Leech's label Annihilvs released this limited edition compilation of power electronics / death industrial / powernoise artists in 2002 but it's still in print, now being stocked here for the first time. The Information Apocalypse features some big names in the field of black electronics, including exclusive tracks from Navicon Torture technology, Gruntsplatter, Tarmvred, Wilt, Death Squad, Control, and Jarl.

The disc opens with Navicon Torture Technologies's "A Morte Perpetva", a sprawling mass of horrific death industrial formed from misanthropic samples over

a distant mechanical rumble, crackling wind-like noise sweeping across the grim apocalyptic ambience. A steady droning hum rises to the surface, followed by hostile ranting that is carried across the abyssal gulf, while insectile buzzing slowly drifts in through the slow motion industrial crawl. Gruntsplatter's "Genomic Rituals" is a hellish rumbling soundscape of swarming electronics and high frequency fluctuations, a churning machinelike rumble in the depths and squeals of feedback flowing on slow surging waves of black electrical energy. "H" is a chilling soundtrack-like piece from Lab Report, pulsating distorted feedback and blasts of looped symphonic electricity, and US power electronics master Control delivers a hellish PE assault swirling within a radioactive storm on "Destroy You". The pitch-black PE vibe is continued with vile offerings from Land:Fire, whose fearsome death industrial is laced with sample-laced drones, and Death Squad's grimy, psychedelic power electronics make an appearance with the track "AP 9.6", blossoming with shrieking feedback ear-hate and blooms of filthy distortion.

The more ambient end of the spectrum is well represented here, with Wilt delivering an evil piece of black ambience, constant metallic gong-like echoes

and swells of feedback hum drifting in clouds of vague black drift, hovering at the precipice of some vast abyssal void, the sound very minimal until the last few minutes, when droning muffled strings and strange clock-like noises swell up out of the darkness. The surreal noisescape of Hollowing's "An Ageless Contempt" is made up of hissing, clanking loops, oscillator sweeps, granular white noise, and blasts of chopped-up abstract samples; and Jarl's "No Response" is bleak dark oceanic ambience, fluttering rumbling activity, and washes of dense crumbling distortion.

The other half of the disc features a more rhythmic form of nightmare industrial. Tarmvred is one of the key figures in this particular field, and "Moralpanik" freezes the blood with menacing rhythmic noise surrounded with claustrophobic ambient drift and sheets of ominous distorted synth layered over a crackling, smoldering machine-groove. The brutal electro-industrial of Unter Null's "Tender Mercies" combines pounding distorted drums and nightmarish electronic textures into a hammering frenetic wall-of-rhythm, and Abfall's "T.T.N.F.M.V." unleashes a violent lock-groove rhythm with spastic screaming hysteria over distorted throbbing techno-esque rhythms and gabber-like blasts of machinegun violence.

We weren't very familiar with Converter before hearing this compilation, but their track "Offal" turned out to be one of our favorites here. This horrific dose of black industrial begins as a terrifying fly-struck swarm of buzzing chaos that heralds a nightmare of screaming vocals, churning low-end immolation, and gusts of pneumatic machine noise that evolves into an ultra heavy mechanized death-dirge. Ultra distorted drum loops pound away as throngs of black flies descend on factories belching black smoke. Also noteworthy is the appearance of Nothing, the dark industrial project from Jason William Walton of Agalloch and Sculptured. He brings a sputtering, squealing, scraping stop-and-go blast of harsh noise, musical fragments and gargling vocals on "There Is No Infection Here", a mangled vomit-blast of noxious power electronics.