COLD ELECTRIC FIRE create a deeply personal and unique style of organic Dark Ambient. Using atypical sources and instrumentation to compose provocative excursions of contemplation and smoldering atmosphere. Sobering emotions writhe amid a well of black textures and delicate melodies, congealing into a monumental release of truly original dark electronics.
What is so fascinating about this CD that i listened to it more often than most other CDs before writing this review? first of all the music is regular dark ambient, additionally recorded on four tracks – there once was a time that was cool, but nowadays that is not an indication for impressive sound-experiences. on the other hand, there is this very dense atmosphere guys like Brian Lustmord have to go underground for (and for the horror appeal) to record the buzzing from bunkers and stuff – cold elecrtic fire simply use acoustic instruments (piano, strings, guitar) and fieldrecordings (train, row boat). and this is what makes it special: it's not just deep drones, but at times there are glimpses of melodies and a certain warmth that reminds me of Cindytalk's "The Wind Is Strong" or Tuxedomoon's "The Ghost Sonata" – both masterpieces from two extraordinary bands. To put it in other words: c.e.f. didn't keep stuck in musical puberty, but learned how to sound grown up.
From Something I hated to something Brilliant. Cold Electric Fire has amazingly bleak and dark artwork to the awe inspiring Drone Noise I'm hearing is a slice of Perfection. Maybe the Best things on Crionic Mind with Exsanguinate ever. Goddamn Dark Ambient Soundscapes like I haven't heard in a long time. Gary Tedder is soon to be the next leader of the scene. I have nothing but pleasure listening to something this well thought out and created. I thought his CDR out last year was grand but this is truly leaps and bounds.
Previously unknown project to me, I was a bit wondering because of the title in the first place, but would have a tendency to believe Crionic Scott Candey's Mind is opened to innovative quality stuff, so tried this one. I'm glad I did as this really is ethereal atmospheric with intensity the way I love it. There are quite some acoustic instruments used in here, especially audible in occasional passages with soft, I'd say naive melancholic melodic parts, which would be a problem with me usually, but fits perfectly in here. Piano, cymbals, violin, acoustic guitar, cello, stylophone, metal chain, gravel, train, electric lamp, sounds from a construction site, row boat, metal lampshade, feedback from stereo mic & voice mutator positioned into washing machine spin cycle (!) were used as sound sources into four track cassette, micro cassette, mini disc & mono half inch reel to reel recording devices. With Thomas Garrison (Misanthrope Studio, CONTROL, EXSANGUINATE) doing final mastering, as it's often the case in these days. Sound is great all over the disc, tracks linked together without break. Last one "The moon makes these mad white horses shine" gets slightly more intense for it arises a global feel. Such quality stuff makes you regret CD is not longer, a little less than 50 minutes. Recommended.
The Sacred Sound roster seems to have proved a nice place to find interesting acts, and even if this label doesn't exist anymore, most of the bands that started by releasing labels there are now signing CDs on various other labels. While Magwheels will soon have a CD released by Recycle Your Ears's own Ad Noiseam label, here comes Cold Electric Fire, another one of these strange and deep project mixing noise and emotional guitars. And this doesn't mean that Cold Electric Fire is a noise band covering The Cure. In fact, if I hadn't been told these were guitars, used in conjunction with piano, violins, field recordings or cymbals, I wouldn't have recognized them… The music on "In Nights dream we are ghosts" is a bass heavy, rumbling kind of ambient-ish noise, thick but not overdriven, ample but not loud, building up strong and room-filling atmosphere. On top of these droning low frequencies come a whole variety of other instruments, might it be the cracking noises and modest accoustic guitar of the opening track, the sonar beeps of the title one, or the muddy loops of "Trials", sounding like weird railroad noises and cristalline echoes… Cold Electric Fire doesn't belong to the kind of projects that generate epic, soundtrack oriented ambient music, and the lo-fi profile of this album doesn't make of it the kind of CD for which you definitely need a huge stereo system (think Lustmord). On the other hand, here is some very introspect music, changing slowly but surely. The devil is in the details, and it is from the slow variations and harmonies that Cold Electric Fire takes its strength. This might not be minimal, but you will still to focus quite a lot on the tracks to witness the soul and emotions that lie in this album… It might be released on Crionic Mind, and it might draw some of its influence out of the dark / "evil" ambient american scene, "In nights dream we are ghosts" has a more personal approach, intimate and laid back. Heavy drones and well chosen, maybe partly improvised accoustic elements make a nice mix, which works well on this CD. Something to listen to alone and focused, this is a well done album that is richer than it might seem.
Cold Electric Fire is a project which I gotta thank jason crumer of Aluminum Noise that I learned a year or so about its existence. when during a trade he sent me extra cef's debut cdr, which was a uniquely crafted ambient release that back then had really impressed me. now, a couple of months earlier via Crionic Mind gary tedder (aka mr. Cold Electric Fire) striked back w/ a new release titled "In Nights Dream we are Ghosts", which since the time I listened to it, have to admit that immediately found its way to some of the best us projects releases for 2002. compared to his previous installment, a great progress in gary's sound exploration can be heard, more obscure & dense layers of sound, or sometimes I can say more pictorial ambiences (that also thanks to the production) evoked me some really haunting moods. making it together w/ the Brutum Fulmen "Flesh of the Moon" cd on cip, as 2 of the most challenging releases to emerge from the us within the last few months in my opinion. a project which I believe that has much more flabbergasting experiences to offer us in the future too! a tip!
Coming from North Carolina Cold Electric Fire brings us something different and lo-fi sounding to the ears, but with a second and third listen before reviewing I find that it isnt lo-fi at all its just the way it appears. Recorded with a four track cassette recorder,micro cassette,mini disk, and a mono reel to reel recording devise it gives a somewaht lo-fi feel but with the materials used and how they were used you realise that everything is brilliantly layed. The first song titled "never to alarm" starts with a build up of dark harsh sounding noise with bursts of pounding echo working its way into a depressing piano peice. The only thing recorded to make this song was a piano, cymbals, and a violin. From what you hear, you would never believe those were the only elements at play. Track 4 titled "trials" using a train, electric lamp, acoustic guitar, and sounds from a construction site causes a somewhat "Lustmord" feel to the song. This track is ambient like the others but the more you listen the more you find melodies. The final and my favorite track on the album titled "the moon makes these mad white horses shine" uses a row boat,piano,metal lampshade, cymbals, and a stylophone. This track reminds me of "Labradford" with and array of sounds that melt together like snow. I think this is a very promising act that should get alot of recognition in the future. I think anyone could enjoy this release that Crionic Mind offers us.