ars moriendi

ars moriendi were founded in the end of 1989 by p. münch (rhythm, synths, metals), a. schramm (guitar, voice), s. pügge (voice, metals) and u. münch (bass, voice). in march 1990 they released their first tape (dildo) which was a strange mixture of punk, wave and experimentations. during summer 1990 u. münch left the band, because a.m.'s style became more electronic orientated. after their second tape (freudentränen) a.m.'s music developed into dark and ritual sound. during the autuum 1991 a. börner (synths, voice) joined the band. they spent a lot of time in developing a new sound which could be heard on the tape 'über-leben' (1993) and 'boom survivor' (1994), beneath their more song-orientated work they did the 'hexass'-project in which they only used tapes and effects. so this one was more noisy and collage-like. in the end of 1994 a.m. was deleted because the solo-projects of all members became more important.

ars moriendi discography
1990: dildo, c-60, fich art, deleted
1990: freudentranen, c-90, fich art
1991: schlachtgesange, c-60, fich art
1991: hexass/monokrom, c-60, fich art
1992: fun-dust-trial, c-90, fich art (a compilation of unreleased and alternative tracks)
1993: uber-leben 1, c-60, fich art
1994: boom survivor, c-60, fich art
1995: last documents, 7", ant-zen
1997: memorandum cd+12", ant-zen (a best-of collection plus 3 unreleased tracks)
2002: in memoriam. 7" vinyl. ant-zen
2003: live at maschinenfest 2002, cd, pflichtkauf

monohirn

a collaboration between a.m. and rabenhirn in 1992. a mixture of all styles in alternative music, with powerloaded electronics, heavy guitars, lunatic vocals, tribal metal percussions and strange tape-samples. they made one split-tape on jeremy bamber in 1992, which was a live-performance document.

ars moriendi. memorandum. cd+lp set. act 61. limited 501 copies. sold out

memorandum is the final retrospective of ars moriendi 's work between 1990 - 1995. a collection of tracks which had been previously released on different tapes. tribal trance & powerelectronic-rhythms & dark ambient. ars moriendi was joined by synapscape, asche, morgenstern, templegarden's ... finally published as cd+lp set.

tracklist lp: der schlüssel, meiner selbst, fütter' mich, mutterliebe, erste liebe, innenansichten

tracklist cd: dreamwalking, armageddon, the lack ov light, into nothing, macht angst, preciousness, tease you, conscious, dream on, hexass it. V, endlich! (version)

reviews

culture shock nr. 5, spring 98
once, ars moriendi had to die, that bands like synapscape, asche, morgenstern and templegarden's were given it's birth. ars moriendi did exist between 1990 - 1995 and this release is the estate of there works. it is a cd+lp set, limited to 501 copies which was designed by salt... and it looks really unusual: the cd is put into a printed paperjacket, which is sticked directly on the record. fortunately there is also a whole in the cd-papercover, so you can put the complete item directly on the turntable. and you can listen it it.... on the lp you'll find the early tracks ('90-'92), which could be described as anarchic electro - reminding a little bit to the early 80ies electronics like snowy red, force dimension, but a little bit harsher and more noisy. the cd includes the last two years of their work ('94 - '95) which sounds definitely more complex structured - from dark ambient with drowning bass percussions to hard rhythmic noise. the track 'armageddon' could have been from mother destruction - very tribal and hypnotising. the only difference is that the female singer andrea boerner (today she's running her own project morgenstern) is shouting and screaming with her devil's voice, which gives the song a much more aggressive and powerful force. some other tracks are done in the mood of dive, but ars moriendi are much more complex structured, not that minimal and they use a nearly endless variety of sounds. especially the track 'endlich!' with german vocals is getting a club-hit for noisy industrial clubs here (in germany). banging yourself into the galaxy of harsh powerrhythms. there was a band named memorandum on cold meat industry, which released a cd called ars moriendi? but this is a different story.... my desire for more ars moriendi work is finally over, because this is the last release. but their spirit lives on in synapscape, asche, morgenstern, templegarden's.... giving them all my points: 6/6

side-line, april/mai 1998
the german label ant-zen, has already accustomed us with the release of several underground industrial terrorists, who were involved in the restricted demo world. ars moriendi is one of these projects and this memorandum cd is a kind of back catalogue from their previous experiments. this album starts in a terrific way woth the outstanding "dreamwalking". this is the ultimate symbiosis between industrial atmospheres and acid sounds, which results in a dynamic dance track! i really appreciate the way this band somposes dark, industrial soundscapes full of controlled noisy intrusions and their mysterious, whispering vocals on the background, which probably procure nightmares to several sensitive listeners. ars moriendi seem to be influenced by the work of pioneers like spk and throbbing gristle, but perfectly incorporated an own touch to their music. this is industrial music, which just improvice! one of the best examples on this album is the long during "conscious" track. it starts with a dark "aquatic" sounding mood and slowly moves on into a less cold soundscape. this is one of the tracks, which could be perfectly suited as soundtrack for an obscure movie! memorandum is an album, which slowly grows on you... itīs not absolutely essential, but representative enough to invest!

