Category: Collaborations

THE VOID OF EXPANSION’s 3rd studio album departs gently from its predecessor GOVERNED BY DECAY with a more direct approach to building up the guitar soundscapes and the interaction with the majestic and versatile drumming of Tomas Järmyr.  Still very expansive but the 4 pieces are significantly their own while being part of the realm VOID has been created over these past 10 years.

You can order your copy of this double vinyl on 180 gram anthracitic faded color.  This release is limited to 200 copies.
https://dirkserries.bandcamp.com/album/escaper

SPONTANEOUS MUSIC TRIBUNE REVIEW
“Album otwierają delikatnie szeleszczące talerze. Z gitary zaczyna sączyć się spokojny, ale szorstki w brzmieniu płyn ambientu, który już po kilku pętlach wydaje się płynąć przynajmniej dwoma, jeśli nie trzema strumieniami. Jeden z nich ma masę basową i okazjonalnie snuje się po podłodze. W tle słyszymy jedynie szmer szczoteczek. Wraz z leniwie upływającym czasem gitara zaczyna piąć się ku górze, a perkusja rysować bardziej wyrazisty, drummingowy flow. Całość nie jest jeszcze masywna, ani nawet głośna, ale niespodziewana zmiana dokonuje się tu niemal w ułamku sekundy. Już bowiem po upływie dziesiątej minuty muzycy stają w obliczu efektownej, gitarowej ściany dźwięku i gęstej pajęczyny perkusji. Opowieść gaśnie prawie dwie minuty, choć sama perkusjanie chce się z tym faktem długo pogodzić. Drugą historię otwiera melodyjna, matowo brzmiąca gitara. Najpierw oddycha i charczy, potem szybko formuje się w strugę groźnych fonii. Perkusista dość długo pracuje tu na basowo brzmiących tomach i w ogóle nie zbliża się do metalowych przedmiotów swojego full drumset. Narracja wydaje się być silnie rozkołysana i nabiera mocy z każdą pętlą. Wzorem pierwszego utworu, w połowie nagrania perkusista zaczyna zagęszczać flow, ale nie forsuje tempa. Sygnał do wzmożenia aktywności daje tu gitarzysta, frazując w coraz wyższych rejestrach. Opowieść z miejsca nabiera demonicznego, niezwykle mrocznego posmaku. Ta historia gaśnie przez kilkadziesiąt sekund przy wtórze umierającego dronu gitary. Trzecią opowieść na starcie wypełnia bezbarwna cisza. Docierają do nas niemal pojedyncze frazy percussion i drobne smugi kurzu z gitarowego gryfu. Szmery nasilają się przed upływem pierwszej minuty, a zaraz potem rodzi się plama gitarowego, czysto tu brzmiącego ambientu. Coś na kształt linearnej narracji pojawia się jednak dopiero po upływie piątej minuty. Ledwie co uformowany szyk, potrzebuje jeszcze kolejnych dwóch minut, by wejść na drogę bardziej gęstego, zwartego opowiadania. Oto bowiem wtedy gitarzysta zaczyna coś intensywnie budować, nakładać warstwę na warstwie. Jego instrument charczy, skowycze, boleśnie śpiewa. Perkusista dokłada masywne uderzenia, które powodują, iż narracja osiąga stan prawdziwie demonicznej histerii. Flow cały czas narasta, zdaje się przybierać prawdziwie czarne barwy. Perkusista nie tyle tu bębni, co biczuje werbel i tomy swojego zestawu. Na ostatniej prostej łapie punkowy 2-step, po czym cała opowieść ginie niespodziewaną, nagłą śmiercią. Po takiej wolcie czwarta odsłona Escaper nie może nie zacząć się wyjątkowo delikatnie. Ledwie słyszalne frazy gitary przypominają tu pierwsze promienie słońca po wielodniowej nocy polarnej. Matowa melodia ledwie szeleści, z czasem dochodzi do niej pasmo bardziej szorstkiego ambientu tworząc z pasmem prymarnym ciekawy dysonans intensywności. Pierwsze dźwięki perkusji docierają do nas po wielu minutach. Z czasem opowieść zdecydowanie nabiera mroku – gitara pnie się na szczyt, delikatnie falując, perkusja zaczyna rytualny taniec. Pod koniec gitara brzmi jak gruźlik w zaawanasowanym stadium choroby, tymczasem drumming nagle zamiera, zamieniając się w swobodny potok szumiących szczoteczek i matowo brzmiących talerzy.”

MOORS MAGAZINE REVIEW
“The Void Of Expansion is een duo bestaande uit de Belgische gitarist Dirk Serries en de Noorse drummer Tomas Järmyr. Escaper is hun derde album in tien jaar, en ze knopen er meteen een tournee aan vast door België, Polen, Duitsland en Noorwegen – de moeite waard om te gaan kijken, want wat je hier hoort is live opgenomen, dus je kunt iets spectaculairs verwachten. Drummer Tomas Jarmyr (bekend van ZU, Motorpsyco etc) is de perfecte drummer om de magistrale soundscapes die Dirk Serries met zijn elektrische gitaar weet op te roepen nog meer kracht te geven. Ik laat je hier een paar fragmenten horen uit de vier stukken uit dit album, wat soms een vertekenend beeld geeft, want het denderende slot van Draught, daar hebben ze wel veertien minuten naartoe gewerkt! Hoe dat opbouwen gaat kun je dan weer mooi horen in het begin van Vessel. Weidse verten, magistrale horizonnen, je kunt het allemaal horen als je met dit duo meegaat op hun avontuurlijke muzikale reis. Een prachtplaat!”

