World of Metal and Rust- "Industrial Noir" CDr (Self-Released/Depressive Illusions)

Some of my more frequent readers may remember my review of the now-defunct black industrial artist Mara. For those who enjoyed Mara's last breath, World of Metal and Rust is born from Mara's ashes. Cold factories and grey industrial skylines have always scattered the landscapes in this man's music, but here the electronic elements and darker atmospheres which I had touched upon in my previous review are now a dominant force. Gone are elements of depressive black metal, and in their place is a slow, monotonous mechanical emptiness that creates an even bleaker environment.

The sounds created here vary from hypnotic to absolutely terrifying. Mechanized percussion fuses with fuzzy and cold synths to generate pure atmosphere. I feel like this would serve as one of many soundtracks to the end of the world. The sky is mostly black and red swirling into each other, with some substance that might be either ash or snow falling from above. The streets are littered with vehicles, papers, and peoples' belongings that they left behind along the way. Few survivors remain in this wasteland. This is in many ways exactly what the name of this project evokes, and the sound is well suited. Many songs here seem to contain two or more separate compositions that complement each other rather than one solid song per track, but I feel it works nicely. The album flows quite well from song to song and the atmosphere is consistently heavy. The ominous nature of the music might make extended listens difficult for some folks, but I feel that listening all the way through creates a perfect sense of dread and despair that chills me to the bone in the best way possible. I must reiterate that nothing here really makes it into "metal" territory, but everything here echoes cold detachment. This is perfect misery and self-hate.

Copies of this release come in a DVD case with full artwork and a labeled disc. You can purchase it digitally from the band or it you can purchase a physical copy for 6 EUR from Depressive Illusions, who also released the Minblod album I recently reviewed.  Only 33 CDs are available, so grab it quickly. Keep up with the band through its blog and be up to date on any future releases or plans. There's already a new demo posted, so it's worth checking out.

A death Cinematic- Corrosions of Traveled Daydreams CS (Tycho Magnetic Anomalies)

Just over two months ago, I was fortunate enough to interview a death cinematic, who briefly made mention of a future cassette release from Tycho Magnetic Anomalies. Such a short time later, I find that a copy of this cassette has made its way into my hands (and many other copies are available for purchase), and I'm finding myself surprised once again by an artist whose music has already been in my thoughts for years. As always, a death cinematic has outdone himself with both presentation and music. This is his first cassette release, and he has transitioned quite nicely from digital to analog with this album.

a death cinematic has always had an audience with the drone metal community despite lack of any direct "heavy metal" sections in the songs, but the very first moments of "Corrosions of Traveled Daydreams" consist of a nearly galloping riff that lasts just long enough to disintegrate into cleaner, gentler territory than I've usually heard from this artist. The contrast between two new extremes presented here had already gained my interest, but even without context of a death cinematic's other releases, this album impresses me. Clean guitars seamlessly integrate with the hum of gently rolling drones, and melancholic notes stretch slowly across percussive static. Despite the melody so often displayed, this is not so much a reflection of joy as it is the aural equivalent of the last glimmer of hope. These are not songs for the victorious nearly in the sense that these are songs for survivors. If there is any beauty at all, it is only in the knowledge that the world will continue its course regardless of humanity's intentions. Desolation and rebuilding have long been at the heart of a death cinematic's sound. With this release, the two have merged into a sort of functional emptiness. From soft to entirely jagged, the sounds and colors swirl and  soar through a bleak and unchanging landscape. The world a death cinematic shares here may be covered in soot, but its rivers still run and the roots of the trees still grow. The song titles and sonic paintings tell of a human race that has lost itself in a way that would make Cormac McCarthy smile, if he's capable of such a thing. There is little good left in humanity, and nature will eventually undo our messes when we finally finish destroying ourselves, at least if I've been listening properly.

Perhaps my words have been a bit abstract here, but when dealing with music of this nature, I find concepts and feelings become stronger than genres and ideas. a death cinematic works just as much in textures and blurred sounds as with defined song structures and discernible instrumentation. To limit a review to simply touching upon the musical characteristics would be a disservice to music that is created with such a visual and conceptual approach. In fact, accompanying this album are a set of photographs and vellum prints, along with a poem, an etched wood box, and decals with the album cover's trademark dead bird. The entire experience of this album is both humbling and impressive, and demonstrates an expertise that I hope to witness again soon. This release has been limited to a mere 60 copies, yet some are still available from the label at this time. As a reviewer and lover of music, it's my duty to recommend you purchase this before they sell out.

