Tensor should be taken seriously as should Cadlag themselves. It’s to be absorbed and not simply “listened” to. It’s not to be skipped through or ignored. Tensor shows that Cadlag does what they do best… create pure sonic f#$king magic.
Imagine my excitement when the authors of my all-time favorite noise/drone/ambient album came to me with a review request for their latest release. That album I mentioned was Votivkirche by the group, Cadlag. The magic they showed on that album was what they recorded in a cathedral. It just has to be heard, plain and simple.
They come to us now with, Tensor – an album of nine tracks between 1 and 12 minutes in length. Track two was actually recorded in the same cathedral as mentioned in the first paragraph. According to their Bandcamp page, “TENSOR was recorded in a diverse range of resonant environments.” For example, track 1 was recorded in a shipyard. The band also notes that other tracks recorded in: compressor station (power plant generator) coal mine shafts in Trbovlje coal mine shafts in Hrastnik coal mine Vashaus, etc…
Some noise artists can create successful albums in and of themselves inside their studio. Tensor proves that Cadlag is not only mindful of what they are creating, but also how their art can be sonically and conceptually influenced by their environment. They don’t just record in these environments. They create soundtracks for exploration. So it’s no surprise that, for the most part the tracks are all pretty different. Cadlag isn’t an act that shows up in a basement with a table and a bunch of distortion peddles and calls it “art”.
Let’s take, for example, track 3, “Legionela”. I think this is a good example of when Cadlag really shines. It’s their “build ups”. The track starts out with a drone that’s very minimal but so unsettling while the depth is overwhelming. Then comes in the layer of noise building up and eventually overtaking the piece leaving the drone on the bottom. It makes me wonder if recording their work takes a lot out of them emotionally and mentally.
Sure, Cadlag are masters of harsh noise walls, like in the track, “Kompakte” or in dark ambient/drone tracks like “Asbestopluma”. But they are also masters of technique. It’s very clear in an album like this, that Cadlag is mindful of the direction of these sonic layers. Perhaps it’s like getting lost in an underground mine. You know you have to move but you get lost in the journey. Sometimes the harsh noise is in your face. Often the ambient planes drift left to right, front to back.
Tensor should be taken seriously as should Cadlag themselves. It’s to be absorbed and not simply “listened” to. It’s not to be skipped through or ignored.Tensor shows that Cadlag does what they do best… create pure sonic f#$king magic.
About Cadlag:
CADLAG is a noise/drone project, brought to the fore by members of PureH, Dodecahedragraph, TGWFYTD, Extreme Smoke 57 and Earslaughter.
LINK: https://thenoisebeneaththesnow.wordpress.com/2025/05/22/review-cadlag-tensor-noise-drone/