VITAL WEEKLY REVIEW
“In a sort of middle ground between the Serries solo CD and the Kodian Trio is the music of his duo with Tomas Järmyr on drums and Serries on guitar, which goes by the name of The Void Of Expansion; I had not heard of them before. This, too, is easily labelled as improvised music, and yet it’s nothing like Serries displays on his New Wave Of Jazz releases. Over there, he’s more acoustic and, above all, without the use of effects. In this duo, one track per LP side, there are a lot of effects and whatever chaos could ensue, they control it very well. The guitar feeding into effects creates an altogether different set of sounds, way more atmospheric than in many of his recent work with others, and yet also
wilder than on the solo CD I just heard. Somehow, one could link this kind of free music, with a heavy dose of treated guitar sounds, to the world in which the word ambient combines with doom, metal or such things without putting up this wall of doomy metal music. In that respect, the music is way more atmospheric and can be enjoyed as four pieces of ambient music meet improvised music. Järmyr’s playing is rather loose yet heavily controlled, playing lots of small drum parts in a steady roll of these. Everything goes at a majestic slow speed, with every aspect of the sound picture in full use. Every piece has quite a similar building; Serries starts on the guitar with a few sounds and then adds a few more, then some more effects and Järmyr comes in in a similar way on the drums, less the effects. It’s a curious mixture of interests here and not something I can easily link to something else, which I guess is good (or shows my ignorance, whatever you prefer there), but improvised
ambient is not something I have heard a lot about. “

AMN REVIEW :
“Escaper is an album that lives up to – if not exceeds – the listener’s expectations from reading the liner notes. A live-in-the-studio duo recording from Dirk Serries on electric guitar and Tomas Järmyr on drums, it nods toward both ambient music and free improv without falling strictly into either camp. Serries creates roughly-textured waves of sound with his electric, using an array of effects that add color to ever-changing musical structures. Occasionally these sustained notes resemble that of a synthesizer, but he shifts their pitch and character too frequently to be categorized strictly as drones. Järmyr is a joy on this recording, contributing energetic and elaborate patterns of percussion. While heavily using the snare and cymbals, he gives the entire kit a workout, effectively soloing continuously throughout each of the four, long tracks. Toward the end of the album he adopts a few rock-oriented beats, but most of his playing is outside. The end result of this pairing is a gritty yet thoughtful album with long passages of dense but vigorous-created soundscapes. In a sense, Serries and Järmyr have reversed the traditional roles of their instruments, with the guitar creating a harmonic (almost rhythmic) base and drums in the lead. Regardless, there is a lot to like on Escaper, whether listening passively or actively.

KRAUTNICK REVIEW :
“Was für Musik macht man mit lediglich Schlagzeug und Gitarre? Fun-Punk oder Indierock? Oder – Ambient? Für letzteres entscheidet sich das Belgisch-Schwedische Duo The Void Of Expansion, indem die Gitarre flächige Drones absondert und das Schlagzeug dazu ungezügelt herumgaloppiert. Da steckt natürlich eine Menge Jazz drin, und wer die improvisierten Kunstwerke von Jörg A. Schneider verehrt, ist bei „Escaper“ ebenso sehr gut aufgehoben, dem vierten gemeinsamen Album des Duos, bestehend aus Gitarrist Dirk Serries aus Antwerpen und Schlagzeuger Tomas Järmyr aus Sandviken, der in Trondheim lebt.Vier Tracks zwischen zwölf und gut 14 Minuten erstellt das Duo auf „Escaper“, schon mal ordentlich Zeit, jeden Track atmen zu lassen. Und das tun diese Tracks, bauen sich langsam, leise und behutsam auf, beide Instrumentalisten umschleichen einander und geraten alsbald in einen Rausch. So rauscht dann auch die Musik, die bei diesem energetischen Tanz entsteht: Serries ringt seiner Gitarre Sounds ab, die man nicht zwingend mit diesem Instrument assoziiert. Anfänglich schon, ja, das könnte E-Gitarre sein, die da Flächen generiert, „Dead Man“ oder „Le Noise“ von Neil Young könnten da Pate stehen, doch bald schon entwickelt sich daraus Flirren, Drones, gar Orgelsounds, atmosphärisches Atmen, schmerzgepeinigtes Brüllen, der Hauch der Unendlichkeit.
Zunächst hält sich Järmyr stets zurück, nach einiger Zeit erst schlägt er mal ein Becken an, um sich bemerkbar zu machen, dann lässt er auch mal die Sticks über die Snares und Toms rollen, ganz dezent, und sobald man sich daran gewöhnt hat, dass der Ambientteppich nicht allein um Raum herumliegt, drischt der Drummer auf seinem Arsenal herum, schöpft sämtliche Möglichkeiten zur Sounderzeugung aus, steigert die Energie, die Lautstärke, das Tempo, und vermeidet es stets, auch nur ansatzweise einen Rhythmus entstehen zu lassen. So finden sich zwei Noise-Generatoren nebeneinander ein, um gemeinsam ein Rauschen, ein Brüllen auszustoßen, dem man sich bereitwillig hingibt.
So abstrakt diese Musik auch ist, so leicht fällt der Zugang. Möglicherweise liegt es an der Prägung, sofern man Vergleichbares bereits in seinem Plattenregal stehen hat, und ja, es gibt in der Tat Vergleichbares, zwischen den Schneider Collaborations und Neil Young ist ordentlich Platz und Freestyler finden sich zahlreich rund um den Globus. Und es liegt an der Musik auf „Escaper“ selbst, die mit ihrem Aufbau die Bereitschaft der Hörenden behutsam steigert, sich in dieses sich seinerseits steigernde Inferno fallen zu lassen. Damit entwickeln The Void Of Expansion ein Alleinstellungsmerkmal in dieser Sparte.
Vor zehn Jahren begannen Serries und Järmyr mit dem Album „Ashes And Blues“ ihre Zusammenarbeit als The Void Of Expansion, „Escaper“ ist ihr viertes Album. Beide haben abseits davon eine Biografie, die ganze Wände füllen kann, nicht nur solche aus Lärm. Aber mit Lärm, Serries begann Anfang der Achtziger mit Industrial, entwickelte sich in Richtung Ambient und ist heute eher im Free Jazz anzutreffen, Vidna Obmana und Fear Falls Burning sind zwei seiner Aliasse, als Scatterwound arbeitete er mit Hellmut Neidhardt alias N, und den kennen wir ja als Verbündeten von Jörg A. Schneider. Kreis geschlossen. An nur unwesentlich weniger Projekten ist Järmyr beteiligt; jüngst verließ er Motorpsycho, auf dem Album „Jhator“ von Zu spielte er Schlagzeug, als WERL agiert er mit Aidan Baker, und den kennen wir ja als Verbündeten von Jörg A. Schneider. Kreis geschlossen, einmal mehr.”

