Terrorlord : Unreleased Beats 2001

Christopher Ashley didn’t start out making 80s-tinged melodic electronic music. In the 90s he was in the noise rock bands Murder Weapon, followed by Index For Potential Suicide. These were bands that dealt loud, pummeling music that often left crowds bloodied and breathless after shows.

While Ashley was still in the midst of cacophonic waves of guitar noise he began experimenting with electronic music. He would eventually start recording as Slasher Film Festival Strategy in the late 90s/early 2000s, building a fanbase with his melodic, melancholic take on the sleazy synth-based horror scores of the 70s and 80s. Albums like Wet Leather, Psychic Shield, and Crimson Throne would go on to become classics in the eyes and ears of those of us who loved the imagined soundtrack world(he also released a great split EP with Antoni Maiovvi that is a must listen.)

In the midst of finding his sound as a maker of synth-based electronic music Christopher Ashley made a series of tracks as TERRORLORD. Unreleased Beats 2001 was recently culled from various old hard drives Ashley had and were put together and released for the first time. What you hear on Unreleased Beats 2001 is an artist exploring and experimenting out of the love of creation. These songs differ than the output of SFFS in that they’re rougher, darker, and come with an abrasive feel. Ashley was still very much steeped in the world of noise rock and it shows, to stunning effect.

The album opens with the electro buzz of “6622”. This hypnotic track brings to mind early NIN and Ministry before they bumped up the bpms. There’s a quiet menace to “1247”, hinting at what Ashley would create as Slasher Film Festival Strategy. There’s an understated dread here that is hard not to get lost in. “2791” builds tension with an understated piano-like melody as the clicks and clacks of the rhythmic pulse pulls you in.

There’s a vintage quality to these songs. The music sounds as if its made from instruments and vintage boxes lost to time. “442” has the feel of a hip hop track created by Konami Kukeiha Club in the mid-80s, while “7979” sounds like Trent Reznor scoring a movie using various Casio synths he unearthed from a 40-year old time capsule. It’s ghostly and dusty and a little disconcerting.

TERRORLORD is Christopher Ashley in experimentation mode. These are dusty electronic tomes made for the sake of creativity, as well as for an artist trying to find his voice in a new musical direction. Unreleased Tracks 2001 is the inevitable step towards what we now know as Slasher Film Festival Strategy. It’s a dark, eerie, and important musical journey. And a vital one for SFFS and Ashley to find his voice.