Hijokaidan – “Last Recording Album, the ” – [Alchemy Records]

Don’t be fooled by the peaceful serenity of the cover photos, this CD brings us more of the extreme sonic assault this long-running Japanese noise outfit is known for. Main instigator Jojo Hiroshige (on guitar, sounding more like an assortment of amplified skilsaws, drills, and grinders; I think he also does some vocals) and Junko (shrieking vocals of insanity) are here as usual, joined by three cohorts bringing even more noise on drums and power electronics. A couple of tracks are around 4 minutes long, and one is 30(!) minutes. Regardless of length, all tracks are loud hellish masses of complete destruction.