MUSICZINE REVIEW :
“8/10 rating. The Void Of Expansion is een duo van de Belgische gitarist Dirk Serries en de Noorse drummer Tomas Järmyr. ‘Escaper’ is hun derde album in tien jaar. Het duo weet de muzikale paden diep te verkennen, en tekent voor een grensverleggende sound. Een dreigende intro zet de plaat op intieme wijze in. “Visage is een mooi voorbeeld van deze twee hoe ze een song weten op te bouwen door intrigerende klankentapijtjes, die een soort oerkracht hebben , die diep weet te raken in ons bewustzijn, 14 minuten lang een intense trip. Mooi opomerkelijk hoe gitaar en drums elkaar vinden, maar ook tegenover elkaar een spanninsboog optrekken. Een zoekende twee-eenheid, die lichtjes chaotisch klinkt, alle registers opentrekt met luide knallen en klanken en een climax bereikt, o.m. op “Murmur”, “Draught” en “Vessel”. Ze laten je verdweesd achter.
‘Escaper’ is een plaatje dat op het buikgevoel afgaat en dat je moet ondergaan, het heeft een bedwelmende, hypnotiserende invloed, met onderliggend een donkere, duistere gedachte, die openheid laat naar dat lichtje in de tunnel , wat op z’n beurt zorgt voor volstrekte rust. We dwalen niet verder af , maar keren net op tijd terug in de realiteit. Een verslavende trip, die uiteindelijk dat gevoel van opluchting biedt. Indrukwekkend!”

JAZZ’HALO REVIEW :
“Drummer Tomas Järmyr en gitarist Dirk Serries creëren een leegte en vullen die nadien terug op volgens eigen codes. Dit betekent hier een prangend totaalconcept waarbij de heren zich profileren als ware “shapeshifters”. Ze evoceren donkere tot gitzwarte taferelen (‘Draught’!). Serries legt de fundamenten terwijl Järmyr al timmerend de opbouw verzorgt. Hun minimalistische mechanismen zijn gestaafd op haast onbehaaglijke monochrome decors die ze doorboren en ontregelen door hun instrument op heel aparte manier aan te wenden. Te omschrijven als een variant van sonore transgressie of ook nog een mix van Klaus Schulze en King Crimson. Uitgebracht onder de vorm van een dubbel-lp op half doorzichtig antracietkleurig vinyl. Elke plaatkant bevat telkens een “compositie” variërend in lengte tussen twaalf en veertien minuten. Zoals het hoort bij dergelijke exclusieve releases is de oplage beperkt tot tweehonderd exemplaren.”

ROCKERILLA REVIEW :
“Per Il terzo album dei Void Of Expansion, Tomas Järmyr (Motorpsycho, Aidan Baker, YODOK III) e Dirk Serries (Fear Falls Burning) mettono in scena una travolgente versione psichedelica del mito post-rock.  Tra sospensioni che sembrano preannuciare la fine del mondo e chiterra elettriche stracolme di eletriccita.  I due musicisti sono piu ispirati che mai e nel giro di tre quarti d’ora reiscono a costruire un vero e proprio tsunami psichedelica.  Travolgente.”

ECHOES AND DUST REVIEW :
“A mere fourteen years after their first full collaborative release, Dirk Serries and Justin K Broadrick have finally come together to form a “band”, under the guise Loud As Giants. By their own admission, they are not looking to reinvent the wheel with Empty Homes, more pay homage to the music they grew up loving. To call it a vanity project seems overly harsh, and this dose of friendly self-indulgence will be hugely welcomed by many.

It very quickly becomes clear that this is quite a departure from their previous offerings, starting most obviously with the presence of drums (of the machine variety, of course). From the Broadrick side, he slips into the celestial musings of Jesu. These drape over a backdrop of Serries’ lush looped drones as the aforementioned percussion drives each track forward with a slight nod towards the motorik pulsing of krautrock.

There is an ease with which these two amble through the 46 and a half minutes of Empty Homes. The whole record is somewhat unhurried, the sense of comfort infused within the music undeniable. From the 80s-tinged electronics of the opening track ‘Monument’, through to the ambient swirls of the final ‘Isolation’, every element they draw in fits so snuggly.

Already, Loud As Giants seems like it has been around for years. The familiarity of the music, albeit separate until now, is both a blessing and a curse: the opportunity feels missed for two of the leading exponents in the scene to create something truly unique and special, an album that could transcend what either has done individually. Yet Empty Homes is still a magical ride, deftly sliding into old favourite territory.”

DAMUSIC REVIEW :
“Als je de namen Justin K. Broadrick en Dirk Serries ziet opduiken, weet je dat je je niet moet verwachten aan doorsnee drieminutenpopsongs. Dat is met Loud As Giants niet anders.

Dat de twee elkaar (terug)vonden is zo gek nog niet. Ze kennen elkaar al lang genoeg, van toen de ene nog als Fear Falls Burning door het muzikale leven ging en in het voorprogramma van de andere, toen als Jesu, speelde. Nu wilden ze de gedeelde liefde voor bepaalde genres uit de eighties op muziek zetten.

Vier tracks van elk rond de tien minuten. Geen enkele stem, geen solo’s, geen refreinen en strofes. Sfeer is waar het hier om draait. En de wazige, nachtelijke foto op de cover van het album geeft al een indicatie van wat voor sfeer u mag verwachten. De pandemie, die we net zijn doorgeworsteld, was de ideale voedingsbodem voor de donkere soundscapes, die u aangeboden krijgt.

Het principe is eenvoudig en toch zo efficiënt. Elke song krijgt een ritmiek opgelegd in een (elektronisch) drumpatroon, waarover de twee protagonisten de gitaren breed uitsmeren in een waas van uiteraard eveneens door gitaren gecreëerde ruis. Repetitie is de sleutel, waarmee de songs worden ontsloten. En trance is het resultaat. Je kan dit op eindeloze repeat zetten en het toch niet beu worden.

Soms herken je gitaren effectief als gitaren. Zoals aan het einde van opener Monument, wanneer het instrument even boven de modderige waters uit komt. Maar meestal wordt het snaarinstrument gedrenkt in een overdosis effecten en toch stoort dat niet. Net daar zit hem de kracht van deze plaat. Je wordt erdoor meegesleept zonder echt te kunnen verklaren waarom.

Estranged is donkerder, al is het maar omdat enkel de kickdrum wordt gebruikt, waarover ronkende gitaren de mist van distortie doorklieven. En dan is er nog het ontwrichtende Room 3, waarin de gitaren ongestoord verder ruisen over een lichte lading elektronica tot ze vervagen tot een lichte nevel, die uiteindelijk ook optrekt en enkel de dreunende bastoon overlaat.

