So, Black Is Myself

by Martin WaltersAnother installment from the darkest man of the Tokyo underground, Keiji Haino's recordings never fail to deliver ample waves of distorted noise via guitar and vocal. For this release he is as confrontational as ever, and the abrasion may take time to get used to; fans who love to soak their heads in the storm of noise would not be disappointed by the electricity on display here, however the uninitiated may want to test the waters with his power trio Fushitsusha. Like all highly prolific artists, it is often hard to really absorb the music with such a succession of great recordings. Like great jazz musicians, once you are into his sound it is thrilling to hear the variations on his own personal musical language. Keiji Haino remains completely unpredictable though, and So Black Is Myself may be the one of the heaviest solo recordings of the guitar terrorist.