As Loud As Possible

For many, Incapacitants are the exemplars of Japanese noise at its most monomaniacally focused — a pure, ear-melting wall of sound. Careful and considered digging into their back catalogue, though, reveals a duo (Toshiji Mikawa and Fumio Kosakai) who are far more exploratory, and nuanced in their approach, than you might expect from first impressions. As Loud As Possible is from their imperial phase, when they really could do no wrong, and it’s a fantastic, excoriating block of noise, swirling with psychedelic density while working towards ecstatic overload, Mikawa and Kosakai weaving notched textures and squalling high-pitched tones across low-end rumble.