“I love isolation, but only when chosen by me”, legt Broadrick uit en het laatste nummer moet dat nog onderstrepen. Er hangt een postpunkerige nevel over deze track, die door de elektronische, stuiterende drums wordt verstoord tot de gitaren het weer overnemen met in de rug nog meer hoppende elektronica. Het maakt van het nummer onze favoriet van vier stukken, die elk een heel eigen karakter hebben.

Het is duidelijk dat in Loud As Giants Serries en Broadrick elkaar aanvullen met een plaat, die op je adem pakt, als resultaat.”

LUMINOUS DASH REVIEW :
“Zo’n dertien jaar geleden werkten Dirk Serries en Justin K. Broadrick al eens samen, toen als Fear Falls Burning en Final, het eerste een project van Serries, het andere van Broadrick. Die laatste kennen we uiteraard als de bezieler van Godflesh maar onder meer ook als Jesu.

Met Jesu en Final betreedt Broadrick het meer experimentele pad. Donkere ambient en drones met een sporadische beat. Een hernieuwde samenwerking met Serries (onder meer Vidna Obmana), die een al even grote duizendpoot is als Broadrick en ook met een immens oeuvre op zijn naam staat onder diverse aliassen, kon aldus niet uitblijven.

Beide muzikanten hebben uiteraard een drukke agenda, mede door tal van projecten waar ze zich mee inlaten. Het juiste ogenblik vinden, er eens goed voor gaan zitten en dan uit de losse pols een aantal intrigerende soundscapes in elkaar zetten, daar komt het een beetje op neer.

Deze keer wordt het album en de samenwerking niet als vanuit twee aparte entiteiten gepresenteerd, maar als een band: Loud As Giants. Luid zal het zeker zijn als deze twee deze nummers live zullen brengen. Broadrick is geen man voor de zachte hand en Serries, die tegenwoordig regelmatig aan verstilling doet, houdt er wel van om eens alles los te laten en volop voor het steviger werk te gaan.

In de vier lange stukken zijn beider invloeden goed hoorbaar. Serries dronet er lekker op los terwijl Broadrick met diepe basgeluiden en andere tierlantijnen de boel opfleurt. De insteek: isolatie, de leegheid van de stad in de nacht, lege huizen (iedereen slaapt of is weg) en het in vraag stellen van de kleine ruimte waar we elke dag onze tijd in passeren. Deze ideeën vormen de achterliggende gedachte bij het project Loud As Giants.

Beiden voelen elkaar heel goed aan. Ze kennen elkaar dan ook al sinds Fear Falls Burning eens de support deed van Jesu, decennia geleden. Maar ook daarvoor hadden beiden al veel respect voor elkaars werk toen ze beiden apart veel nummers bijdroegen aan allerlei cassettes in de tijd van tape-trading. Dat is duidelijk te merken aan de coherentie van deze plaat.

Slepende en gevarieerde drones die prima werken in het avondlicht of op momenten voor de vroege vogels het heft weer in handen nemen.”

IYEZINE REVIEW :
“Loud As Giants sono una coppia di musicisti di cui basta il nome per capire che la materia trattata è di alta qualità : Justin K. Broadrick e Dirk Serries.

L’inglese Broadrick è rimasto coinvolto in progetti quali i i Godflesh, Napalm Death, Jesu, Techno Animal ( uno dei suoi dischi di avanguardia più ardita), per non citarli tutti. Il belga Dirk Serries è un’esploratore sonoro, dedito ad ambient e drone perlopiù, ma senza disdegnare altri ambiti, ha realizzato molti lavori a nome vidnaObmana, e ha collaborato con molti nomi fra i quali lo stesso Broadrick, Steven Wilson, Justin K. Broadrick, Cult Of Lunar e Steve Roach, e possiede una cultura musicale davvero ampia, come è ampia la sua visione sonora. Broadrick e Serries si erano conosciuti quando il belga come Fear Falls Burning aveva supportato gli Jesu.

I due avevano già in mente di tornare a collaborare insieme facendo un disco che potesse contenere la loro passione verso la musica anni ottanta, quella con cui sono cresciuti e con la quale hanno capito che il suono sarebbe stato il loro futuro. E i due con “Empty homes” in uscita per Consouling Sounds hanno fatto molto di più, dando vita ad un suono nuovo : siamo dalle parti del drone ambient ma con bellissimi intarsi anni ottanta, come se i synth degli ottanta si fossero persi nelle nebbie di una catastrofe nucleare, o ancora peggio, nel sole pallido di un mattino come tutti gli altri.

I Loud As Giants elevano un muro del suono notevole che ha al suo interno mille intarsi, partendo da una radiazione di fondo sulla quale si estendono sintetizzatori o giri drone di chitarra, ma è sempre un sottofondo di sintetizzatori che puntella il tutto, ora scomparendo, ora riapparendo in fondo alla strada come la macchina assassina senza conducente.

Il disco ha una musicalità non conforme, né comune, agisce per vie traverse, in alcuni passaggi è illuminante come i primi minuti di “Room three”, ogni canzone possiede gli stessi elementi che ricombinati danno sempre soluzioni diverse, soprattutto grazie alla bravura dei due musicisti che hanno un terzo orecchio che capta frequenze che gli altri umani non percepiscono.

Ascoltare “ Empty homes” è come attraversare mille stanze di mille case, passando in una nebbia che contiene le esistenze di tutti quelli che hanno vissuto in quelle stanze, perché le case sono a volte luoghi spaventosi, pregni delle paure e delle gioie di chi ci è passato prima di noi, e non è facile. Tutto ciò, e molto altro, è dentro questo disco che ha un tempo ed un ritmo tutto suo, con moltissime cose tipiche di Broadrick, di ciò che lo rende un musicista unico ed irripetibile, un minimo comune denominatore di musiche fantastiche che continuano a stupire ad ogni disco.

Serries compie un grandissimo lavoro con giri di chitarra che sembrano provenire direttamente dal cielo, e musicalmente è un’anima gemella di Broadrick, con il quale si capiscono al volo e ci regalano questo capolavoro. “Empty homes” è un sogno, un cadere all’indietro nel tempo, con solidissime radici nell’anima synth degli anni ottanta, dalle quali si parte per rielaborare il tutto e trovare una nuova via attraverso quattro sinfonie che hanno un ritmo ed un tempo tutto loro, qui è un’altra dimensione.

