Assumed Outrivaling |Out Out/Brief Candle Music/ASCAP, 2008| 
1. in::, 2. Lavaged Ionium Rusts, 3. Vulgar Stadium Noise, 4. Gusts Unveil Diorama, 5. Avid Orange Stimulus, 6. Glum, Sainted Saviour, 7. Virus Adman Eulogist, 8. I'm A Gun's Void Result, 9. Analogue Drums Visit, 10. Volts, Radium, Guineas, 11. I Am A Vulture's Doings, 12. Velutinous Diagrams, 13. And Give Lustrous Aim, 14. Smug User Validation, 15. Moving Radula Tissue, 16. I Am Dauntless Vigour, 17. Envious Guilt Dramas, 18. ::out
Out Out is one of these bands which has began playing in the late 80's and survived through the years putting out the albums constantly with a little hiatus in 1999. The activity facing the changing rules of music promotion and distribution during the last 10 years is certainly bound to the band founder Mark A. Miller's determination and talent. He's also an owner of Slaughterhouse Studio and small but thriving Radio Valkyrie record label. Mark has been working with other bands like Circus of the Dead Squirrels, Vein Cage as a music producer and sound engineer. There's also a remix (Fail [Swift & Concise Failure Mix] given for free as a promotional act for Everything Goes Cold's debut album called "Prepare To Be Refrigerated" (2008).
Out Out has been always more electronic than guitar driven band looking for new solutions and creative experiments inside of industrial electronic music. The band is not only about music but somewhat weird, experimental song titles, like on this newest album, f.e. Vulgar Stadium Noise or I'm A Gun's Void Result.
The album "Assumed Outrivaling" is much darker than "Virtual Sound Images" released in 2006, moreover it’s mainly instrumental. Such a dark side of electronic music should be accepted by the fans of such bands like Download, Front Line Assembly, Skinny Puppy or Numb but not these only of course. Music on the album is multi-layered, very well arranged and mixed. All of the compositions parts are in the right places and it's easy to notice the album was produced by an expert. However you won’t find any rhythmic songs or danceable beats because the spatial compositions are the better backgrounds for interesting animations or visualizations.
There are songs kept in the typical Out Out's vibe on the album like Virus Adman Eulogist, Velutinous Diagrams, Envoius Guilt Drama, Glum, Sainted Saviour, Analogue Drums Visit, but also more ambient (Smug User Validation) or downtempo stuff (I Am Dauntless Vigour), tho I still have a feeling there's some hidden exoticism interlaced. Avid Orange Stimulus reminds me some old video game soundtrack. The release seems like a concept-built album because its outro track interlocks with the intro.
Assumed Outrivaling is available to buy at CD Baby
but you can get its free version (128 kbps) at http://www.radio-valkyrie.com, where you can find other bitrate and paid versions along with the CD. (Inactive website/NINa/2015)
Regarding the free version – Mark asks us for not sharing the album via PTP and other services that kind
but the album should be downloaded only directly from radio-valkyrie.com website. He wants to have the clear statistics image of how many people were interested to download the album and how much of an interest the certain versions have risen up. Let's respect his rights! (Inactive website/NINa/2015)
(Katarzyna 'NINa' Górnisiewicz. Must not be used for promotional or commercial purposes. See a Legal Note for the copyrights below)
Virtual Sound Images | Radio Valkyrie, 2006|
Techno Is Alive And Well, Techno Has Left The Building, Virtual Sound Images, Opto-coupler, Function And Behave (Computer Day), Rememory, Forestry For The Thieves, Ampex, My Ampex, Learning English in N. Y. C., Shut It Off!!!, Disconnect
Knowing Out Out previous releases I was curious if the new CD brings the same harsh and electronic sounds. When I got the CD I thought "Gosh! The man whose music I like and have listened for a few years sends me a promo album as a gift with an autograph!" So it made me very happy and I was wondering what more Mark would present on that incoming album than those two new songs I've known so far, published at Out Out Myspace profile.
This fully professional release includes a CD with a perfect overprinting (as a graphic designer I look at the quality of the CD design first), interesting pictures and a cardboard flyer (sent to those who order directly from the band.) The CD contains both audio and video material. Let's move to the audio first. This collection of ten completely new songs gives a very positive impression. There are lots of club-ambient-electronic songs. The record begins with "Techno Is Alive and Well, Techno Has Left the Building" which brings us the sound we will be surrounded by until the very end of the album. Next is the title track "Virtual Sound Images" what reminds a bit of the remix of "Starfuckers" by NIN. Dynamic tempo, noisy background and lots of cute samples. "Opto-coupler" is a very up-to-date club song. And then three of my favourite tracks; to start with, "Function and Behave (Computer Day)" is full of dancing rhythms and India-like music sampled in, very catchy! Next yes, yes ;)
"Rememory" with its optimistic vibes. Then "Forestry For The Thieves" - a Fluke-style composition. What was funny, but it often happens among musicians - Mark said he learnt Fluke's music after he had recorded the Virtual Sound Images album :) The third is "Ampex, My Ampex" a very good trance song with a fine leitmotiv. After that we have "Learning English in N.Y.C." - the first track of the new album presented to the public. Dynamic tempo and 'dwarf'-like voices gives me the idea that Mark enjoyed making that song a lot. There is also "Shut it off!!" with lots of female voices sampled in. The song finishing the album is called "Disconnected" - it's the most noisy song of all this record. Begins very innocently but ends up in a way that you want to switch your player off if you got accustomed to the catchy sounds of the previous songs. ;)
Now the videos. There are two videoclips, one for "Learning English in N.Y.C." and the second for the "Rememory" song. "Learning..." shows Mark driving a car. Is he driving to NYC? No one knows except the Out Out founder. Looks fine and simple. The video to Rememory shows a variety of pictures (roads, clouds, snow etc.) perhaps from Radio-Valkyrie's area... I love the scene showing a red lamp in the snow, looks awesome and reminds me some view of the sun hidden in the clouds. Both videos you can play either from the www-kind of presentation or separately in your favourite ".mov" files player.
