Venereology (album)

Venereology
Studio album by
Merzbow
ReleasedSeptember 1994 (1994-09)
RecordedJanuary–February 1994
VenueYaneura II, Tokyo
StudioZSF Produkt Studio, Tokyo
GenreNoise[1]
Length50:16
LabelRelease Entertainment
ProducerMasami Akita
Merzbow chronology
Electroploitation
(1994) 		Venereology
(1994) 		Noisembryo
(1994)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Exclaim!7/10[2]
PopMatters8/10[3]

Venereology is an album by the Japanese noise musician Merzbow. It was inspired by death metal and grindcore.[4]

It was the first of five Merzbow albums released by the American heavy metal label Relapse Records, under their Release Entertainment imprint, and as such was responsible for bringing Merzbow's work to a much wider audience in the United States. Venereology has also gained notoriety for the loudness of its mastering, which violated American limitations on the dynamic range allowed on CDs,[5] and for its third track, "I Lead You Towards Glorious Times", which is often cited to be the loudest track created in CD format—having a RMS value of 0.00dB.[6] The liner notes includes an extensive thank you list in the style of many metal releases.

Venereology was reissued on vinyl with a revised track list and bonus tracks by Relapse in March 2019.[7][8]

  1. ^ "Merzbow - Venereology Album Reviews, Songs & More". Allmusic. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  2. ^ Ayers, Chris. "Merzbow Venereology". Exclaim!. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  3. ^ Skinner, Jared. "Merzbow Merges Metal and Experimental Music on the Ferocious 'Venereology'". PopMatters. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference corridor was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Novak, David (2013). Japanoise : music at the edge of circulation. Durham: Duke University Press. p. 55. ISBN 9780822397540. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  6. ^ "A better way of measuring dynamic range? - Hydrogen Audio". Retrieved 24 February 2007.
  7. ^ "MERZBOW "Venereology"". Relapse Records. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  8. ^ "MERZBOW - 25th Anniversary Vinyl Edition Of Venereology (Remastered) Coming In March; "Slave New Desart" Track Streaming". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. Retrieved 16 January 2019.