CoC : Hazard - Lech : Review

Hazard - _Lech_
(Malignant Records, 1997)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (8 out of 10)

Benny Nilsen has departed from the ambient industrial sound which he cultivated under the Morthound (one of the early Cold Meat Industry bands) moniker and begun exploring more hallucinatory and stark terrain under the title of Hazard. On _Lech_, Nilsen distances himself from the homogenized mass of "isolationist ambient" purveyors by augmenting the typical menagerie of morose drones and waves with more tangible sounds, such as vocal fragments, organ notes, and even a pseudo-Egyptian melody on one track. _Lech_ is also structurally dynamic, although this sometimes results in an awkward segue from one sonic pattern to the next and a few superfluous and anomalous sounds. Despite a few incongruous or bland moments -- as should be expected from an album of this minimal nature -- Nilsen has created a soundscape which contains more than enough variety and forward movement to enthrall the listener.

(article published 17/11/1997)