C.3.3. (TEST DEPT.) - 'Ballad of Reading Gaol - The Cacophonietta'

CSR255CD (15 June 2018)
CD in 6-panel digipak
Barcode: 0641871745135



C.3.3. is a personal project from Paul Jamrozy, co-founder of original industrial agitators TEST DEPT..

The work is inspired by the real life experience of Her Majesty’s Prison Reading. Tracing the history of the location through to the present current political and social situation, evoking the harsh realities of Victorian and modern day Britain.

Reminiscent of the finest mid-era TEST DEPT., such as "Gododdin" or "Pax Britannica", with heavy percussion, strings, and strident vocals. The title C.3.3. is drawn from the cell number where the literary figure Oscar Wilde was incarcerated in Reading Gaol under gross indecency charges. C.3.3. was the pseudonym used for the publication "The Ballad of Reading Gaol", a poem based on the execution of a fellow inmate.

This sonic rendition draws upon the writings of Wilde’s poem and the horrors of prison life for a condemned man, as a metaphor for the universal predicament of all humankind.

Remastered with 2 bonus tracks, featuring TEST DEPT. and presented in a 6-panel digipak.

Track listing:

1. Prologue – Ballad of Reading Gaol (4:46) 
2. Movement I – Blood And Wine (6:15)
3. Movement II – Iron Town (7:33)
4. Movement III – Gallows Tree (6:56)
5. Movement IV – The Devil’s Own Brigade (7:41)
6. Reprise – Pit Of Shame (4:05)
7. Acousticon (Segregation Mix) (9:23)
8. Panoptix (Vermin Mix) (5:28)

Reviews:

'The Best Of 2018' (Xrated At Concertzender)

"...a portal of industrial revolution-referenced hell, where a veritable storm of crackling electricity and curious whiplash sonorities threaten to almost leave the digital confines of the CD and invade your dimension in poltergeist form...(this)creation can be thought of as a valuable addition to the T.D. family tree." (Adverse Effect)

"You somewhere can hear that Paul Jamrozy has this early industrial music background.... The engaged and sometimes enraged narrating style is absolutely great (and also reminds me of the early 80s experiments and Test Dept. in particular). It’s exactly the same for the heavy, orchestral arrangements... be thankful to Cold Spring to bring this ‘dark industrial ballad’ back to life." (Side-Line Magazine)

"...a coalescence of mighty pulses, dramatic synthetic textures and electronic brutality spiced by more “acoustic” presences plus samples of the very mother, Test Dept. themselves... The “vintage” quality of certain timbres is made to be cherished... In a nutshell, a theatrically convincing effort by one of the overlords of iron-fisted oppressiveness. Thumb up to C.3.3. then, and thanks for the memories." (Touching Extremes)

"Paul Jamrozy uses his howls, yowls and incantations as his voice weaves in and out of electronic and percussive dynamics... As a whole, while unsurprising to those who may have Test Dept. releases in their memory or collection, C.3.3. on Ballad of Reading Gaol sustains the invention and inspiration of literate and liberating influences... One hundred twenty years later, this song-cycle may lead another generation back into the gloomy corridors and dank clanks of the psyche" (Spectrum Culture).

"How the album sounds is largely down to a concept inspired by Jamrozy's experience in the space itself, with the creative ideal being to keep it minimal and stark, working with strings, pianos and modulated electronics... It all plays together as one dismal whole, but where it really gets unsettling is in the inclusion of passages from the poem over ominous background drones..." (Zero Tolerance)

"...a moving and disturbing poem and definitely a horrid state of affairs at the time, if witness testimonies are to be believed... a clear thematic backbone to the album as a whole... Even though I had some doubts at the beginning, C.3.3. does manage to take these away quite convincingly." (Vital Weekly)

"...an interesting release which tries to include the message into a musical frame which has to express the feeling of someone closed in an unfair situation. Obviously, without the words a large part of the work is missed but it's the sign that the musical part is not a filler. It's really worth a listen". (Chain D.L.K.)

"...there is an undoubtedly moving and disquieting effect created by the album's core tracks and in particular those featuring Noel Macken's recital of Wild's poem. Where the dungeon atmosphere and poetic intent combine there is the makings of a work of considerable power." (Musique Machine)

“Ballad Of Reading Gaol – The Cacophonietta” es mucho más que un puñado de buenas canciones. Paul Jamrozy, uno de los pilares de los míticos Test Dept, idea una obra única en la que se combina la poesía de Oscar Wilde con experimentación de alto nivel.... Una oportunidad única para revivir la esencia más auténtica de Paul Jamrozy." (5/5, NOmelody Magazine)

"Un viaje sonoro y lírico impresionante, cargado de perdición y de aciago destino... un contundente despliegue de talento musical en la composición, desplegando texturas y cromatismos sonoros marcados por la innovación conceptual más avanzada... lírica decimonónica de auténtico lujo inteligentemente amalgamada con el ecléctico estilo musical de vanguardia de C.3.3.. ¡¡¡Disfrútenlo!!!" (Lux Atenea Webzine)

"Un lavoro dal carattere oscuro che riflette sugli aspetti più duri della realtà carceraria, e in particolar modo quelli dell'era Vittoriana, nonostante il parallelo evocato anche con l'Inghilterra odierna. Disco imperdibile per i seguaci dei seminali Test Dept., ai quali viene finalmente data la possibilità di recuperarlo in un'edizione fisica di alto livello e della giusta portata." (Darkroom)

"La Cold Spring si appropria del debutto dell’ex Test Dept. Paul Jamrozy, uscito su cdr nel 2011 e gli rende giustizia dal punto di vista grafico, dei suoni e soprattutto del supporto, con questa versione rimasterizzata su cd... è un lavoro che musicalmente trae ispirazione dal periodo intermedio dei Test Dept., quello di Pax Britannica, rielaborato in un lento incedere scandito da solenni declamazioni immerse in ambientazioni tetre e malinconiche, che talvolta lasciano spazio a bellicose incursioni rumoristiche..." (Rosa Selvaggia)

"Jamrozy vuole indurre alla riflessione che in una comparazione tra l'epoca vittoriana e quella contemporanea si possono riscontrare significative similitudini ed il concetto lo espone, con molto, rigore ed enfasi... un drone, una suite, per construzione affine a frangenti di un lavoro come "Pax Britannica", in quattro movimenti tra i quali spiccano il tenebro so Blood And Wine e The Devil's Own Brigade, caratterizzata da scabrosita industrial e sospensioni sintetiche" (Blow Up)