.F-Space

Preliminary Impact Report

From ages sixteen to eighteen, I had a recurring dream about Armageddon, standing unafraid as buildings toppled down around me and finally right on top of me. Preliminary Impact Report, the first disc from this East Bay experimental art-rock collective, recalls those images. Comprising ex-Savage Republic guitarist Ethan Port, local experimental artist Scot Jenerik, and former Chrome Reunion drummer Aleph Kali, F-Space immediately challenges your ears with a bass-heavy stereo gurgle — rooted in the eviscerating atmospherics of experimental icon Keiji Haino — accompanied by chugging drums and mild ambient flourishes. One of the more intriguing textures layered atop comes from a hollow percussive instrument that seemingly spits fire when struck.

Within this aural molten mass there are quieter, mellower sections, carrying the album in waves from one mostly instrumental piece to the next. But what really stands out is Port’s Middle Eastern-tinged guitar sensibilities, a crucial element of Savage Republic’s seminal ProtoIndustrialPunk sound. Some view PIR as the statement Savage Republic never made: a vivid portrayal of destruction, beauty, and simplicity. As stale as instrumental music’s gotten lately, F-Space offers something to look forward to. Even if it’s Armageddon.

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