Note: this album is designed to be played loudly.

[angry noises] – Ciśnienie

By Jakub Brzozowski

Ciśnienie (Polish: pressure) are an (instrumental) experimental outfit from Katowice, Poland. They have just released their fourth album: [angry noises]. What do they actually play? Firstly, their instrumental arsenal might help get your head around their music: saxophone, (distorted) violin, bass, drums, piano, and keyboards. They sit somewhere between an orchestral ensemble and a rock band yet remain unmistakably singular. What are some of their influences? The clearest parallel is Swans, with their mantric basslines, lengthy crescendos, and psychedelic undertones. Among other post and noise rock influences, I’d point towards three other genres that define the quintet’s music: jazz, metal, and modern classical music (namely: totalism and sonorism).

All of the general notions above apply to the band’s latest effort: [angry noises]. This time Ciśnienie is bigger than it ever was. The album feels like the band’s most complete statement yet, embodying all of the sides of their sound: jazz, metal, classical, psychedelia. Whatever anyone enjoys most in the band’s music, they will find its best and most total version here.

The album’s dynamics seem to be perfectly balanced, which is all the more impressive, given that the band operates within the post rock idiom. That is, they thrive on building tension and subsequently releasing. On one hand, that’s what their music is all about. On the other hand, it is easy to get lost in the formula. Ciśnienie is not formulaic at all—every song has a few crescendos. This is especially apparent in the third track: ‘Gówno (gowno)’, roughly ‘Shit (shit)’. The song drifts uneasily before detonating into one of their heaviest riffs.

Another feature prevalent in the band’s music is its classical undertones, drawing mostly from experimental classical music. That being said, aside from the noisy and sonorist violin work, the most direct link to classical music are three melodies that make up the bulk of the opening track—'My childhood…’. The opening track weaves classical threads: the first melody interpolates the main theme of the second movement of Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, which is undeniably dense and brooding. Next, the main riff transforms Holst’s ‘Saturn’ from The Planets into a crawling bass line, and midway, a violin melody revisits the first movement of Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms. All of these excerpts highlight the band’s classical training, while maintaining the tense nature of their music.

Since this is an instrumental release, there are no lyrics, but nevertheless the album’s title accurately summarises what the quintet’s central idea is with this release. Honestly, these four songs are a perfect encapsulation of frustration and dissatisfaction. Individually, the song titles perfectly suggest what their atmosphere actually is. ‘My childhood…’ sounds like a child’s imagined vengeance. ‘Gilotyna’ (Guillotine) creeps with tangled melodies poised to behead, like a guillotine. ‘Gówno (gowno)’, with its somewhat crude title, channels primal fury. Finally, ‘Cathargo Delunda Est’ (‘Carthage must be destroyed’) with its ominous buildup functions as an outright war cry, readying the listener (now turned centurion) for total annihilation.

[angry noises] seems to me the perfect distillation of the band’s influences and the logical continuation of their previous efforts. The psychedelic atmosphere of their debut album – Jazz Art Underground is still present, especially in the closer – ‘Carthago Delunda Est’. The metal heaviness and dense atmosphere of their 2023 LP – Zwierzakom (To Animals) has found its ultimate form in ‘Gówno (gowno)’. The jazzy improvisational nature of music is still its driving force, but this time it feels like the solos are just bigger and more frantic. Finally, the band’s classical sensibilities have found form in ‘Gilotyna’. More specifically – the main melody is intricate and has a few variations that are seamlessly connected.

Like their previous albums, this one was recorded live in their hometown—Katowice. Playing in front of an audience in a single take brings intensity and immediacy to the music, making the band perform better as they feed off the crowd’s energy. Furthermore, this also allows the band’s spontaneity and improvisational nature to shine (further reinforcing the jazzy energy of the music).

Overall, [angry noises] feels like Ciśnienie in full command of their sound, weaving diverse influences into a tense, unpredictable, and immersive experience. It’s an album that lingers in your mind long after the last note fades and while it is a rather tough listening experience, it is definitely worth it.

Overall opinion: Highly recommended.