird' Ambient / Industrial sound - texture - by - numbers of the first track onwards, it is apparent that HARRIS is simply trying too hard. He makes the right moves - drum patterns which tumble over themselves, wailing backlit walls of synth-moan - but it's all so methodical and calculated, so uninspired. It's as if ever since HARRIS spotted JOHN ZORN wearing a NAPALM DEATH T-shirt he's been trying to live up to ZORN's 'take' on him. The point is that NAPALM DEATH were thrillingly unselfconscious, ludicrously over the top, incredulous not credible "[ZandER]" sounds like a glimmer of an idea, an inkling of 'what's happening' stretched out to LP length and waiting patiently for a pat on the head. Let him wait a while longer.

David Keenan from THE WIRE 157

Hmm... what to say about this record. First, it's awesome. Second, don't even bother unless you have some decent audio equipment, and if you do, make sure the walls of your residence aren't prone to shaking...

This is a very stripped down album, possibly even more so than Mick Harris's other previous efforts as Scorn. Gone is everything but the bass and drums and a very small number of atmospheric sounds (less than on Logghi Barroghi and Evanescence) which Harris uses to astounding effect; every song is a massive wall of bass that somehow manages to groove and inspire fear at the same time. No vocals that I could recognize; i guess it's possible there are a couple of vocal samples used as another element in the music, but I honestly have no idea.

In short, if you like any of the "dark electronic dub" music coming out (Techno Animal, New Kingdom, some Bill Laswell, etc.) and you have not heard Scorn, you should immediately run out and buy something. Zander wouldn't be a bad choice, although for the experienced dub fan it might be more satisfying to look at some of the back catalog. If you haven't even heard any "dark dub," then go buy this album. Mick Harris is the master of the genre; nothing else sounds quite like Scorn, and it's amazing.

7/10

A.P. (courtesy of the WPRB website)