I have a running joke with some of my friends on which of us can find the most inaccessible band with little information available on the internet. I think I win at least for today. I do not know a lot about this band but what I can tell you about this release is that it is from France, made by two people, and is frightening as hell.

If we review the merits of low fidelity, one will see noise and raw atmosphere adding to the music. The loud almost blurred guitars of Jeux de Morts slot in nicely with the vocals that also seem to split sound waves. Despite all of this sounding difficult to listen to, Merdam Boten manages to make a noisy atmosphere passive and almost soothing and the instrumentation blends together in a whirlwind. Add to this the driving force behind songs like “Coluchifer” and one has a surprising release that no one really saw coming.

I do not know what this is. Whether it is a demo, EP, or full length, Merdam Boten makes one of the loudest introductions this year with a release that consumes its contemporaries in fiery jaws. Jeux de Morts also has a closing track which is 20 minutes of field recordings and sound collage. The inclusion of this track is so jarring that Merdam Boten that I wonder whether or not the greatness of this release was accidental or purposefully planned. Maybe I’ll wait until I have more information.