Ten perfectly composed and mastered songs make the mind think optimistic. Let's wish Mark of Out Out all the best in the next ventures and thank him for such a trip we're able to have with his music. You can fall into addiction with those sounds, so if you abuse cigarettes, drugs or other addictive things you'd better buy the newest Out Out record instead of poisoning yourself! :)
(Katarzyna 'NINa' Górnisiewicz. Must not be used for promotional or commercial purposes. See a Legal Note for the copyrights below)
Finched |Axis/Metropolis, 1992| 
Radio Valkyrie One, Finched, Never Tell, P.A.B., Blinders, In Threes, Flinch, Pointed Fingers, The Warning, Finched. Delusions, Never Tell, Instigator, The Warning. Quagmire
Lots of electronic stuff. Maybe it's not an exciting release but I liked Blinders a lot (yeah, those bassline and guitars!) and The Warning for its demonical atmosphere. This music seems to be closer to older Skinny Puppy ventures.
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Katarzyna NINa Górnisiewicz. Must not be used for promotional or commercial purposes. See a Legal Note for the copyrights below)
Nisus |Metropolis Rec., 1996| 
Intro, Caustic Circle, No.5 United, Purse, Apprehend, Prosecute & Incarcerate, Duchess, Blacklist, Cold Water, Pulling Teeth Perhaps, E&E, Ethico, Nisus
Re-edition of the record released in 1992. There is No.5 United, a very dark and slow song with guitars and distorted vocals I can recommend a lot. The same with Duchess, but the guitar riffs are more hearable there. E&E sounds interesting with its dirty guitar riffs and the punk spirit. And in the end there is Nisus - a bit noisy, a bit industrial. I liked the way how the last song connects with the first track.
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Katarzyna NINa Górnisiewicz. Must not be used for promotional or commercial purposes. See a Legal Note for the copyrights below)
Pepperbox Muzzle |Axis/Metropolis, 1991|
Ingrates, Defiance!, Truth, Antidote (Serum), Resurrection, Agony Lolita, D.W.I. (Remix), Left For Dead, Admire The Question, Protoplasm, Antidote (Poison), Truth (Untruth), Defiance! (Thrashed)
The project of Mark Alan Miller has got a taste of Wax Trax! releases and it is related to the early Ministry albums, those electronic, a bit dancable songs. There are lots of cool samples, a softly looped guitar riff and lots of drum beats. The most known advantage of leading one man project is the integrity between ideas and the realisation. Someone who liked the first NIN album and older records of FLA, Skinny Puppy or Numb, might like Out Out also. Miller, similar to Reznor is a sound engineer and as we can hear he's a professional. This record was released in the early 90's so sounds a bit archaic now but I'm wondering what Miller can present on his next releases. Music technology has gone forward a lot for the last 13 years and the man has got lots of good ideas...
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Katarzyna NINa Górnisiewicz. Must not be used for promotional or commercial purposes. See a Legal Note for the copyrights below)
1989- 1999 Hasten The Burning... With The Breath Of Fools |Radio Valkyrie, 2005|
Disc 1: D.W.I. (New Edit), Antidote (Serum New Edit), Admire The Question (Naive Mix New Edit), Agony, Finched, Pointed Fingers, P.A.B., Never Tell, No. 5 United, Caustic Circle, Duchess, Blacklist, The Attic, Blanc Says, Rot, Futile
Disc 2: Futile (Abortive And Barren), Rot (Wither And Worsen), No. 5 United (Union Local), Blacklist (Conspirator), Duchess (Her Royal Highness), Cold Water (Dark Water), Work Ethics Of The Dental Practicioner In Threes (Habit Forming), Never Tell (Raw Produce), Agony (Mindfuck Mix), Lolita (Mix Thirteen), Antidote (Poison Dub New Edit)
That collection release contains songs recorded between 1989 and 1999, while the first CD contains refreshed mixes and the second has remixes od older songs included. There are early, dominated by the electronic sound pieces and tracks enriched with guitar driven loops which let Out Out belong to industrial rock style of music. Miller as a sound engineer with years of practise knows what to do to refresh his music. Moreover the technology jump gives a opportunity for such sound manipulations which wasn't easy in the beginning of the 90's. Songs for recommendation: In Threes (Habit Forming), Blanck Says, Rot, Futile, Duchess and The Attic.
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Katarzyna NINa Górnisiewicz. Must not be used for promotional or commercial purposes. See a Legal Note for the copyrights below)
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