Schizoid – All Things Are Connected (D-Trash): Brutal screaming industrial noise from the suburbs of Toronto. Schizoid is the mutated spawn of J. Smith, and he makes a truly hellish noise. Screamed and distorted vocals combine with Godflesh-like guitars, crushing Atari Teenage Riot drum machine beats and cartoony synth sounds. Poor production mars this album though. Some songs seem to end abruptly in the middle of vocals. Who knows if this is intentional of not.  Amazingly brutal. Not for the faint of heart.

Final Rating: B-

Duke, Andrew – Physical and Mental Health (Dial/Folding Cassettes): Halifax’s Andrew Duke is a prolific minimalist electronic artists, this being his second album for 2001. “Physical and Mental Health” shows off a darker side to Duke’s work. The elements are still very organic in nature (“HRM H20” uses the lapping of waves in Halifax Harbour as a backdrop, “Pulled Through the Needle” seems to use overdistorted thunderstorms) and the electronics are still almost an afterthought. The sounds here are more dissonant and distorted than usual. Duke creates the best kraut-rock influenced electronics this side of Germany, maybe even this side of Finland. ([email protected])

Final Rating: A