Il disco è da assaporare e meditare, con quei battiti quasi techno salmodiati qui è là, quelle aperture magnifiche ed un magmatismo costante.”

THE SLEEPING SHAMAN REVIEW :
“Homes fascinate me; the rooms we dwell in and spend our existences in, I can’t quite compute it nor articulate it, but I feel it’s all full of loss and emptiness…’ – Justin K Broadrick.

Another month and another new release from the ever-restless mind of Godflesh and Jesu ringmaster Justin K Broadrick in the form of the Loud As Giants debut Empty Homes.

The project itself is the collaboration between the inimitable Broadrick and long-time friend, Belgium composer Dirk Serries who has released a huge swath of dark ambient music dating back to the early eighties and is possibly best known for his work under the Fear Falls Burning moniker.

For those unfamiliar with Fear Falls Burning, Serries sought to carve out minimalist meditations on purity and subdued power through a combination of percussive elements and an expansive array of studio tools and instruments to craft expansive drones. It is this symbiosis that drew the two artists to a mutual appreciation of each other’s work that led them to tour (Fear Falls Burning supporting Jesu) and release the avant-garde Final + Fear Fall Burning album in 2009

Some thirteen years after their last project together, Loud As Giants finally emerges from the back burner to try and convey a whimsical feeling of nostalgia for their fascination with the ‘80s culture they both grew up in. Backdropped by the pandemic and the modern-age notion of isolation, there is a strange detached sense of disquiet that drives the heart of this mesmerizing project that doesn’t seek to dramatically revolutionize music, or even break new ground, as it often feels like a quiet, aimless drive through places you once knew.

Comprising of just four instrumental tracks that make up the forty-six-minute running time, each offering is a movement in and of itself that works alongside the other pieces, not to generate any stand-out moments, but to weave and interplay as they conjure the overarching narrative the duo seeks to tell.

The first of these, Monument, begins tentatively as an almost underlying hum that grows into indie light guitar and pulsing drums that capture a feeling of space and light, like the sun breaking over the horizon in the morning, or an empty road lit by streetlights. Both of these images have been cited as scenes that conjure an emptiness and a sense of despair in the eyes of Broadrick. The swirling atmospherics advance the music at a granular level of progression as in his work with Jesu, focusing on how the music makes you feel, rather than looking to grab your attention with a scything hook. The seemingly meandering passages give your mind the chance to wander and surrender to memories.

Estranged taps into the feeling of alienation with a harder and darker industrial edge; as the harsher synths and ominous, urgent drum patter give way to more cavernous ringing that generates a feeling of being very small in a larger world. In comparison to the first track, Estranged feels distinctly urban and claustrophobic in the same way that the futuristic scenes of Blade Runner reek of a crumbling decay under the surface despite the technology before your eyes. It is all at once alien, alienating, and unsettling as it ends with the finality of a cassette-like switch-off.

Broadrick and Serries have become masters at enveloping their listeners in dense walls of sound…

Room Three seeks to redress the balance, calling back to the rich guitar tones of the opener whilst the electronic dub percussion shuffles and thumps underneath like the world is waking and speeding up around you. No less focused and personal, Broadrick and Serries weave textures, slowly introducing sonic variations through the music that can often invoke, depending on your mood, different emotions.

The final moments linger on as the fuller sounds of the piece are stripped away leaving you once again in drifting contemplation, the feeling of loneliness apparent after the swell of the fuller sounds.

As the sci-fi film score-like sounds rise and swell on the final offering Isolation with fleeting beats and recirculating drones, it is easy to view Empty Homes as a conceptual piece of art. At times it appears cold, like the absence of comfort after recalling a memory of previous times, but also the sense that life around you has moved on.

Broadrick, when commenting on the inspiration behind the project, talked of embracing isolation when it is chosen, not forced. In this day of scattered family, remote working, and an ever-divided world, these instances become thrust upon us, but conversely, with the ever-present technology that keeps us connected, the chance and choice to get away and meditate in the stillness can be equally good for the soul.

This is very much a project concerned with the aesthetic principles on which it was founded and one that has been considered through the choices made in composition. Both Broadrick and Serries have become masters at enveloping their listeners in dense walls of sound, whether they are as light as air or thunderous in delivery, and here they capture the very real sense of emptiness, isolation, and nostalgia without it ever becoming an oppressive chore.

For all the downtrodden descriptions and appearance of ideas Loud As Giants found as inspiration, there is a gossamer-light touch and undeniable beauty to what they have captured that doesn’t demand of their audience, it simply invites you into the stillness to take from it what you will.”

AT THE BARRIER REVIEW :
“Loud As Giants is Justin K. Broadrick and Dirk Serries – “our collaboration not to invent new music but just to bring together the music we grew up with, were/are inspired by and we just like to do ourselves,” says Dirk. They’ve also referred to Empty Homes as a trip down memory lane as they head back into the mists of times to reboot their mutual fascination for 80s culture and the genres that influenced and shaped their formative years.

However, don’t worry about any stereotypical 80s fashion faux pas or an emphasis on synthetic sounds and heavily processed drums. Four ten-minute-plus pieces of experimental, post-rock drones and ambiance bring those 80s influences into a contemporary setting and create an immersive experience. Monuments is probably worth the admission price alone. An ominous pounding beat provides the platform on which to create swirls and swathes of hypnotic cadences. Easy to see how the arrangement can create an entrancing journey.

Estranged takes a more slow build approach. Almost four minutes of distant industrial atmosphere finally gives way to another pulse that’s barely detectable beneath some grinding chords. Again, distance and space is paramount, cinematic in the sense that the piece soundtracks something imminent, a sense of suspense. Room Three sees a cyclical pattern build as some shiny metallic ambience and busy skittering get treated to the regular punctuation of a synthesized pulse before it outstays its welcome. Visually, it evokes the waves of a tide that rolls in as far as it can go before ebbing and retreating back – or, should you wish, the ominous rumble of some portent of natural disaster. Consoling sounds – you can see where the record label helps!

Isolation – as claustrophobic as the title – brings things to a conclusion. Again, a jungle of dense and bass drones concludes with hints of the ring of She Sells Sanctuary making the ears prick up right at the finale. A project that has been in the pipeline for years, due to conflicting schedules and their prolific careers, a fully deserved release.”

