Bob Bellerue

"This epic and at times over the top work fully delivers on its forthright title, which suggests the instrument in question at best deserves expletives and at worst warrants an exorcism. There’s no melodic ivory tinkling to be found here – Bellerue positions various objects on the body of the piano and its soundboard to draw out their resonant properties, then amplifies the results to cacophonous volumes. Over its four-part 64 minute duration, Damned Piano segues from looming, opaque, abraded drone workouts, to noise climaxes rippling with finely striated tonal detail, to extended passages of impenetrably dense frequencies, reverberating with seismic shudders. Proceedings do verge on the schlocky – the artwork is festooned with foreboding gothic lettering, some of which exhorts the listener to “turn it up to frightening levels”. And more variety in approach – or even something other than continual all-out attack – would have provided helpful contrast. Still, it’s certainly entertaining throughout.“ (Nick Cain, The Wire)