Jason Hodge- Hope Has Abandoned Us Cassette (Enemata Productions)

Sometimes when examining an album, I get the feeling that there's a greater context to the music than might initially be given. Whether it's lyrical themes for some bands or a larger sense of purpose associated with a particular album, knowing the background story can deepen one's appreciation for a piece of music. Jason Hodge's recent release,"Hope Has Abandoned Us," is absolutely an album whose value and weight grow immensely with proper background information. This cassette was recorded during a dark period in his life shortly following the death of his grandfather and the flooding of his surviving grandmother's home. While many artists would be content to merely use grief or frustration as a catalyst for creating something, Jason Hodge decided to record a large portion of this album in the abandoned building, utilizing items found in the house as part of this cathartic and dense recording.

The A-side contains the track "Carried on Crippled Wings/Forcing Pieces to Fit," which is a dark and seething journey that makes me envision a world entirely in grayscale. Musicians whose works fall under the general umbrella of "noise" often tend to feel disconnected, but Jason Hodge's music seems personal, urgent, and even somewhat desperate and frustrated. There is a tension that impresses itself upon the listener. This isn't harsh noise, nor is this mellow drone. What this music does is convey emotions in a genre that often lacks them. If anything, I feel almost overwhelmed by the swelling sounds presented in this first side, which attack like waves against a flimsy barrier. As hasty structures tend to do, the sound barrier gives way after a few minutes to a rolling terror of lower frequencies akin to the engine of an aircraft or the base of a waterfall. The rest of the song continues as some sort of violent deterioration, with scraping percussion fighting with the rolling noises of water or heavy machinery for aural dominance until everything has been ruined and the chaos slowly fades beneath its own weight. The intensity is unparalleled without resorting to some of the easy shock tactics of the genre, which is what makes this tape so compelling. Even at its most aggressive, this album never becomes a barrier of assorted frequencies, nor does a violent vocalization ever make an appearance. Not that those ideas or sounds are necessarily bad, but many artists fall back on them as safety nets where bolder sounds might have worked just as well. The B-side here is home of "Hymn for a Hollow Body," which appropriately enough is a slightly more tonal track, although it is entirely cold and distant, with much of the song's first few minutes sound something like echoes of wind in a cave. The song progresses into an almost mechanical howl which constructs a great rolling emptiness of sorts, a center of nothingness in the song around which all the other sounds revolve. By the time this turbulent tape has ended, the subtle hum of speakers conveying silence is a welcome comfort in which I bask for a few minutes. In a way, the phantom sounds constructed by my brain after this album are almost the perfect counterbalance to the chaos it inflicted. I feel that perhaps this whole album was designed with such a purpose: to force so much pain out that nothing but cathartic bliss remains by the end.

Copies of this tape are currently available from Enemata Productions and are well worth obtaining while they're still available. Keep an eye out for Jason's upcoming releases; he's a very efficient and productive musician and he seems to pop up on new labels all the time.

Minblod- "Apparition and Aberration" CD (Depressive Illusions/Humid Records)

For most of my life, I've had a slight hearing issue. Not the sort of thing you could really diagnose and treat, just the sonic equivalent of everything blurring a little around the edges. It wouldn't surprise me if the extra focus this requires of me has contributed heavily to my great appreciation of listening to the intricacies of music. I listen for the notes between notes, the hidden things that bands might not have even intended for us to hear. When I hear a murky album like Minblod's "Apparition and Aberration," I get a rush from the challenge and the promise of hidden sounds just waiting behind the blur of noise.

Minblod's music works in textures more than individual sonic components. While a determined ear can separate the instruments from each other, the first listen gives little more than a heavy blanket of distortion and shrieks. As the listener focuses, there is almost a calming sensation amid the bleak atmosphere that Minblod creates. The dense fuzz becomes a layer of fog enveloping the listener rather than an obstacle between the music and the listener. Indeed, there is a certain meditative quality to these songs, many of which plod along at a slower pace than is traditionally accepted in black metal. The slow pace paired with the density of the music take the lo-fi template of artists like Xasthur to new depths of isolation, as presented on tracks like "Three Permutations." However, unlike depressive groups who share a similar aesthetic, Minblod seems to be simply acknowledging the inherent chaos in every moment  rather than simply holing up and wallowing in self-pity. Indeed, closing track "Heuristic Construct" has an almost redemptive quality to its relatively mellow ambiance, as if rewarding both listener and artist for surviving the album.

This album is available for download courtesy of Humid Records and will soon see physical release from Depressive Illusion. The album comes on CDr in a DVD case which holds a booklet explaining the philosophical journey on which "Apparition and Aberration" takes the listener. To say that the brief essays contained within are challenging reads would be an understatement, but they detail the artist's thoughts on our ability to observe ourselves using our established tools of perception. This companion booklet really makes the physical release a must-have, so keep an eye out.