GRIND ON THE ROAD REVIEW :
“Loud As Giants è il nuovo progetto di Justin K. Broadrick dei Godflesh, figura imprescindibile per chi, come me, è nato musicalmente sotto l’ala protettiva della Earache Records, etichetta che a cavallo tra gli Ottanta e i Novanta ha rivoluzionato il concetto di estremismo in musica. In attesa del nuovo album dei Godflesh, previsto per l’inizio di giugno, ecco arrivare il debutto per questa sua ennesima creazione, in coppia con Dirk Serries. Liaison che sublima il loro rapporto, nato negli anni Ottanta quando, entrambi agli esordi in ambito sonoro, furono tra i primissimi a scambiarsi materiale in cassetta in ambito industrial noise e sperimentale. Dopo decenni di reciproca stima hanno deciso, grazie anche alla sosta imposta dalla pandemia, di dare vita a un qualcosa che potesse concretizzare il loro rapporto a distanza.

Loop armonici ridotti a pochissime note per un approccio che nonostante il cambio di sonorità, decisamente meno industrial rispetto al passato di Broadrick, mantiene comunque una certa assonanza con la paranoica ripetitività, quasi ossessiva dei Godflesh dei tempi migliori. Ad arricchire il tutto, il tocco dark ambient di Serries che smorza la tensione claustrofobica del compare britannico. Si tratta di due musicisti decisamente versatili, che qui hanno scelto di mettersi uno al servizio dell’altro, con fine di realizzare un qualcosa che potesse suonare “diverso” pur mantenendo chiare le origini e l’approccio di entrambi. Lo hanno infatti definito come una sorta di “viaggio della memoria”, con cui ritrovare quelle sonorità degli anni Ottanta con cui sono cresciuti, oltre che un tributo a quelle che sono stati le loro influenze giovanili.

Empty Homes è un qualcosa che era in fermentazione da tempo, ma che solo ora ha preso la sua forma definitiva, unendo le due idiosincratiche figure che non hanno mai nascosto la propria sociopatia, fatta di situazioni ai margini della frenetica e confusionaria vita di città sovraffollate. La colonna sonora ideale per tutti noi che abbiamo scelto di autoemarginarci.”

VITAL WEEKLY REVIEW :
“One of the things about Loud As Giants is, oddly perhaps, that it isn’t that loud, or, to be more precise, not that loud all the time. Behind this name is the duo of Dirk Serries and Justin K. Broadrick. They
both have a long and richly varied musical history. They worked together before, thirteen years ago, to be precise, using their monikers, Final (Broadrick) and Fears Falls Burning (Serries’ guitar project from back then). I don’t think I heard that one. There wasn’t a follow-up because of the usual busyness on both sides. The pandemic made it possible to work again, and maybe we should think of the title as something related to that. Broadrick likes isolation, but only if he can choose to be isolated. Well, don’t we all? I assume through the exchange of sound files, these two men worked on an album that sounds very coherent. They could have been in one room and still sounded as coherent. The loudness is an option here, or at least, that’s how I like to see these things. Sure, you can turn up the volume and be all-immersed in the music, but that’s not my style. I like immersion as much as the next person but I like my ears to last. Plus, sometimes, I like to think that the devil is in
the details. By not going all the volume-way, I think (!) I can detect a few more details. Broadrick and Serries play the electric guitar, and there are some electronic drums. The interest lies within the minimalist approach to guitar drones. A rockist sound such as it is, and that is mainly due to the hammering of the slightly distorted drum machines, I should think. The guitars get strummed, chords (I think, as I have never understood the mechanics of guitar playing), I reckon, and not (e-) bowed, even when in ‘Estranged’, there is a nagging organ-like sound too. There is some intense music to be enjoyed here, loud or less loud, but it is music rich in details and depth, hammering away but always shifting around, never too long in a stasis. Just the way we like them. Now the pandemic has moved away, it would be interesting to see these things on a big stage, as by the time the music was over, I was kinda curious to hear this live (I admit I turnd the volume up); or should that be: as intended?”

SALT PEANUTS REVIEW :
“Belgian experimental guitarist Dirk Serries and British singer-songwriter-guitarist-sound artist  Justin K. Broadrick (founder of the experimental metal bands Godflesh and Jesu) are adventurous sound explorers who are in sync since the early eighties when they both were active in the underground cassette network, individually producing experimental, industrial, and noise music. They worked together in the last decade when Broadrick did the remixes for Serries’ ambient project Vidna Obmana, and reconstructions for Serries Continuum project and collaborated in Serries’ Microphonics and Fear Falls Burning projects. But their duo project under the moniker Loud As Giants is more like ‘a trip down memory lane’, symbolizing their mutual fascination for the 80’s culture in which they grew up and all the relevant and groundbreaking genres Serries and Broadrick were influenced by. Empty Homes is informed by the Covid-19 pandemic isolation and the global nostalgia of that time. It features four dark and mostly dramatic, ambient soundscapes that meet drones, layered and looped with noisy and distorted, industrial sounds and heavy, tribal pulses. These hypnotic and addictive, sometimes play with atmospheric, techno-like beats («Room Three»), other times with unsettling, dense and urban massive walls of sounds («Estranged») or with cinematic, suggestive and comforting images («Isolation») relating to the images of empty homes, as far as possible from the busy centers of big cities and overcrowded streets, and Broadrick claims that all these pieces are «full of loss and emptiness». And suppose we borrow an immortal saying of the Chinese Daoist sage Lau Tzu (already used in the album of Jesu and Serries, Resolution Heart, Toneafloat, 2016). In that case, Series and Broadrick are kindred spirits that “move in utter emptiness. let their minds meander in the great nothingness»”

GHOSTCULT MAG REVIEW :
“While it is somewhat disingenuous and sneaky to include Loud As Giants Empty Homes (Consouling Sounds) in an EP’s round-up, it is only four songs, even if the shortest of these tickles the eleven-minute mark. It is also far too good and interesting a release to sit idly by without a home to recommend it on these hallowed pages.

A predominantly minimalist combination of post-rock, electronics, drone, and beats, this forty-five-minute collaboration of Justin Broadrick (Godflesh / Jesu et al) and Dirk Serries (Fear Falls Burning) manages to be both immersive soundtrack, comforting background, and challenging thought-provoker all at once. Never rushing, never forced, each of the four songs establishes and expands on a feeling and a slightly different theme to its companion pieces, like four episodes of a series that, although linked, doesn’t have an overriding story arc.

