TWO MEN AND A NOISE ALBUM

Ever since forming in 1981, Osaka's Incapacitants have been establishing themselves as legends of Japanese harsh noise.  Indeed, the duo of Toshiji Mikawa and Fumio Kosakai are responsible for many genre touchstones, and one of their most sought after releases is 1995's As Loud as Possible.  Released by cult label Zabriskie Point during what was arguably one of the Japanoise scene's most intensely creative periods, the album has long been out of print.  Thankfully, Germany's Total Black was somehow able to secure the rights to reissue As Loud as Possible on CD, vinyl and digital, making it available once again to depraved noiseheads all over the world.

I was lucky enough to grab a CD copy of As Loud as Possible via American label/distro Cloister Recordings and was immediately struck by the quality of the physical product.  Housed in a sturdy eight panel digipack, I unfortunately cannot say how it compares to the original release, but I can say that this new version looks fantastic.  The extreme care with which Total Black put together this reissue is evident from the moment you take it out of the shrink wrap and is probably one of the most well-packaged noise discs in my collection.

But enough about how As Loud as Possible looks; it's the noise inside that matters and rest assured that Incapacitants kick up one hell of a racket here.  Starting with "Apoptosis," the duo quickly establish a sound that is both dynamic and intense, stabbing at the listener’s vulnerable ears for over fifteen minutes with razor-sharp high-pitched frequencies, while crackling, rhythmic distortion continually bombards the mix.  The focus on ever-shifting sonic architecture over sheer extremity makes for a rich listening experience that feels more immersive and less like an endurance test.

The album’s second track “Necrosis” begins with creepy-crawly distortion and from there the cacophony continues to build as more layers are piled on top of one another.  This track has more of a psychedelic feel to it, with the lower tones being more prominent, while the aforementioned high-pitched frequencies that dominated “Apoptosis” are buried under the aural avalanche.  This would surely be a great track to listen to in an altered state; one of those tracks that would likely make you question whether you’re hearing things that aren’t actually there.  This feels like the prototype for the harsh noise wall subgenre, which goes a long way towards explaining why Sam McKinlay of The Rita was chosen to write the liner notes for this reissue.

As with many Incapacitants releases, As Loud as Possible ends with a mammoth live track.  "Live 950401" captures Incapacitants at their most ferocious, as the duo pushes the distortion and feedback so far beyond the red that one can't but help but imagine the audience leaving the venue with their brains oozing out of their ears.  But as harsh as it is, it's also strangely mesmerizing, as if combining the sonic violence of "Apoptosis" and the battering psychedelia of "Necrosis" into a perfect, terrifying noise assault.

As Loud as Possible is an exemplary Japanese noise album and every bit the classic that more well known discs from the mid-to-late '90s such as Pulse Demon and Frequency LSD are.  It's hard to fathom that it took nearly three decades for As Loud as Possible to be reissued, but the obvious reverence with which Total Black put together this remastered and revamped version has made it more than worth the wait.  It's a must-have for collectors and a key historical document from one of the most important periods in the development of harsh noise.

https://totalblack.bandcamp.com/album/as-loud-as-possible