wow. for a label that has released indie mellowness like calla and the walkmen (the latter of which was compared to freaking u2), this is pretty intense. of course, they also released orthrelm. orthrelm is one of the few bands whose sound comes close to the chaotic yet academic madness that embodies the latest luttenbachers release, so-called "brutal prog" that consists of two basses ("earth" and "air"), occasional electronic noise, and the ever-present weasel walter on drums. other points of reference include the ruins and lightning bolt, but infection and decline is still incredibly different than any other music currently being made. orthrelm is as complex, but their improvisational style is vastly different than the precisely composed start-and-stop assaults on the luttenbachers' disc. lightning bolt is as loud, but their metallic riffage and jazzy groove are nowhere to be found here. the ruins are easily the closest with their love of prog rock (including magma, who the luttenbachers cover to close the disc), but the vocals and playfulness are both absent from this dark assault (i have heard it is a concept album about the robot-initiated destruction of humanity, but how this was interpreted without lyrics or liner notes is beyond me). this is probably the least accessible album of this genre, and the dedication it takes to sit through this enough times to understand it is immense. for those who are interested in listening to intellectualized, misanthropic, nietzschean violence that is more alienating than your mom's cannibal corpse records, this is the place to be.