ANTIchildLEAGUE

"The Father"

Hagshadow - 2008

CD

ANTIchildLEAGUE, more often simply known as ACL, is an entity created by notorious London-based events-organizer Gaya Donadio, and has now already existed for a few years. After the tape debut back in 2001, here comes the first CD release, conceived as a retrospective of "experimental / harsh and melodic noise". There couldn't be a more appropriate definition, as the sound you'll find on "The Father" is very articulated, multi-faced and even original, with little connections to the power-electronics environment that ACL's collaborations with the likes of Con-Dom or The Grey Wolves would suggest. Similarities can be found on the iconographic and attitude level, even if the controversy and frontal aggression of the aforementioned English veterans are replaced by a more subtle and disturbing approach.

The sound is never extremely noisy, except for "Overpopulate Destroy" and final "Burn The Cross", it's more experimental and hypnotic, even rhythmic at times, with Gaya's treated vocals sounding robotic and disquieting, especially in the ghostly "Only One Mother". Production is excellent, and it couldn't be otherwise, since it was entrusted to Godlesstate, aka Patrick Leagas of 6 Comm. "The Father" is an intriguing listening, a quite different story from the monotonous standards on which the industrial / noise scene has settled itself recently. Keep an eye on this name.

- Simon V.

Website: http://www.hagshadow.net

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