Nuclear Winter Wonderland - 26 Doors
The title alone has a mystical quality to it. These 26 doors are only opened very briefly, most last for less than a minute, but they are open for long enough for us to get a glimpse of what lies behind. We can only guess if the fact that, when abbreviated, Nuclear Winter Wonderland becomes NWW, the same abbreviation for Nurse With Wound, is a coincidence. In any case, I opened the first door with Steven Stapleton in my mind.
The first door greets us with a warm drone, it is something akin to a garden on a warm summers day, perhaps owned by a Bhuddist. We are snapped out of complacency by Door B, which is by comparison a glitching sonic nightmare. Door C is even more mechanical, with an ever slowing tempo, like walking through molasses. Glimpses of sheering noise rupture through the treacle.
Door D greets us with more glitching, starting off like a computer game that has crashed, but turning into a simmering noise, before dissapating into clicking. Door E lets us into some type of factory and Door F seems to be see-sawing, via the panning. We are greeted with someone who seems to be taunting us with the absurd. We close the door on him and head to Door G.
Door G is floating full of mournful tones. It appears to be some sort of requiem and judging by how it sticks, we are not welcome there. Indeed, the music changes, moves up a few octaves and becomes chilling. We are physically threatened with a man with a gun, before closing this door.
Door H has quite a frentic scene going on behind it. The music is fast paced and it sounds like it's at a running pace before grinding down. Door I perhaps has Whitehouse performing behind it and we wish we could stay longer, but it's onward to Door J. More molasses, very glitchy molasses. Door K sounds like another computer game world, Door L appears to lead us to a technical fault. Alarms are going off and wherever we are, we are not safe, no matter what the pleasant tune underneath it all tries to tell us.
Door M is another computer game on downers, Door N leads us to droning, perhaps we are in a be hive. If we are, it is pretty deserted, the spaciousness of the sound leads us to assume we are (almost) alone.
Door O is quite a surprise. It's happy, another warm summers day perhaps? In the garden drinking orange juice. Door P appeard to lead us to a Metal band experimenting with atmospherics, we stay for a while in awe.
Door Q seems to take us to a number station, only I don't hear numbers. The atmosphere is very reminiscent of them though. This is a creepy place and people are talking to us. It is not nice and we want to go.
Door R is drone. Pure drone. Like the darker moments of Lou Reed's The Raven. We aren't welcome here either, yet we spent longer here. In dread and terror. We take the next door. I don't know where we are. Are we underwater? Perhaps we are in the trunk of a car? We don't know.
Door T takes us to something that I can only imagine as some sort of alien planet. Like the ones from Aliens, not like Star Trek at all.
Door U seems to rescue us from all of this, as it delivers us to a Bizarro Residents. A motor hugs in the background, I am content here.
Door V is a little unsetteling. I feel as though I am in a temple of some sort and altohugh I'm not in danger, I'm creeped out and I don't feel welcome. Door W is quite clearly a UFO, wether I'm welcome or not, I don't give a damn, I'm off to Door X. Without you.
Only kidding, I'm not leaving you there to die. Maybe I should have, I think I hear chainsaws. Maybe you were safer back there. The glitches sound a bit like screaming. Someone is certainly dying here.
Door Y seems to take us to another band experimenting with atmospherics. As such, this is one of the longer stays. We reach our final door. It's another radio station. And it does sound like aliens too. I'm scared. I am sure I've heard the words "Dr. Moreau" and it seems to end with screaming. I close the door and I sit down.
10/10
