Incapacitants - As Loud As Possible (1995/2022)

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Incapacitants - As Loud As Possible (1995/2022)

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powerful, dynamic, harsh noise wall. the subtle changes are easy to adapt to, and they make sure that youre stuck inside the album for the whole trip. the textures are some of the most detailed ive heard in harsh noise wall yet {idk if that says something about me but theres a chance that it absolutely does}. it's also quite an rewarding album {trust me it is}. very easy to get lost in, pretty memorable, and it's a great experience that i would recommend to you.

by Bump

The sound of rotting in the grave.
The natural death of a human body can be a painful and slow process. An endurance test of a lifetime. It is unpleasant for both the afflicted and the affected. It is a degrading thing to experience as well, as your faculties shut down and you become helpless. It is not something you want to be defined as. Perhaps it is this feeling of frustration, or perhaps more clearly, of annoyance, that the drinking man on the cover portrays?

Incapacitants have constructed a soundtrack to this very theme it seems, with pulsating electronic noise on “Apoptosis” and overwhelming sound destruction on “Necrosis”, as is fitting with a title like that. Concerning sonics, As Loud as Possible shows masterful control over sound creation, shaping and forming it before setting it free to fulfill its own purpose. Just listen to “Live 950401”. These are dedicated masters of sound manipulation.

An overall theme of complete destruction without ample rebuilding is really what I gather from this record. Perhaps in a sense it is nihilistic and asocial, perfect for the brooding human or one who longs for death. I am neither of those things, though, which maybe impedes my full appreciation of this piece.

by Mimrelund

The title is a hot take yes, but I struggle to think of an album that I would recommend over this to someone who wanted to learn what Harsh Noise was. Contained in this 72 minutes are three tracks of endlessly layered noise mastery, presented with a delightfully blunt album title and innocuous album art.

Apoptosis is the only slow-builder on here, easing the listener in as violently as possible with noise that scratches and claws it's way into your ear, before building to a vaguely rhythmic, hypnotic climax. The latter two tracks have no room for such subtleties though, instead employing a dense brand of ear-dissecting sonic terror.

As Loud as Possible rewards both active and background listening, with the latter coercing the listener into letting themselves be washed away by the constantly lashing waves of unruly noise. The former breeds even more appreciation for this record, and a fair amount of terror too, as even re-listen shifts your focus to another layer on the ever-building pile.

All of this is not to say that this album is a 'baby's first noise album,' rather I think this album captures a fair bit of what makes Harsh Noise worth hearing and is therefore worth listening to by anyone genuinely interested in giving the genre a shot. Hopefully you'll react as the crowd does at the end of this album and politely applaud this monument to non-music.

by TheRightGun