Crusher of Bones

Crusher of Bones was an album released in 1990 by Reptilicus, an Icelandic darkwave/industrial group led by G. I. Markusson and Jóhann Eiríksson. Produced by Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson and formed by 10 songs, Crusher of Bones went to the market through Product 8 and it counted with the additional collaboration of guitar player Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson.

This work contains songs like “Snakes” that outstands thanks to guttural lyrics, firm drum beats, a pulsating bass line and samples of the noise of a car burning up the tarmac that skids in and out of the track, contributing to add a more dramatic sound. “Sluice” is a slow track accompanied by short lyrics and out-of-phase keyboards which finally break out to be replaced by an electronic sound that fades away as it closes the end.

For the song “808” Guðlaugur Óttarsson (also known as Godkrist) performs ghostly guitar notes that accompany some distorted recordings of bird singings that increase the degree of experimentation of this work.

“Pirate Paradise” is made up of swirling guitar strings mingled with a military snare and percussion rhythms that next to hastened guitars fill the sound gaps to finally end with a fragmented drum pattern and guitar stab squalor.

“Call Me Jesus” could be defined as a “guitar Fest” in which skilful fingers twang franticly the strings bringing into life some interesting sound shapes overlapped to the shouted lyrics of “Call me Jesus... take my breath away”. “Ointment”, with an oriental sound and rhythmically loaded, contains pagan references accompanied by guttural and birth screeches that disrupt the track’s the denseness.

Reissue

 * 1996 - Crusher of Bones (8 Product), CD

Credits
Vocals, keyboards, sampling, tapes, flutes and horn: G. I. Markusson.

Keyboards, sampling, programming and voices: Jóhann E.. Keyboards, bass and percussion: Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson. Percussion, drums and chairs: Birgir Baldursson. Guitars: Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson on tracks 4, 6 and 7. Distributor: World Serpent Distribution.