Metrics vinyl

The latest installment in the ever-thickening plot of Opal Tapes comes in the form of this missive from darkside scavenger Yves De Mey. With a legacy that includes appearances on Downwards and the Sendai project with Peter Van Hoesen, you can be sure De Mey's intentions are sinister and the music that lurches forth across Metrics confirms any such suspicions. The bass throbs that drive "Box Caisson" seems intent on sending you straight to hell, while impeccably arranged layers of hum and buzz crowd around in clandestine agreement. "Metrics" lingers in a suspended animation made up of static interference that gradually coagulates around a dusting of percussion, while "Eye Splice" comes on like a botched dub techno experiment clanging against the interior of a glass tank. "Cessation" attempts some sort of reconciliation made up of more discernible melodies, but the pads are too distant and distorted to be really trusted. For oppressive sound design and un-techno malaise, it doesn't get any better than this.