SIGILLUM S

23|20 (2x12" version)

  A1/ Elephant Generator                         (Bernocchi)                   5.25
  A2/ Invasion of Earth by a Malevolent Horde    (Bernocchi)                   4.07
  A3/ Recovery of the Irrevocable Star           (Bernocchi)                   5.02
  A4/ Such Elegy Professes Colossal Difficuties  (Bernocchi)                   4.08

  B1/ Sofrikario Bakarrik Modulator              (Bernocchi)                   4.08
  B2/ Wall of                                    (Bernocchi)                   4.14
  B3/ Temporal Dynamics of Bio-Diversity         (Bernocchi)                   5.27
  B4/ Manifold Miasma Lunacy	                 (Bernocchi)                   3.33

  C1/ Camera Documentable Parade of Nudity       (Bernocchi,Krol)              3.50
  C2/ Disasters Are the Aftermath of God's Fury  (Bernocchi)                   5.30
  C3/ Late May                                   (Bernocchi,Tiso,Tiso)         6.54
  C4/ Spectacular Geological Fault Line          (Bernocchi)                   3.46

  D1/ Overwhelming Destroyer                     (Bernocchi)                   5.06
  D2/ Persian Axiomatic                          (Bernocchi)                   6.00
  D3/ Softer Than Anything They Experience       (EB,Iriondo,MP,Battaglia)     4.14
  D4/ Voodoo Inside Anxiety Spins Like           (Bernocchi)                   3.17
        Contraband Prank Principles

          Recorded and produced through 2005 and 2006 at Verba Corrige, SRS and
            various World Locations 
          Recorded and engineered by Eraldo Bernocchi
          Vocals on track 11 recorded by Marco "La Nonna" Posocco
          Global/Local Inputs, sources and coordination by P.NG5361.Bandera
          Produced by Sigillum S
          Executive Produced by Eraldo Bernocchi and P.NG5361.Bandera
          Artwork concept, graphics and photos by Petulia Mattioli aka PM.Koma
          Mastered by Michael Fossenkemper at Turtletone Studios, New York City

SIGILLUM S (here): P.NG361.Bandera, Eraldo Bernocchi and Luca Di Giorgio: sound construction; Audio Contributions - Claudio Agostoni, Andrea Marutti, Mark Solotroff, Karyn and all Crisis members, Ephel Duath, Raiz, Bill Laswell, Zu, Zabler Iriondo, Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari, Gudrun Gut, Toshinori Kondo, Thomas Fehlmann, Professor Shehab/Baboon Records, SH Fernando/WordSound Records Martino Nicoletti and Antonio Denti.

          2007 - Verba Corrige (Italy), VCP009 (2x12")

Note: This was also released as a CD. Seven tracks are exclusive to this release; seven are exclusive to the CD (for a total of 23 unique tracks between the two editions).

REVIEWS :

After nearly eight years of silence, Sigillum S returns with a new album, "23/20," to celebrate their 20th anniversary. As part of this celebration the album will be released in two formats: CD and a double-LP -- each providing a number of exclusive tracks and a unique listening experience.

Opening with a track of aggressive distorted percussion and electronic drones, the CD takes the listener on a sinusoidal journey, fluxuating across both intensely aggressive and severely dark tracks.

The LP, on the other hand, is for the manic-depressive: the first disc is filled with hypnoticly brooding tracks, while the second features more aggressive, noisy, and rhythmic material.

It is quite evident that Eraldo and Paolo have taken the experiences from their numerous solo and collaborative efforts and fused them with the philosophies and sounds of Sigillum S.

The listener will find elements of dub, noise, drum 'n' bass, glitch, ethnic, and even a bit of metal in the music, but all within the context of the classic disturbed post-industrial sound and haunting atmosphere of Sigillum S.

As usual with their work, it is very difficult to describe their music as a whole so I will focus on a small selection of tracks that particularly caught my attention:

* "Recovery Of The Irrevocable Star" is the most directly reminiscent of the Sigillum S material from the early 1990s. Beginning with a heavy wave of dark ambient sound, the track grows with bells and other percussion combined with distant melodic drones and electronic pulses to create a rather brooding atmosphere as noisy synthesizer work fades in and out. The track seems to pull the listener into some underwater Atlantean domain filled with strange creatures and ghosts from a mysterious past.

* "Camera Documentable Parade Of Nudity" is filled with noisy rhythmic beats, screamed and spoken vocals, synthesized guitar, and a metal-like intensity in the heavier and grittier sections. The music and the lyrics are, surprisingly, rather catchy on this track which seems to defy all genre categorizations.

* "Overwhelming Destroyer" builds up with a thick wall of distorted guitar and accompanying percussion which continues throughout much the song. The track is generally quite rhythmic in nature but is punctuated by sustained ethnic melodies and ritual horns, as well as a host of other bizarre sounds. The track plods along deep into hell, dragging the listener along.

* "Persian Axiomatic" is like a night-time caravan, carried along by a beautiful middle eastern percussive rhythm. As industrial noises, drones, glitchy sounds, and distorted beats float across the desert sands, the listener is lulled into a wondrous mirage of lush tropical gardens.

The album is filled with an amazing host of colliding and clashing sounds and styles, constructing a memorable listening experience. With this new album, Sigillum S breaks lots of new ground, but managed in a way that doesn't compromise the unique intense complexity, deformed beauty, deranged horror, and arcane mystery found in all their works. The sounds on the album are incredibly dense and rich, and it features a masterful production. "23/20" is a must for fans of Sigillum S -- and for anyone wanting to hear something both incredible and novel. It is a truly remarkable and memorable recording. An arcane yet visceral technological ritual for the 21st century.

(edited to contain only tracks found on the Vinyl version - Silent Dave) Kyle A. Wright (courtesy of the Diophantine Discs website)