PUKEHAMMER

Originally released in 1998, Tauromachine was Merzbow's third and final solo album for Release Entertainment, the Relapse Records sub label that almost single-handedly introduced the US to the wonders of Japanese harsh noise. After the death metal inspired violence of Venereology and the relentless extremity of Pulse Demon , Merzbow opted to for a more psychedelic approach, creating what is arguably one of his most accessible albums.   After having been out of print for many years, Relapse has finally seen the light and reissued Tauromachine with a fresh remaster courtesy of James Plotkin (Khanate OLD, Namanax, etc.), as well as a second disc's worth of previously unreleased bonus tracks. To say that it's an embarrassment of noisy riches would be an understatement. To these ears, Tauromachine  is stylistically somewhat akin to 1997's equally classic Hybrid Noisebloom in its embrace of spacey psychedelia over brain-battering harshness, but what ultimately sets it apa