Ottoman Black is a masterful damn record, a definitive statement that makes
most other noise records of this ilk seem immature, if not outright
stillborn. From cover' s photography , presenting mundane situation with an
air of isolated, hysterical desperation, to the track titles, presented in
the style of an academic outline (I.,II.,a.,b.,etc.) this is a formally
conceived and meticulously crafted 35 minutes, leaving nothing untitled or
untidy.
Ottoman Black is the very highest percentile of achievement, the top one
percent of noise albums that come out in 2008. It is not something to nod
off to, or put on while washing dishes, but a 35- minute symphony of dread,
distress, and yes, betrayal. At the same time, the sheer depth of
technological achievement (great sound/mastering/technical know/how) make it
an engaging listen, and will assuredly continue to give up new information
with multiple listens.
As Urashima reissues go, this is on the new side of old, but its inclusion
still makes sense alongside MB and Atrax Morgue and others. If Maurizio
Bianchi's atrophied synth and Marco Corbelli's sickly moans diagrammed the
depths of their despair and depression, Crumer processes his frustration and
failure visually, recreating humiliation and defeat through lucid waking
nightmares, recreations of the worst day of his life through sound and text.
Ottoman Black still sounds as blazing and new as it did when it was
released. It is not a museum artifact or dated in its style, even if it
feels like it was created in a different time. Highest recommendation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iMs4tldCDc