Pulse Demon is a studio album by the Japanese noise musician
Merzbow, released 28 May 1996.[3] The album was reissued on
vinyl in May 2018 by Bludhoney Records,[4][5] and again in November 2019 by
Relapse, with a bonus track.[6]
Background
The holographic, shiny silver artwork is a homage to the
1970s Prospective 21e Siècle imprint of
Philips Records,[7] in particular the albums of
Ivo Malec.[8] However, the art is most similar to the work of
Bridget Riley, "Fall" and "Current" in particular.
Basically, this shiny silver is the color of
Heavy Metal. I mean it the way
William Burroughs said it. My basic idea is I think this idea has been approached in the past by
Heldon and
King Crimson.
Critical reaction to Pulse Demon was mixed. Pitchfork gave the album's 2003 re-release a score of 8.7/10, their highest rating out of their eight reviews of Merzbow albums. Calling it an "incomparable classic", the reviewer describes the album as "simply pure sound, viciously unadulterated static", going on to state that "music cannot get much more extreme than this. Maybe
John Cage's 4′33″, and that's so far to the limit, it's probably cheating. This is the edge of music, of sound in general." Also praised was the album's packaging, being called "more valuable than some people's lives."[2] However,
AllMusic's dismissive two-line review from Jason Ankeny simply said "Merzbow's second American release offers more of the deafening
white noise that is his trademark,
mastered for maximum loudness. Not for the faint of heart, but ideally suited for the hard of hearing."[9] Being given only 2.5/5 stars, Pulse Demon is one of the four lowest rated of AllMusic's 31 (solo) Merzbow reviews. The A.V. Club, in their review, described the album as "genuinely extreme, downright torturous sounds that are strangely compelling in their shredding intensity."[10]
Pulse Demon is a studio album by the Japanese noise musician
Merzbow, released 28 May 1996.[3] The album was reissued on
vinyl in May 2018 by Bludhoney Records,[4][5] and again in November 2019 by
Relapse, with a bonus track.[6]
Background
The holographic, shiny silver artwork is a homage to the
1970s Prospective 21e Siècle imprint of
Philips Records,[7] in particular the albums of
Ivo Malec.[8] However, the art is most similar to the work of
Bridget Riley, "Fall" and "Current" in particular.
Basically, this shiny silver is the color of
Heavy Metal. I mean it the way
William Burroughs said it. My basic idea is I think this idea has been approached in the past by
Heldon and
King Crimson.
Critical reaction to Pulse Demon was mixed. Pitchfork gave the album's 2003 re-release a score of 8.7/10, their highest rating out of their eight reviews of Merzbow albums. Calling it an "incomparable classic", the reviewer describes the album as "simply pure sound, viciously unadulterated static", going on to state that "music cannot get much more extreme than this. Maybe
John Cage's 4′33″, and that's so far to the limit, it's probably cheating. This is the edge of music, of sound in general." Also praised was the album's packaging, being called "more valuable than some people's lives."[2] However,
AllMusic's dismissive two-line review from Jason Ankeny simply said "Merzbow's second American release offers more of the deafening
white noise that is his trademark,
mastered for maximum loudness. Not for the faint of heart, but ideally suited for the hard of hearing."[9] Being given only 2.5/5 stars, Pulse Demon is one of the four lowest rated of AllMusic's 31 (solo) Merzbow reviews. The A.V. Club, in their review, described the album as "genuinely extreme, downright torturous sounds that are strangely compelling in their shredding intensity."[10]