SIDE-LINE #32
Triage teams the ubiquitous Scott E. Candey (Gruntsplatter, head of Crionic Mind, plus more...) with Chet W. Scott (Ruhr Hunter, head of Glass Throat Recordings) for a collection of mini soundtracks adorned in trepidation, in the tattered shroud of dismay. A tension whine rises during the opening "Serum." Dread is highlighted as the contorted distortion swells to the forefront. But the tension is never released; the dread remains, an ominous shadow, even as the track simmers to conclusion. "Donar" kicks in with samples from David Cronenberg's gloomy descent into love/obsession inspired, drug-laden, co-dependency (quite literally) melancholia, Dead Ringers (this must be Chet's favorite movie as he also sampled it on "Euthanasia" from the excellent Ruhr Hunter--...Ritual Before The Hunt CD). Subtle humming and clicking noises set the foundation for moist, grinding machinery noises. The underlying, despondent drone slips under the skin, a needle injecting discomfort. Throughout, marching feet slosh through the sodden sonic landscape. The inherent unnerving quality grows more imposing as the track progresses. This track, as with much of the CD, highlights the dark sonicscape elements as opposed to the sheer noise assault, but the presence of noise is always on the periphery, occasionally slipping into full view. The oscillating, whirring tendencies of spastically fluttering propeller blades slices through "Grume" as hideous noise gurgles insanely underneath. Jagged metal spikes sink serrated teeth into the brooding, noisy ambience of clutter and dissolution during "Assume." "Natural Order" resonates with the repetitious cadences of an exhausted machinery loop before slivers of subtly melodic sound and distorted vocal noise intrude. The fuzzy throb of "Genetic Drift" portends danger, a danger accentuated by the slippery, scoured feedback sounds that scamper from within the smoldering embers radiance. A diverse, exceptionally crafted and conceived piece of work; each track opens new wounds in the dark sonicscape flesh, new perceptions gleaned from the glistening cavities. Masterful! (JCS:8/9) JCS

AVERSIONLINE - May 2000
8/10 - Powerful dark ambient electronics. Bass enveloped synth tones and loops, thick layering and movement reverting from intricate to minimalism. This is beautiful stuff. When listening closely it seems to demand focus/concentration. The continuity within tracks prevents them from becoming boring - and also possesses many hypnotic qualities that potentially steal time away. Vague use of highly altered vocals samples is apparent at times, as are high pitched tones under light distortion that can become very harsh. "The Stoning" is a masterpiece with a superb abstract rhythm pattern. Again, this one has an amazing layout with subtle color and dark tones that mirror the emotional tone of the disc. Highly praised. [Notable tracks: Serum, Genetic Drift, The Stoning, Natural Order]

WORM GEAR #9
What we have here is the long-awaited full length release from the collaboration between Scott Candey of Gruntsplatter and Chet Scott of Ruhr Hunter, and I must say - it's been worth the wait. I don't really know how to describe this sound. There's a touch of death industrial, a dash of classic percussive industrial, definitely some noise and a heaping helping of dark ambient, and maybe, just maybe, even a taste of ritualistic experimental in here. Together with the ominous low-end rumblings and reverberations there's liberal use of high-frequency drones and feedback which adds an eerie, disturbing feel to these already uneasy tracks. Something else that sets this material apart is the use of rhythm in various settings and through various devices - oscillations, looped phrases, bass pulses, grinding metal, synth exclamations, even drum and vocal samples as on the excellent "The Stoning." Unlike alot of music in this vein, this material is far too detailed and has too much going on to be described as at all 'meditative.' Too musical to qualify as a noise release and too noisy to be considered ambient, "The Cessation Of Spoil" really can't be compared to much else out there. MZ.412? Not really. Endura? Nah. Deutsch Nepal? No, but there are elements of all of these in Triage's sound. This is quite a bit different than the track they contributed to the Baited Breath compilation - which I believe is this project's only previous recorded work - and a good-sized step forward towards a sound entirely their own. Hopefully Chet's recent relocation to Seattle from San Francisco won't adversely affect this project's future 'cause they could definitely have a bright one... Highly recommended.

