by Jason

By now, readers of Somewherecold should be familiar with John Fryer‘s project Black Needle Noise. If you aren’t, I highly recommend you go and read my interview with John Fryer here. As Black Needle Noise, Fryer has been releasing about a track a month with new artists on vocals each time. For his April offering, Bill Leeb has joined him on vocals. If you don’t know Leeb‘s work, he is from the industrial band Front Line Assembly and Skinny Puppy among others. “A Shiver of Want” begins with an eerie yet gorgeous drone that is punctuated by throbbing, pulsating bass. Static and fuzzy-edged textures give the tone of the track a slight edge. Leeb‘s vocals whisper into the mix like a haunting ghost and, when the chorus explodes out the speakers, his vocals almost turn into a growl. The chorus elevates, lifts, and swells in an industrial explosion of sound behind Leeb‘s powerful presence. As a whole, the track is a brilliant droney industrial sounding piece with layers of discordant noise that also blends goth vibes throughout. It’s another gorgeous track in the Black Needle Noise catalog. I can’t wait for the next!