Ferial Confine

Fully remastered and repackaged second release of the final Ferial Confine album 'First, Second and Third Drop' by Siren Records (Japan). Here presented in Japanese mini-LP style sleeve with obi, mastered at Skye Masteringby Denis Blackham in 2012. 'First, Second and Third Drop', although never actually released when it was completed in late 1985, became the final cycle of music by Ferial Confine and marked a departure from the closing moments of the preceding album 'Meiosis' (Siren 022). Its impression is austere and surreal, even though the instrumentation is limited to the use of bowed acoustic percussion and wind instruments and some tape treatments later in the album.

Ferial Confine is the alias formerly used by Andrew Chalk in the 1980s for his noisier endeavours. "First, Second and Third Drop" is an album that was recorded in January of 1986 and remained unreleased until now. After giving this disc several listens, I have to wonder why it wasn't released much sooner!
Although not as mellow as most of the work for which Andrew Chalk is known, "First, Second and Third Drop" is definitely not a barrage of noise, and really has little in common with most of his Broken Flag label-mates from back in the 1980s. The comparison that immediately comes to mind listening to this album is Organum's material from around the same time period, something which makes a bit of sense since Andrew Chalk was involved in Organum for a time. The first three tracks definitely have the metallic, tense atmosphere that I've come to associate with Organum's earlier material - high-pitched scraping noises, creaking metal and general uneasiness.