Samuel Kerridge's releases on Horizontal Ground, Blueprint, and Downwards have established him as a striking force in experimental electronic music. Although his music has frequently been categorized as techno, his productions have often been slow, murky, and noise-drenched, taking more influence from
Pan Sonic than from anything dancefloor-oriented. For the debut release on his own Contort imprint, Kerridge descends even further into the post-industrial wasteland, with evil, distorted vocals combining with doom-filled guitar and creeping, sludgy beats. The arrhythmic growling bass of "MPH" recalls the power electronics genre, and "WIAGW" features multiple patterns of thudding, rattling percussion out of sync with vibrating synth patterns, painting an overwhelmingly tense portrait of something unspeakably grim. Even more harrowing is the ten-minute centerpiece "WOSN," an unrelentingly bleak, desolate landscape of pounding beats, brooding melodies, and demonic vocals.
Always Offended Never Ashamed is a startling, exceptional album, and places Kerridge in the company of
the Haxan Cloak,
Demdike Stare, and other artists creatively exploring dark post-industrial textures. ~ Paul Simpson