Northumbria- "Northumbria" (TQA Records) + "All Days Begin As Nights" (Unreleased)

In case the title of this post didn't make it apparent, today we're examining two albums by one group which are related in such a fashion that it's nearly impossible to post about one without making mention of the other. Northumbria are a self-described "ambient metal" duo from Canada, although genres seldom describe the music properly, especially with such a compelling sonic palette as that which Northumbria uses to craft their heavy drones. While part of me wants to call Northumbria's music soothing, I feel that such a term implies a shoegaze-influenced sensibility, which definitely wouldn't quite cut it. To put it plainly, I'm not quite sure what to call Northumbria other than highly enjoyable and well-crafted music that has roots in everything from the self-proclaimed term ambient metal to the farther reaches of drone, yet refuses to sit firmly in any one subcategory.

Northumbria's eponymous full-length album was released some time last year by TQA Records, and it's a great place to start. These five tunes clock in at just over 50 minutes and lead me to a very mellow, introspective place. While the guitars are dense and distorted, I feel as though these songs are more meditative than destructive. A layer of fuzz and static serves as a canvas upon which Northumbria paints textures with soaring notes and occasional jagged assaults that last just long enough to create a tension which they swiftly relieve. Some folks might take issue with the lack of percussion, but I feel that music like this doesn't need to be chained down by anything other than pure melody and expression. In a way, the closest sonic kin I can find for this album would be the works of another favorite of mine, a death cinematic, an artist who also goes without percussion yet retains a heightened sense of clarity.

Examining Northumbria's currently unreleased EP, All Days Begin As Night, I find that familiarity with the prior release is almost mandatory, as three of the four songs here are altered versions of songs from their self-titled release. This album begins with the title track, which at just shy of eight minutes in length is the shortest composition from Northumbria. This tune follows a similar path to those presented on their first album, with an ethereal drone that manages to straddle the line between haunting and calming without ever straying too far into either territory. The sounds grow in size to fill whatever space the listener inhabits and the composition as a whole evokes thoughts of the shifting beauty of aurora borealis. Following this is Theologian's cascading re-envisioning of "Lux Lunae," now titled "The Sanguine Moon." This was by far the most dissonant track in its original incarnation, but true to Theologian's fashion, it's somehow both mellower here and far more frightening, like the unsettling backing track to a dimly lit horror scene.  This might be my top pick on this album, although to discredit the other two remixes would be unwise. Famine's brief yet intense rendition of "Threnody" is probably the busiest tune here, as the incorporation of light drum programming turns this into a glitchy electronic piece that might not sound out of place beside Ulver's "Metamorphosis." Closing things out is a stellar, almost uplifting reworking of "Black Sea of Trees" by Witxes, which serves as a relatively soothing end to a highly adventurous EP.

You might notice that there isn't information available on this unreleased EP, such as a release date or a label. This is because Northumbria are currently searching for a label who is willing to release this album on vinyl. If you're a label, this could be an opportunity for you to deal with a band who are already making an impact. If you're a listener eager to hear this, share a link to this review with anybody you know who might have label connections. Let's help this album get the release it deserves.

New Label Alert: Male Activity

Today I thought I'd try something new. I don't see this being a regular feature, but I recently became acquainted with this new label from Winnipeg and felt that it'd be nice to do something of a profile on each of their three releases. Each of these tapes is out in incredibly limited quantities (less than 30) and each is distinctive and enjoyable. Without further rambling on my part, here's your quick introduction to Male Activity.

First off, we've got MA:001, a split between Gashkadin and wet nurse. Gashkadin holds down the a-side with three tracks. The music is dense and ominous, evoking a world obscured by billowing smoke. There may be cries for help in the distance, but the likelihood of understanding or helping those on the other side of the cassette is nonexistent. In the last track on the first side of the tape, the yelling becomes clearer as it cuts through screeching feedback. By the time the song ends, the voice becomes buried again, and I feel as though I've escaped some kind of violent fate. Wet Nurse. takes the b-side to a noticeably more depressing place, with some distant melodies joining the mix alongside squealing static and yells of desperation. The tape (or possibly just this side, it's hard to tell by the inlay) is dedicated to the memory of an individual named Sidney Bradford. This almost sounds like a cathartic release for the loss of a friend, but I might be looking too far into it. Regardless, this tape is a fantastic beginning for this label and I'm totally sold.

MA:002 distinguishes itself from the first tape quite nicely, a good omen for this label which proves that they aren't focusing on just one aspect of sonic madness. The second tape is an untitled release by Bedroom Suite, a slightly more calming experience than MA:001.  Subtle piano and crackly loops drone their way across a slowly shifting landscape in the first untitled track, much like the motion of sand dunes which grow and change shape with the winds. The album as a whole has a feeling of remembrance, but isn't quite nostalgic. Instead I almost feel like I'm eavesdropping on a sonic representation of somebody's regrets. There is certainly a depressing and haunting atmosphere here, but as someone who spends a lot of time with darker music, I find this to be overall soothing and highly enjoyable and this will definitely appeal to folks who don't normally delve into the noise and drone genres. As of the time of this article's posting, this cassette has officially sold out. Keep an eye out for more from this artist.