Opening and closing pieces (‘Monument’ and ‘Isolation’ respectively) are the less intrusive moments, ‘Estranged’ builds with ominous intent without ever giving way to full horror, and ‘Room Three’ perhaps gives off the greatest set of urgency and unsettlement. With a concept involving the feelings and emotions of different rooms in empty houses, and musically being a vehicle for Serries and Broadrick to collaborate on the type of music they grew up with, the reflective and patient nature of Loud As Giants’ music is both entrancing and inviting.”

THE SHFI REVIEW :
“Justin Broadrick and Dirk Serries’s mutual admiration society, established via previous collaborations such as their work together in the guises of Final and Fear Falls Burning, continued in 2023 with a fully new joint project as Loud as Giants. The suffused energy throughout Empty Homes has the pounding post-industrial drive one might expect on the one hand, but the shimmering feeling created by their guitar work, stately and enveloping, amps up the feeling of contemplative beauty on strong compositions like “Monument” and “Room Three.”

GONZO CIRCUS REVIEW :
“JUSTIN K BROADRICK (Godflesh, Jesu, Final, …) en DIRK SERRIES (vidnaObmana, Fear Falls Burning, YODOK III, …) leerder elkaar persoonlijk kennen toen de laatste als Fear Falls Burning op sleeptouw werd genomen als voorprogramma van Jesu.  In 2009 leidde dat tot een eerste samenwerking op plaat, namelijk ‘Final + Fear Falls Burning’ op Conspiracy.  Maar daar begint het verhaal niet.  Beiden kenden en waardeerden elkaar muziek al jaren, toen ze alle twee nog actief waren in het internationale underground cassettenetwerk van de jaren 1980.  Het is precies dat decennium – dat muzikaal wordt gekenmerkt door new wave, electronische postpunk, industrial en vroege shoegaze – dat de achtergrond vormt voor een nieuwe samenwerking; ditmaal onder de vlag Loud As Giants.  Geen afzonderlijke namen meer op de cover dus, maar een gezamenlijk project.  Dat ater-ego wordt best met een korrel zout genomen want echt luid of heavy wordt het niet in de vier circa tien minuten vragende tracks.  Intens, groots en hypnotiserend wel;  Het fundament bestaat uit – niet geheel onverwacht – gitaardrones die harmonisch om en door elkaar heen kronkelen.  Spaarzame en repetitieve (machinale) rimtes en subtiele geluidsdetails zorgen voor verdere verrijking en variatie.  Het draait om het oproepen van een bepaalde atmosfeer; niet om songs.  Het gaat om het effct : ‘Empty Homes’ voelt als rijden door dikke mist – spannend, mysterieus en licht beangstigend – maar je weet dat je altijd weer veilig thuiskomt”. 

REGEN MAGAZINE REVIEW :
“It’s incredible to think that prior to the formation of Loud as Giants, Dirk Serries and Justin K. Broadrick had formally collaborated on an album only once before, especially since they’re both well known for their individual exploratory spirits and often supported each other’s live performances. Oh well, better late than never as Empty Homes presents the two forging a creative partnership that, although hardly deviating from the musical pathways they’ve been known to travel, yields an entrancing experience all the same. Crafted in the midst of the pandemic, the album reflects the pair’s feelings of isolation and nostalgia, its four tracks demonstrating audio streams of consciousness that evoke the haunted cries of what was and can never be again. Driven by seemingly unending washes of ambient guitar and synth drenched in reverb and delay, Empty Homes unfolds gradually to reveal various miasmal elements – angular bass lines, steely and resonant guitar melodies, sparsely programmed drumbeats that eventually amplify into overdriven pulses and metallic clanks, all throbbing with a propulsive urgency that vacillates between the brooding reveries of “Monument” and “Room Three,” to the dark reminiscence of “Estranged,” and finally to a resigned embrace of “Isolation,” which concludes things with the eerie singing of a steady, droning synth tone. It’s a soundtrack to the streets of a once bustling city, the neighborhood avenues of one’s hometown once teeming with life and activity, now uncanny and undisturbed. And yet, it’s not a hopeless or despondent record, the songs taking their time to breathe and envelop the listener. As Serries and Braodrick have stated that there was no imperative to invent anything new, there is a comfort in Empty Homes, free from the need to awe or transcend, but to just… be.”

ONDAROCK REVIEW :
“Prima o poi si sarebbero dovuti incontrare. Non quando la metà oscura dell’universo rock li considerava due stelle da seguire nel buio dei più oscuri anni 80. Ma molti anni dopo, quando la loro parabola, a qualcuno, sembrava quasi essersi eclissata. Seconda metà degli anni zero. Dirk Serries, non più Vidna Obmana, gira le cantine con il nome di Fear Falls Burning, il progetto con cui dà fuoco alle chitarre elettriche inseguendo una psichedelia stellare risorta dalle ceneri del suono post-industriale. Dal canto suo Justin Broadrick, in libera uscita dai Godflesh, continua a produrre dischi solo apparentemente meno oscuri con il suo nuovo progetto Jesu – rimescolando quanto già prodotto nei vent’anni precedenti con il nome Final. Nel 2007 Fears Falls Burning apre i concerti di Jesu. Dirk Serries e Justin Broadrick si conoscono e diventano amici, continuando a frequentarsi fino ai nostri giorni. Fino a quando decidono di dar vita insieme al progetto Loud As Giants. “… è la nostra collaborazione non per inventare nuova musica ma solo per mettere insieme la musica con cui siamo cresciuti, da cui siamo stati (e continuiamo ad essere) ispirati e che ci piace fare da soli”. – spiega Dirk. Le quattro lunghe tracce dell’album sono una vetrina per le abilità di Serries e Broadrick: matasse di suono elettrico in cui le chitarre sono in grado di ricamare melodie romantiche e allo stesso tempo di esplodere in riff di un’oscurità accecante. “Amo l’isolamento, solo quando scelto da me, e amo la notte, le strade vuote, tranquille: mi sento come se potessi esistere allora. Odio le mattine. Odio la luce solare bassa. Mi deprime immediatamente. Questo album per me incarna un mondo in cui personalmente mi sento più felice”. – spiega Broadrick. Su “Room Three” viene messa in scena una versione dark dello shoegaze di Slowdive e Secret Shine: arpeggi di chitarre coperte di rugiada si fanno strada tra la nebbia per trovare un beat alieno che prende a segnare il tempo come un satellite senza orbita.”

