Following the series of recent vinyl reissues of classic Merzbow albums, this was bound to happen sooner or later: Venereology will be out on vinyl for the first time ever! Released in 1994, so 25 years ago, this was Merzbow’s first release on a bigger, widely distributed US label (Release, which was Relapse‘s sub-label that dealt with experimental music) and for countless people around the world, this served as a first introduction not only to Merzbow and Japanese noise, but to Japanese extreme music in general. It opened, or rather kicked the doors wide open for many other acts. So, it is clearly one of the most important overseas releases by a Japanese artists ever and also, it is one of Merzbow’s strongest albums, that easily stood the test of times. The album was remastered by James Plotkin, it will include updated artwork and also, about 20 minutes worth of unreleased material. There will be a digital version as well, plus a t-shirt with the iconic cover art (all available from Merzbow’s bandcamp) and the vinyl itself will be limited to 1100 copies, including a “friends only” clear version, plus two colored versions that are exclusively sold only at Relapse’s online store:

650 x Black
250 x Neon Violet
100 x Deep Purple and White Merge with Blood Red Splatter
100 x Clear (Not available to the public – Friends of band and label only)

Also, there is a short, but very decent mini documentary up on Youtube, by a user called THKD about the album and its importance, so, check that out as well:

Venereology
2019.03.01
A.Ananga-Ranga Part 1
B1.Ananga-Ranga Part 2
B2.Klo Ken Phantasie
C1.Last Splash
C2.Slave New Desart
C3.TD 3
D1.Outtrack 1
D2.Outtrack 2