re:mote induction
ars moriendi were a four piece experimental band who released a number of cassettes and vinyl, but split up before releasing any cds. this is a memorial release to their legacy - memorandum. the release is a six track vinyl compilation of their early work with a cd sleeve stuck to the center of one side - in which there is an eleven track cd containing later material. the package is limited edition and as i order this from the record company, ant zen, i am told this is the last copy they have. but i'll review it anyway, as you never know where a release may crop up. another reason for reviewing it is as a mark of my continuing exploration - part of which involves going backwards sometimes, which may also allow to go forward. as i have already indicated, ars moriendi have a legacy - this is represented by the other projects of the members. i am most aware of synapscape which features philipp munch; synapscape have two albums on ant zen and have an increasingly high profile in terms of this type of music. also from ars moriendi we have asche, moata omen, and templegarden - all of whom i have heard little by as i purchase this. though since then i have found asche - non apocalyptic, so watch for a review of that in the near future. the first side of memorandum has two tracks - the grooves of which go round the cd sleeve in the centre, which depicts an x-ray outline of four people. der schlissel is the first of the two and is a fairly minimal piece, which seems shorter than the time listed. this gives way in bridging ghost beats, echoing the sound of meiner selbst. having bridged the gap the beats transform into reality - up and rhythmic. caustic, but with a certain accessibility - vocals groan, fading into peaks. one can hear some of the sound here that carried into synapscape. the second side of the record has the next four tracks. of these four i enjoy mutterliebe and innenanichten the most. mutterliebe features the oscillating back beat which becomes more familiar the more i hear work by these four people. this is very reminiscent of synapscape - layering of elements providing an interesting, if cacophonic, content. innenanichten, which finishes the record, starts with a guitar strum - punk epic echoing potential. reverb off the strums seeming to focus a light and warbling experiment. in the background we can make out a clear strong spoken dialogue - which is a contrast to the more frequently distorted voices. a voice style which is used in futter mich - muffled and distorted, emerging to the accompaniment of an industrial clatter. the body which births from the well paced, reasonably mellow electro beat which is the intro. and foreground to hell let loose. erste liebe has a similar feel – growling beats, an accordion being physically abused and a siren warning of the coming holocaust. on to the cd - we have the start with a subdued movement from speaker to speaker gaining the momentum to fade in from ear to ear. then there is a pulsing beat and the track gains consciousness. scraping sounds off the teeth within the half perceptions of dream walking. followed by armaggedon and a background beat - steps forward - steps back - before the sound evens out. the track is utterly minimal until the vocals start. the vocals are nice - shouting, presumably provided by andrea. another reviewer compared this album to mother destruction, and from the mother destruction i have heard i would presume this tracks combination of rhythm and vocals is what prompted that comparison. later on we have macht angst which starts with a looping and seemingly distressed vocal. which is fleshed out by whirring clicks and electrical discharges - providing a foreground awash with the everyday sounds of electrics/machines working. the background provides something varying from soaring midpitch drone and majestic chaos. part of the charm of macht angst is that it never goes over the score - allowing the listener to savor what they hear, whether it is pure sound or impure noise. slow hypnotic oscillations. tease you starts with a rising and falling sound which has the feel of searching something out. then the ars moriendi pulsing rhythm, which i mentioned in mutterliebe returns - a sound which i love. this is again accompanied by andrea's vocals - which include the line "i want to tease you" reaching out of whatever dark void contains her presence. further on, immersed in the rhythm, a high pitched voice contrasts the wailing repeating the same phrase. this is followed by conscious, which starts with its first layer being floaty. the second is then a slow drone, higher pitched than most drone tracks. there is something wet and dreamlike in the combinations of sounds. with this track i can hear vague similarities to coil. the last two tracks are hexass pt v and endlich (version). hexass pt v sounds like a "calm before the storm" ending - the rumbling of thunder clouds. throughout there are muttering voices or clattering noises - seeming to be threat - the moment before anything actually happens and more tense for that. endlich is the only track by ars moriendi that i have actually heard before. endlich is a dancefloor slab - a slap in the face with all the realisation of the latent brutality so often hinted at. a strong, storming conclusion to this collection.