Australian experimental / electronic artist Ben Frost releases his first new record since “Aurora” from 2014. The new album “The Centre Cannot Hold” was co-produced by Steve Albini in Chicago. If you look back at the predecessor “Aurora” you can find similarties like the excellent pounding “Venter”, but the new records goes way further.
The way he creates music is very special in a disturbing way! That becomes conscious if you visit a live performance by Frost himself. Fortunately Ben Frost plays two years ago at Hamburg, Kampnagel as part of the ePhil Extended. If you have the change to see him live, you have to visit a concert. The live shows are totally mindblowing! The new record is a step further, it is a tremendous record from start to finish. How disturbing “The Centre Cannot Hold” could be, is already known if you listen to the first track “Threshold Of Faith”. One of the true strength on the new one is the density in quality. Ben Frost succeeds to top the great predecessor “Aurora” (One of my favourite records in 2014) in a tremendous way. Clearly the music of Frost is totally independent and in 2017 there is maybe only one compareable record from Jushua Sabin, the awesome “Terminus Drift” (Reviewed in March 2017). It is very difficult to marks highlights on “The Centre Cannot Hold” but there are some exceptions apart from the opening track. “A Sharp Blow In Passing” shines in the second half when the starlight synthy comes to the foreground! “Ionia” starts as a slow one and builds a drone framework only to explode in the last part. “Entrophy in Blue” operates in a different way. It has it’s own very dark post-apocalyptic touch to complete this new masterpiece. There is no doubt that “The Centre Cannot Hold” is one of the best records in 2017!
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