Man. This is a blast from the past. I remember seeing this artist in catalogs from Self Abuse and others. The descriptions sounded intriguing, but I was broke and never managed to pick anything up from this artist. Mlehst is the work of Englishman All Brentnall. One of the things I remember being interested in was that the music was never quite described as noise, and this tape is no exception. This is more Hafler Trio and less Merzbow. Mlehst seems intent on creating a feeling - not a bad feeling or a good feeling, but more an unsettled feeling. Let’s get into it.

Side A opens with high pitched whine and some barely audible voices. The voices stay just out of reach, as some slight static and what sounds like footsteps on a sandy road creep in over time. If you like your changes slow and subtle, this is for you. Suddenly the high pitch drone cuts out and you can clearly hear what is left (although the voices have long faded away). This shifts into heavily processed voice with varied drone. At times, there is little there but the voice, and you still can't make it out. You can just sit back and enjoy the soundscape as the songs blend together. At one point, there is a drum machine keeping a beat, which seems a bit out of place with the previous tracks. Soon we are back to the familiar gritty droning. This is just on the border of noise.

On Side B, almost before you realize it, it becomes noisier and noisier. It never becomes totally harsh noise wall or anything. It's almost like listening to a noise performance from backstage. Then it shifts gears to an almost mellow bass line with various frequencies and textures of drone. It is almost hypnotic and quite pleasant listening. Bits of sound bubble up in the sea of drone, only to submerge again, leaving space for other sounds. This too becomes increasingly dissonant as the track marches on. Finally, we have a short, percussion-based track that becomes slightly distorted before quietly ending.

Overall, this was a nice listen. It is quite limited, so you'll want to pick this up while you have a chance. One thing I enjoy about the Oxidation releases is that they hearken back to the weird packaging of late 90s early 2000s noise releases. The general tape edition features a handmade plaque with whip & cassette, both of which are nailed to the plaque. Mine was the non-whip variety, so I guess my Saturday nights will have to be much as they have been…. for now.
This tape weighs in at around 90 minutes.