*300 copies limited edition* If anybody has been paying attention (and in my opinion they bloody well should…), they might be aware that Gary Mundy of Ramleh and Breathless announced several years ago that he planned to do a solo CD every year for as long as he could. His solo guise as Kleistwahr started in the early 1980s as a more directly noise/post-industrial-inspired project that saw a few limited edition cassette releases appear on his much respected Broken Flag imprint. While these cassettes have now been reissued on both vinyl and CD, Kleistwahr has long been committed to not only Gary’s noted promise but also taking the ideas that began with the exploration of cut-ups, grizzled electronics, guitar savagery and so on to the furthest reaches of a ravaged psyche rendered in sonic form. Often connected to the early work through the use of uncompromising blistered and blistering white hot textures, Kleistwahr these days also deploys everything from groaning church organs, Gary’s distinctive vocals, occasional rhythms and swells of distortion to equally trademark guitars which seem as though they’ve been sucked through the outer rings of Saturn. Besides being wholly possessed of its own sound, however, Kleistwahr is distinguishable for its always moving forward and developing ideas only hinted at on the preceding album.
'Where the Word is Never' is no exception. The six cuts see less of the organ and more in the way of simplistic rhythm pulses, Gary’s vocals and even, on a couple of cuts at least, something that might be considered akin to a song structure if one greets The Dead C more or less the same way and has had enough decent wine. Like recent albums, however, 'Where the Word is Never' mostly delivers like it has been created through a rich blend of torment, lament and general despair before it frantically reaches for that small and beautiful white dot in the distance where all such thoughts can be cast asunder. More importantly, and at the risk of repeating ourselves here, this is the best album Kleistwahr has yet put its name to. Dare you to disagree.
