Words by others:


Reviewers:
"And amazingly enough it’s the projects debut album- making this one of the most rewarding, multi layered and creative debut albums in recent years."(Judas Kiss)
****
"The sound quality is top notch and here Ralf  has produced and mastered it adroitly, the depth of surrounding sound is pristine, every nuance captured and spaced out in horrifying detail.
 The album is a dark mass of visions, a dream surreal in its fractured automatism, one that takes you to into trenches overwhelmed by the gulfs of blackness overhead. In sixty minutes you’ll be convinced to cue/repeat (Heathen Harvest)
****
Das Teil ist ein Meisterwerk. Der absolut kranke Wahnsinn. Geil ! (Deutscher Musik Journalist nach Pre-Listening von Soziale Apokalypse)
****
"Eighteen tracks of the blistering soundscape parade the vicissitudinous template that Testphasen Negativ masters extremely well in this album, a convergence of styles works across the plains and urban decay seamlessly."(HH)

****
Ralf Rabendorn returns with his sophomore release, “Burn, Giant, Burn!”, a smouldering volcano of noise and sounds and other effusions, waking from dormancy into action.

Reversed vocals squawk and squeal, bubble from oppressive liquid flows and chaos. Deft touches of instrumentation are sprinkled sparsely and a quick glance at the liner notes shows Ralf doesn’t just rely on field recordings or computers as guitar, real drums, flute, traditional and man-made instruments among others feature. “Burn, Giant, Burn!” is anxious noise and less dark ambience, treating such moments with the same experimentation as much the sudden blasts of susurrating noise.

Testphasen Negativ refrains from merely developing noise into cacophony, rather using it in brief passages to segue flashing imagery like collage: there is never a dull moment and always something new glued over and under without being too dense. Symphonic progressions spoons a little classicism into the album but gargled vocals chew away any relief of the schizophrenic experimentation.

Kenji Siratori sneers a scowling spoken word recitation to the Asiatic “Anti-Viral”, which is one of the first times Siratori’s voice compliments further medieval horror to the soundtrack. As such it stands apart from the album in malignant minimalism, regardless if you cannot understand Japanese.

As with ...... first album, the sound quality is superb, refined subtly and bristling a full range of frequency and stereo space. (Heathen Harvest)
****
 "How I Won The War – Wie Ich Den Krieg Gewann” has also a quite disturbing atmosphere where you get the feeling that the evil is hiding everywhere."(Side-Line)
****
 "The album is a dark mass of visions, a dream surreal in its fractured automatism, one that takes you to into trenches overwhelmed by the gulfs of blackness overhead."(Heathen Harvest)
****
 "Seamless Testphasen Negativ goes from paranoid sound sculptures to melancholic piano pieces and back to bombastic industrial. Dark apocalyptic loops and disturbing atmospheres. "(Gothtronic)
****
 "Across 18 tracks of assorted length, musician Ralf Rabendorn paints a nightmare on aural canvas that's similar to the cinematic surrealism of Nurse With Wound at their most dire, or perhaps for the next edition of the Silent Hill game franchise."(ReGen)
****
"Es sei ebenfalls noch anzumerken, dass sämtliche Stücke trotz finsterer Grundstimmung erstaunlich gut ins Gehör gehen" (NecroWeb)"
****

Listeners:
The sound design is amongst the best in the dark ambient genre! The guitar flourishes that happen across various tracks are great, as are the vocals.
“Going Down…Again” is one of my favorite compositions TN has done. The orchestration and building throb create a menacing atmosphere.
 Like I said, I really like this album, and I’ve already listened to it a dozen or so times.(Robert Osgood/CATL)
****
 Excellent new offerings! Ice cold heat, that burns the senses and brings one's soul to experience ethereal sound.(John Fink Jr.)
****
It's a fantastic album. First time I heard "Anti-Vital" I had to play it over and over again. Just amazing.(Rune)
****
Testphasen negativ is the most interesting act in the dark ambient scene (MirrorMan)
****
Genious (unknown)
****


BACK


© R. Rabendorn