SAITENKULT REVIEW :
“Dirk Serries und Justin K. Broadrick verwirklichen nach vielen Jahren endlich ein neues Projekt. Der Belgier Dirk Serries, der auch unter dem Pseudonym FEAR FALLS BURNING firmiert, teilt mit dem britischen Sänger/Gitarristen Justin K. Broadrick, der NAPALM DEATH, GODFLESH und JESU in seinem Lebenslauf stehen hat, die Vorliebe für die Musik und Kultur der Achtzigerjahre. Mit dem Projekt LOUD AS GIANTS leben sie daher die Musik aus, mit der sie aufgewachsen sind. Somit ist ´Empty Homes´ für sie eine besondere Reise in die Vergangenheit. Zur beklemmenden Musik der Achtzigerjahre passen natürlich auch die brandaktuellen Themen wie Isolation, obwohl sie natürlich nur die freiwillige lieben. Dafür hassen sie den frühen Morgen mit seinem heranbrechenden Sonnenlicht und bewundern viel mehr die strukturierten Räume in Häusern.  Vierzehn Jahre nach ihrem gemeinsamen Projekt FINAL + FEAR FALLS BURNING präsentieren Dirk Serries und Justin K. Broadrick vier Instrumentalstücke über 46 Minuten. Die Trommeln trommeln wie Maschinen, die Loops loopen wie Drones, doch die Welt scheint in der Behaglichkeit als auch Kälte der Achtzigerjahre stehen geblieben zu sein.  Jeder Ton greift in den nächsten hinüber und verwebt sich zu einem großen Ganzen. ´Monument´ summt und trommelt sich im Morgenlicht in seiner atmosphärischen Progression voran, ´Estranged´ klingelt und klappert in der Einsamkeit durch die pure Klaustrophobie, ´Room Three´ kriecht und wummert in der Begegnung mit Gitarren- und Percussion-Hall und ´Isolation´ durchlebt das Böse in wallenden Drones samt huschenden Herzschlägen. Dirk Serries und Justin K. Broadrick sind bereits jeder für sich Meister der Schichtung und Schöpfung von Klängen, doch als Einheit LOUD AS GIANTS stellen sie das pure Gefühl des Nihilismus in seiner unberechenbaren Schönheit dar. (8 gigantisch dröhnende Punkte)”

MUSICZINE REVIEW :
“Het project Loud As Giants is een samenwerking tussen de onnavolgbare Broadrick en zijn oude vriend, de Belgische componist Dirk Serries, die al sinds het begin van de jaren tachtig een grote hoeveelheid donkere ambientmuziek heeft uitgebracht en misschien wel het meest bekend is om zijn werk onder de naam Fear Falls Burning.
Met ‘Empty Homes’ wordt opnieuw de grenzen van het genre verkend, ergens tussen waanzin (oorverdovende sound) en gemoedsrust (zachtmoedige sounds) , de brug tussen donkere gedachten en lichtjes in de tunnel.
“Monument” is er meteen eentje die twaalf minuten duurt. We stappen binnen in die mystieke wereld. Een onheilspellend “Estranged” gaat de donkere weg in; continu worden we heen en weer geslingerd in die wisselende sounds.
Op “RoomThree” lijkt de balans terug te keren, maar het dreigende en waanzinnige op het eind tekent net niet voor een rustpunt. Even op adem komen is er wel op “Isolation”. Algemeen horen we donkere tunes, die een beklemmend gevoel veroorzaken. We hebben hier een grauwe, rauwe en duivelse van griezelige, angstaanjagende geluidjes, met af en toe een rustpuntje, die gemoedsrust biedt.
We ervaren het al soort onaardse magie, magische duisternis met een beklemmend gevoel en van welbehagen.”

MUSIQUE MACHINE REVIEW :
“The mere mention of the name Justin K. Broadrick evokes memories of some of the most amazing industrial music ever produced. As a founding member of grindcore heroes Napalm Death, industrial metal legends, Godflesh, and later experimental metallers Jesu, he has helped to shape the sound of extreme metal and industrial music over the last 40 years or so. During that time, he has also worked with a diverse range of bands as a producer, including Pantera, Isis, Mogwai and Pelican. In 2007 during Jesu’s Conqueror tour, he befriended the like-minded, Dirk Serries, whose band, Fear Falls Burning were the support act. The two had developed from similar musical backgrounds, both had been heavily involved in the experimental, industrial and noise music scenes since the 1980s, which eventually led to them working together from time to time, helping out one another on each other’s projects and on odd occasions in a live setting. This kinship eventually led to the pair working together on this, their first album as Loud as Giants. Empty Homes features four long instrumental tracks that run at a collective 46 minutes. Opener “Monument” is a 12.30 meandering slab of cyclical guitar drones that borrows as much from Germany’s Can as it does from their own previous work. Atmospheric and hypnotic, it can help take the listener into other realms of consciousness. “Estranged” is up next and after an almost ambient beginning with lots of found sounds and drones grows into something darker and harsher, with the addition of guitars and synths. This particular track hints at something approaching the noise scene, not quite as harsh as bands like Wolf Eyes but certainly influenced by those sorts of artists. After a slow droning start “Room Three” kicks into gear around the 2.45 mark. Reminiscent of both previous tracks, it has some harsher moments like we hear in Estranged but takes the floaty hypnotic vibes of Monument to the next level before gently fading out to nothingness. The album closer “Isolation” has a very cinematic feel, recalling some of the more Avant Garde movie scores to have graced our screens in the last twenty years. At moments, I am reminded particularly of Christopher Young’s score to the horror movie Sinister, or Hans Zimmer’s score to 2021s sci-fi masterpiece Dune. Overall, Empty Homes is a triumph for Broadrick and Serries. A wonderful record featuring four pieces of music that function as individual tracks or as part of a larger overarching sonic theme that flows throughout the album. It’s a fairly chilled record that takes the listener on a journey and works brilliantly as an aid to relaxation. Whilst it’s certainly not an ambient record (there’s far too much going on for that) it manages to do what good instrumental albums do, by drawing the listener in through the subtleties of the instrumentation. Monumental and personal at the same time, it’s a special record that I for one, hope is just the first in a long line of collaborations for the pair.”