John 3:16
Tempus Edax Rerum
(Alrealon Musique)
Reviewed by BravoMarco

Time, Devourer of all things - Philippe Gerber is certainly using time for productive means, a prolific artist in his many guises – here as John 3:16, we are treated to an expansive flourishing release. An experimental masterclass taking us out of a bleak year into daring new gothic frontiers. At two hours running time, this is not for the faint of heart, persevere and you shall be rewarded. The Philadelphia industrial scene has never had it so good. These tracks deserve a play on more than experimental radio shows, post punk, neo folk, with psychedelic tendencies, a little something for every alternative taste here. Guest vocals from Carolyn O’Neil on Part IV whose solo project is Rasplyn and has collaborated with John:316 on previous occasions.

Similar to: Bardo Pond, Mytrip, Phelios, Christina Vantzou, Mohammad, Laibach

All special: Part II, if I had to choose

No FCC’s (Instrumentals apart from Part IV)

1) Part I (15.13) No messing around here, foreboding and ominous from the start. A crescendo of pulses and energy rampaging through the darkness. The initial six minutes is spellbinding, then a more sedate affair takes over…
2) Part II (12.04) Intense and deliberate, with a hypnotic beat that gets ingrained into your skull. Disturbing, yet vibrant and full of clarity. Reminiscent of early 80’s splendor from The Mob, Ritual, Killing Joke.
3) Part III (9.06) Change up to a lighter neo folk sound. Faint screams in the background mingle with the constant strum for the first four minutes. Pounding tribal beats takes over as we enter the light.
4) Part IV (15.23) Delicate enchanting swirls of sound, cascading down and intertwining with the ethereal charms of Rasplyn’s vocal majesty. Male voice gives it that final push. This has all the qualities of being made into a film soundtrack. An intense frightening film.
5) Part V (5.39) The shortest track and maybe the least accessible. Thunder rolling out from the heavens is interrupted by lengthy drone richness, which in turn gets a tribal makeover. Frantic conclusion takes us on a journey we will not soon forget.
6) Side A: Mors Omnibus (Cassette Version) (31.04) Slow and eerie. An apocalyptic soundscape, with soft shades of hope. The finale has more of an aggressive tone, with deadly undertones.
7) Side B: Mors Vincit Omnia (Cassette version) (31.06) A pounding mixture, unifying all that was before. More intense and threatening when combined in this way, yet full of beauty in this death conquers all opus.