Nic Endo – Cold Metal Perfection

Nic Endo became notable as the mysterious presence at the back of the stage producing Atari Teenage Riot’s chaotic music while the other three members took turns spiting vitriolic lyrics at the audience. Since the dissolution of Atari Teenage Riot in the year 2000, Endo has continually collaborated with Atari Teenage Riot leader Alec Empire on his solo work as well as producing her own solo records. Which leads us to the subject of this post Cold Metal Perfection.

Leaving behind the relentless noize of her White Heat outing in favour of a sound inspired by soundtracks of black and white noir and horror films (in an interview she mentioned Carnival of Souls as a key example) and combining elements of free jazz with electronic music, Cold Metal Perfection is a powerfully immersive experience, thick with haunting electroic sounds, and capable of transfering you to a tense and mysterious alternative reality.

A key moment in the album is Le Sacrifice (Cercles Mysterieux), an interpretation of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, including a sample of the sinister repeated string phrase from from the Spring Round Dances section.

Opening track Man-Eater, one of the few up tempo moments on the album, provides another highpoint, including a sample of famous Bauhaus track Bela Legosi’s Dead.

Cold Metal Perfection is a true solo album, with absolutly no musicians, producers, engineers, or mixers credited except Endo herself, and as sch serves as a showcase for Endo’s mastery of electronic sound manipulation, and the depth of her musiccal capabilities.

Check out samples from the album on Nic Endo’s MySpace profile.