Heathen Harvest
Seppuku, for those of you who are unaware, is the formal term given to the practise of ritual suicide prescribed for the samurai class of warriors of feudal Japan, should they fall into the hands of enemies for instance or as a punishment for some disgrace. The more informal term, hara-kiri (or more often the incorrect Ôhari-kariÕ), is the one by which it is better known in the West. Both terms describe accurately the method by which it was effected Ð roughly translated both terms mean belly-cutting (from left to right), which is the method codified by bushido (the Way of the Warrior), the philosophy adhered to by the samurai soldier. There is a similar ritual called oibara which a samurai would enact after the death of his master. Such a ritual, and the mystical overtones and the inseparable connection between the practise and Japanese national identity, are a continuing source of fascination for Westerners Ð as is evidenced by the release of this five-track CD by American outfit korperschwache (a German word meaning Ôorganic decayÕ, a term which was often appended to death certificates of the victims of the Auschwitz gas chambers). It is after all a completely alien concept which is anathema to our culture and way of thinking; but even so we can sense something of the honourable in a warrior committing suicide in this way. Probably the most famous act of seppuku, and one of the most recent, was that of Yukio Mishima, the author and playwright, in 1970; this was his final act when his plea for the armed forces to rise up against their political masters and restore the emperorÕs rightful powers was greeted with jeers and mockery and consequently failed to ignite the coup dÕetat heÕd hoped to instigate. The species of mystical overtones attached to the practise are ably characterised by the five pieces on here; heavily overloaded and fuzzed-out guitar are the primary vehicles used to convey these ideas. One of the characteristics noticeable on each of these pieces is the sweet harmonics that cut through the fuzz, the ambience of which is spookily descriptive of the elevated philosophy surrounding the concepts of bushido and seppuku. A ÔspiritualÕ and Ôhigh-mindedÕ aura is perceptibly present, fully enveloping the music, and is perhaps an indicator of the high regard that RKF of korperschwache holds the practise in, or at the very least the philosophy appertaining to it; it can also be seen as an indicator of how bushido and seppuku are absolutely inseparable from both the physical Japan and the very idea of Japan itself, in exactly the same way that the connection between blood, soil and people was seen in terms of German nationalism just prior to and during WWII. If I was to point exactly to a favourite type of ambient sound, then this would be it. Long drawn out slabs of overdriven and reverb-drenched guitar chords and feedback, stretched and distorted, running up and down the scale and letting the natural and accidental harmonics, undertones and overtones knife through to add flesh and blood to the whole. ItÕs a singularly elevated album, based as it is on a way of thinking that exemplifies the Japanese warrior caste mindset, which is totally outside of any social or historical context here in the West. I donÕt know, it may even go some way towards helping us to understand why there are still those in modern Japan who wish to return to those values; the people who think that Japanese society has been compromised by, and lost its soul to, imported ÔWesternÕ democratic ideals. That may be taking it too far perhaps, but even so this may be in itself be a small way of emphasising how good I consider this CD to be. (And now, a small glossary of terms: tanto Ð the small single- or double-edged dagger used to commit suicide with that was sheathed with the katana; jumonji-giri Ð the act of committing seppuku without a kaishakunin; kaishakunin Ð a second participant whose role was to behead the person who has committed seppuku to prevent an agonisingly long and pain-ridden death, omitted from those rituals where one was not wanted or where seppuku was imposed as a form of punishment; ronin Ð a masterless samurai.) Feast Of Hate And Fear
When many joke about suicide (though I often hear one shouldn't) they'll use the term hara-kiri, and I'll retort with the term seppuku. I usually get a befudeled look. It's the same thing, ritual suicide through self-disembowelment. Um... anyhow, while I totally find Korperschwache's sound to be enjoyable, I can see many committing seppuku to this. The Joy of Seppuku can drive anyone not into noise music straight to suicide. Usually a duo, Korperschwache (which means 'organic decay' in German) is, this time around, the work of just one. Similar in vein to current Skullflower, this act out of Austin, Texas washes the listener in feedback - sometimes lush and dreamy, sometimes chaotic, noisy and menacing. Korperschwache is good stuff to drown out the ramblings of a pissed off lover, or the soundtrack to getting one going (rambling and pissed off, I mean). The packaging by Dead Sea Liner is a nice touch as well. Two sheets of thick and shiny paper that fit together like a puzzle, with deep black screened ink. I'm sure this is limited, so hurry your ears on over.