Dead Neanderthals - Womb Of God (2017)

Womb of God plays an entirely different game with time and space. Here, on two tracks, Kokke and Aquarius are joined by saxophonist Colin Webster, a regular addition to Dead Neanderthals. Unlike previous trio+ recordings, however, “Womb of God” parts 1 and 2 were recorded with the core duo in Netherlands, while Webster was in England. But what’s 300 miles between friends? Exploring a further separation than on The Depths, the trio expertly bridges the distance between two dots on a map, rendering those dots merely pointless. It takes a special brand of subtlety to generate effective noise, and that’s just what Kokke and Webster are up to. Like Robert Rauschenberg’s White Paintings, or perhaps more appropriately, given the simultaneous undercutting and overthrowing of tradition, Erased de Kooning Drawing. On “Womb of God II,” a seemingly unholy sound precedes Aquarius’s bass drum and cymbal-heavy entry. Kokke and Webster’s changes are heavy, almost cyclical, until they aren’t. About ten minutes in, the melody shifts to an urgent howling plea. In the final minutes, Kokke, Webster, and Aquarius push against each other, ricocheting and colliding their way to the finale.