Treetop Drive
,
Helge Sten
's debut full-length as
Deathprod
, was originally released in 1994, and remains the most startling work he's ever produced. The album's first three tracks were recorded live in 1993, and two of them feature
Hans Magnus Ryan
's hair-raising violin creaking along with
Sten
's trademark "audio virus" (his name for his custom rig of electronics and homemade devices). The first part is simply 15 minutes of pure terror, with an extremely morose string sample looped with full stops and starts and gradually covered in horrifying levels of distortion, clashing with
Ryan
's rusty violin. Truly unsettling, but it's nearly impossible to turn away from, even if it's bound to cause nightmares. The second part is even harsher, with
layering two overlapping loops (a shrill, power electronics-like feedback tone and a buzzing, bassier one) for ten minutes. The third isn't as noisy, but its sampled monologue about "death education" ensures that the piece is just as grim as the others. "Towboat," the album's only studio recording, starts off with low, ominous rumbling before building up to searing feedback, with a hypnotic rhythmic pattern emerging near the end.
's third album, 2004's
Morals and Dogma
, is commonly cited as his masterpiece, and while
isn't quite as "accessible," it's every bit as powerful, and shouldn't be overlooked. ~ Paul Simpson