Album Review: Ben Frost - All That You Love Will Be Eviscerated

Extracted from and expanding upon the sessions of 2017's The Centre Cannot Hold with new tracks and remixes, All That You Love Will Be Eviscerated continues Frost's journey into more lively, angular forms of colossal sheets of noise.

No longer defined by the tidal roar of 2009's By The Throat, the Iceland-based Australian composer's work now feels like the distorted hyper-colour beauty and dynamics of Tim Hecker's recent work filtered through the earth-splitting amplification of Lawrence English's last handful of years. (The topographical crunch of 2015's The Peregrine reissue feels like a particular touchstone.) 

Self Portrait In Ultramarine feels almost baroque in its cascading sequences — both hazily cinematic and thunderously Teutonic. Where Frost's work has always been powerful, All That You Love Will Be Eviscerated's experiments also feel lithe, giddy and colourful. It's not just about volume, texture and mood but novelty and thrill. An adventurous, enthusiastic mood permeates the record's undercurrent of drones and distortion.

The truly fascinating experiments lie in the re-imaginings from Alva Noto and Steve Albini. Albini's take on Meg Ryan Eyez, in particular, is surprisingly clean and evocative. But, really, the whole EP is another great piece of work from one of Australia's finest exports.