Cursed Name

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"Judgehydrogen eclipses the Swans most foreboding moments on “Atheistic God.” Phenomenal are the foreboding slomo hymns such as "Your Warning" and "Sunless Waters", or monumental heavy tracks like "Cursed Name,”
that leaves little doubt of the coming man-made apocalypse of which the concept of the album is based. The tracks cut deeply into the subconscious and reverberates in the psyche of the listener. The intense compositions reach a frightening and nightmarish noveau that do not only rely on Judgehydrogen’s deep and sinister voice. The nightmarish atmosphere of these tracks leaves little room for optimism. You can experience this masterwork at his website- http://www.judgehydrogen.com"
OBLIVEON MAGAZINE 2007
9 out of 10 - MK



JUDGEHYDROGEN is a great example of XXI century underground hero. And it’s not because his über-cool artistic moniker evokes that of a superhero. It’s simply because of his solid underground ethics and his admirable artistic courage and honesty.
But may I start from the beginning…

Geography converted me into a Myspacer: suddenly finding myself in an outlandish place where contemporary underground music is simply not part of the landscape made me seek a practical solution. I run into Judgehydrogen quite early on and his music immediately struck me as highly interesting. I fell in love with one of his tracks in particular and I soon realized that JH also had one quality that many Myspacer wannabe musicians sadly lack: he was actually an intelligent guy willing to share his thoughts. A few months on, he released his first album while I realized my temporary break with the world of music journalism was over. Efforts like this album had to be talked about, investigated and celebrated!

Upon receiving Judgehydrogen’s promo pack I was prepared for an intense listen, but as the album unfolded and got engrossed deeper and deeper into the visionary, chilling lyrics, I knew this stunning work would unfold more surprises.
“Atheistic God” is not a journey for the faint hearted: like a dark genetic imprint, the stifling intensity is relentlessly sustained throughout the nine “apocalyptic dirges” (that’s how the artist himself aptly describes the tracks), the longest of which unfolds through just over 12 minutes of breathless bleakness. In spite of the sparse displays of blatant sonic brutality this IS in fact a very EXTREME album in the way it stirs the soul to feel unsavory emotions, coerces the imagination into black and white visions, fills the mind with abject fear and drenches the heart with profound desolation and regret. So a word of warning: this album will shatter you at first; it will take you to dark places your subconscious would not normally allow you to visit and it will haunt you. But after a few listens you will have learnt how to master those uneasy emotions and you will be able to jump across a different dimension. An intimately tangible dimension I can only describe as an uncompromisingly dark yet realistic reflection on humanity’s failings. Judgehydrogen’s gloomy voice is the final lament of our doomed collective consciousness.

Re-living like in a deja-vu the horrid apocalyptic nightmare of the end of human civilization without any complacency is no mean feat. But Judgehydrogen’s stoic sobriety and brutal honesty do not leave any space for unnecessary epic tones. Equally, his profoundly deep insights and tortured awareness do not leave any space for false hope. We are the cause of our imminent downfall: both the powerful, who manipulate the masses for their own personal gain, and the common man, who chooses to be blindly guided towards a doomed path, are to be blamed. Unsurprisingly, the main focus of the album is specifically directed onto the destructive power and hypocritical non-sense that is religion. It’s a theme particularly close to my own a-theistic heart, and JH explores it with courage and frankness through some very intense, visionary poetry. For example in “The Things to Come” he poses very crude questions by comparing the figure of Hitler to that of Christ: a controversial yet perfectly rational moral dilemma explored by a few artists, first and foremost by Rozz Williams. In fact, the spirit of the very much missed early voice of Christian Death is most definitely present throughout this work, which should be an automatic green light for the lovers of Goth at its most extreme. But “Atheistic God” is so much more than a full-on contemporary Goth album. Of course the wonderful and almost ballady “Your Warning” captures immediately for its quietly chilling early Nick Cave-ish mood, but it is complex, experimental tracks like “Contempt for Sacrifice” (with its unique mix of Hieronymus and Lee Dorrian type-of-vocals) and the stunningly sinister saga of “Sunless Waters” that really push this effort into territories of dark avant-garde genius previously inhabited by brave groundbreaking artists such as early Joy Division, Clock DVA, Throbbing Gristle, The Swans and Coil.

So this makes this debut album a highly recommended listen for those of you who do not have any fear of the unknown and can rise above the restrictive confinements of musical genres. In fact, I officially (and ironically) declare “Atheistic God” SEM ETERNA’S CHRISTMAS ALBUM OF 2007. No, it’s not a joke: while half of the world will be stuck in absurdly insane rituals celebrating the birth of a made-up Son of God, spending money they don’t have to momentarily pretend that their lives are totally in control, I shall blast this brutally bleak monument to atheism out of my famously blasphemous speakers!!... The time has come for people to accept that there is no god. Our future depends on us only. Happy fukingCRASSmas to you!

You can buy Judegehydrogen’s “Atheistic God” through via:
www.myspace.com/judgehydrogen or www.judgehydrogen.com.
-SEM ETERNA e-zine