Merzbow – Venereology (1994)

September 1, 2022

Pulse Demon takes the crown – or should I say the spotlight – when it comes to Merzbow’s most famous release. As the man transitions from the worlds of analogue into digital noise, we saw a bit of a shift in the sounds in general. This mid-90s period was specifically harsh. Venereology, which quickly followed that very famous Pulse Demon album, seems to step up the harshness, if you’ll forgive me for my lack of inventive language.

Everything seems so goddamn loud and unforgiving and I realise that may read as ridiculous considering who we are talking about here, but damn! “Ananga-Ranga” – that first track alone is 29 minutes of absolute aural hell, rendering what comes afterward almost pointless. Definitely a record for those who feel like they would like to clean out the inside of their skull with a brillo pad.