MAELSTROM ZINE
The wonderful thing about ambience is that it can be almost completely timeless. If you picked up a quality ambient record today, it would still be effective in ten or even fifty years. Even though good ambient goes beyond the realm of everyday musical critique, it's often very easy to find out if a record works for you or not. A comfortable listening session should be enough to discover where you stand. Being a collaborative record between the man behind Ruhr Hunter, Chet Scott, and Scott Candey from Gruntsplatter, it's almost natural that the outcome would be a lush equilibrium between the styles that both personas are known for: Ruhr Hunter for its often warm and very natural, earthy mood, and Gruntsplatter for its somewhat more rhythmic and extraordinary sound. The Cessation of Spoil is perhaps a perfect unity of both peculiar styles. Staying true to the bleak and despondent nature of their previous outings, the two men, working under the moniker "Triage," have created a wonderful record that is full of desolation, deep, rhythmic rumbling and a natural ambience all accentuated by harsh, sterile power electronics that pulsate through the record in an atonal way. Perhaps not always equally interesting if your focus is not with the music, but sitting down and listening to this album opens up and delivers a wealth of moods and soundscapes. If you are even a little bit interested in dark and resonant ambience with a somewhat violent edge, Triage's The Cessation of Spoil is a highly successful collaboration worthy of your hard earned cash... But only for truly persistent listeners. As a side note, check out another collaboration, this time in the form of a split release, between Ruhr Hunter and Gruntsplatter (8.7 out of 10)

THE DRAGON'S FLIGHT - #3
Traveling into the dimension of pain, despair, and lack of all utter hope is where Triage brings you. Yet another release of mind altering noise and electronic buffet. Much harsher than where Ruhr Hunter brings you, but in a more melodic and musical way. Triage loves to layersounds and textures to create the feeling they want the listener to hear. You almost become one with this the same way Gruntsplatter does it to you. If you're ready for more experiments in the audio world, this is the next road to take.

MANIFOLD RECORDS
The mind-blowing collab by the men behind Gruntsplatter and Ruhr Hunter, you know this one's good! Leaving out any harshness, going instead for the tonal, changing ambient atmosphere, Triage descends and floats along like fantasies of doom in an alien consciousness, sweeping through lush phrases of emotional darkambient just a shade grayer than Thomas Koners "Permafrost". Not light in any sense of the term, this thick murk wraps the listener in a completely lost, isolated state. Tracks like "The Stoning and "Gathering Frost" are studies in dark-ambience that go beyond anything by Megaptera or Lull, refining an essence of "isolationism" that many aspire to but fall short of...

MUSIC'S BOTTOM LINE #9
"The Cessation Of Spoil" is the latest offering from Triage. Containing 11 tracks of supremely disturbing droney ambience, coupled with short grinding bursts of sound, "The Cessation Of Spoil" is bound to become a classic in the eyes of anyone into the guttural soundscapes of death ambient music. ATTN. Fans of B.D.N., Deutsch Nepal or Slowvent, this is a CD for you!!! Highly recommended.

MUSIC BOOM - ITALY
Triage were born from the collaboration between Chet Scott (Ruhr Hunter) and Scott Candey (Gruntsplatter) who give life to something that separates from what they expressed with their respective projects. The linear artwork worthily reflects the proposal of this work, that - in the whole - sounds homogeneous, though trespassing the borders of various genres. The vibrating tension that emits "The Cessation of Spoil", is continous and throbbing , thanks to use of some excellent drones on which different swinging frequencencies and reverberations insert. A touchable emotion, magnified by the ossessive loops, elaborated and assisted by a drilling synth and by the selection of some glacial samples ("The Stoning"; "Natural Order"). Minimal and obsessive lyrics that forebode sudden changings, obtained with the introduction of noizing rents ("Proliferate"), that increase a feeling of anguish that -1 with the change of shape - keeps on steady for the all eleven chapters. "Evanesce" is a fondumental passage, it digs you inside down till your heart, pushing its way with a tearing rhythmic intemittence, that is then recalled in the final "gathering Frost", the only tracks - in the full - presenting recognizable melodic structure.I triage are not directly influenced by no one, and this an other merit of "The Cessation of Spoil", album that mamages to balance between a not really invedent death industrial and a cutbreath-shaking dark ambient. -Francesco Gemelli