Zidar Betonsky – I Gledam I Sanjam I Ne Dam (Various Labels)

Sometimes, the best music is also the most challenging one. It forces you to go through the entire recordings by questioning personal taste, examining genres you thought you would never bite on, and even forcing you to spin those records all over again, finding the reasons why you fell in love with releases you thought you would never even purchase in the first place. Music works in strange ways. It tackles your emotions, reasoning and throws you back at the very beginning of the journey, a place where your examination actually started. I Gledam I Sanjam I Ne Dam is one of those records that definitely breaks all the rules and shapeshifts boundaries of conventional music. At first, it gives you a glimpse of hope, an assurance that you’ll fully understand what these profoundly creative musicians intended to achieve with these compositions, and, by the end of this fine piece of plastic, you’ve been left with more questions than answers. And to fully understand this record, you need to think about the context and personal challenges Zidar Betonsky needed to overcome to even rehearse and perform their music. Recorded during the final months of the war in Croatia, this record represents the hardships of being a musician in a war-torn country, let alone a regular citizen. By using music as escapism from the mundane, these creative musicians have crafted an industrial masterpiece that has been spread across the underground scene by word of mouth for over thirty years.

To an inexperienced listening apparatus, I Gledam I Sanjam I Ne Dam might seem like a collection of raw, crude, experimental industrial compositions, crafted just for fun, but when you know the backstory, the entire material gives a completely different context. It’s one of those full-lengths where cold, bleak, dark industrial music meets some of the finest properties borrowed from avant-garde genres like ambient or noise, added for extra abrasion and aggression. Still, Beton Zidarsky also incorporates the sheer groove and power of noise rock, catchy post-punk melody, and occasional alternative rock moments that act as a counterweight to all the darkness and bleakness. As soon as you dig into the introductory pieces like “Hard,” “Te-Ve,” or “Ziggyjeva Crna Zavjesa,” you’ll immediately drop into a dark, gloomy, slightly depressive whirlwind of well-articulated noise, carefully, thoughtfully, expertly crafted to satisfy even the pickiest fans of experimental industrial music. The guitars offer generous servings of reverby sonic maneuvers while the distorted basslines contribute groove, clarity, and depth. The masterfully programmed rhythm section offers complex beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics, keeping everything in line. The vocals definitely command attention and bring emotion, passion, and soul to these tracks. Another thing worth pointing out is how this material continuously levitates between different moods and ambiance, yet somehow, the entire collection of songs operates as a whole. Zidar Betonsky thrives on diversity, and songs like “Racija,” “Slon,” “Splačina,” and “Jimmy H” exemplify their dedication to the craft. You will definitely notice how many renowned names like Bauhaus, Gang Of Four, Einsturzende Neubauten, or perhaps Skinny Puppy inspired them over the years. The scrappy, noisy chord progressions and reverby guitar passages are dominant here, synths bring more depth and detail, immensely groovy basslines dictate the melody, and programmed rhyhtmic patterns force you to swing to the rhythm, all while the vocals experiment to the point when you’ll get the feeling like you’ve been listening to the best works of Satan Panonski. With tracks like “788 Sati Teškog Rada,” “Samo Ja,” and two bonus Bauhaus and Pink Floyd covers, Zidar Betonsky literally cement their place on the underground scene as one of the most unique Croatian industrial music outlets ever. It’s a perfect closure and a sum up of everything this band stood for over thirty years ago.

Therefore, if you like your industrial music experimental, challenging, unique, aggressive, noisy yet melodic at times, you should consider purchasing this gem. I Gledam I Sanjam I Ne Dam is a definite masterpiece of the Croatian industrial scene, previously known to only devoted fans of the genre, and now available for a broader audience to witness the tremendous creativity, talent, skills, and experience of three exceptional musicians. This album is a collaborative release between Tajni Split, Guranje S Litice, Geenger Records, Dare The Divine, Debila Records, and Slušaj Najglasnije.