MA:003 is the most recently release from this label, and it's another solid tape to round out an already promising roster of noise artists. This tape, "I" by Khfiva, is perhaps the warmest and most inviting of the three tapes in the initial Male Activity batch. Gentle drones hum back and forth while occasional percussion and clamor occur in the background. Whereas Bedroom Suite is depressingly mellow, this album is slightly less mellow yet seems to come from a more inviting place. For the uninitiated, this might be the most welcoming of the three tapes, although I wouldn't turn anybody away from any of these fantastic albums.

In case I haven't made it clear enough, you should probably rush to Male Activity's bigcartel page for a chance to grab these before they sell out. If they haven't sold out by the time this post reaches your collective eyes, I'm hoping that my kind words will change the scenario.

Then and Now: An Interview with a death cinematic

This post was originally intended to be part of my summary of the year 2012, but the more I think about it, the less that would have made sense to me. It's oddly appropriate that my first interview here is with prolific drone artist a death cinematic, as this project has been important to me ever since I began delving into the deeper reaches of the music community. Forgive me if this post gets a bit personal, but the context is quite important for me.

In 2007, I was just learning about extreme music and had started a musical project with a trusted friend. He recorded all the music and I screamed at the top of my lungs about nature and depression. I remember the music fondly, but the contacts my bandmate made on our collective behalf are particularly memorable. One of the earliest musicians he discovered and contacted was a death cinematic, which was a brand new project at the time. One day I showed up to record a song and my friend handed me a copy of Epochs Shifting Out of Time. The album quickly became mandatory listening and was in heavy rotation for much of 2007 and 2008. I was going through a period of anxiety, self-discovery, and overall turmoil. The bleak yet soothing soundscapes provided me with a sense of familiarity and comfort.

Fast forward to late 2012. Shortly after I established Black Metal and Brews, I found myself in touch with the artist behind a death cinematic for the first time. While I still had the album in my possession, I'd been heavily removed from current output from most artists, and was surprised that the project had grown into something larger and more proficient. As I hadn't heard any of the albums recorded since Epochs Shifting Out of Time, we decided it would be ideal for me to review a death cinematic's latest offering, The New World and compare it alongside Epochs, which I'll pair with an interview with the artist himself. Thanks for reading this rambling introduction, and I hope you enjoy this massive post as much as I've enjoyed creating it.

In addition to having the opportunity to interview a death cinematic/simple box construction today, I’m going to review both a death cinematic’s earliest offering and most recent. Released in 2007, Epochs Shifting Out of Time (which is available for free download), is a hazy, distorted journey through a world that is undergoing the violent yet beautiful process of coming into existence. The song titles touch upon everything from the shifting of tectonic plates to certain species’ experiences as the planet grows and changes. In many ways, the music’s subtle sense of turbulence lends itself perfectly to the turmoil of a world in its infancy. This is all too fitting for an early release from a project whose latest release is an album appropriately titled The New World. While the initial release from a death cinematic is certainly not a work I’d describe as amateur, it’s interesting to see how the art and musical direction has evolved while remaining entirely recognizable as the same artistic mind.

Almost as a direct continuation of Epochs, The New World starts with crackling and frantic guitar that fades in and out of the listener’s awareness, resembling some sort of transmission being broadcast into space. While there’s still a degree of droning ambiance here, the guitars are strummed and create distinctive notes rather than textures and moods. It’s somewhat akin to Earth’s more recent output, with a shimmering beauty that cuts through the overall darkness of the music’s direction. Accompanying The New World is a collection of photographs in a small bound book entitled "A Prelude to The New World." As the title suggests, the photographs contained within detail a bleak, hazy landscape. It's no stretch to say that the marriage of sound and vision here is a documentation of a death cinematic reaching the artistic ambitions made apparent on his earliest of works. While the title and photograph accompanying the first CD from a death cinematic are certainly in the same vein, it's fantastic to see a fully fleshed version of this unique vision.

I had the opportunity to interview a death cinematic himself both about these two albums and his overall artistic process. The interview follows for your information and enjoyment:

Black Metal And Brews: 
a death cinematic has always created very visual music, beginning with the evocative song titles on the very first release, and now including the extensive photography collection included with The New World. How did the hybridization of the two come to mind for you?

A Death Cinematic: 
I guess there was never a question of separation. The two were always entwined for me, so it really became a question of bringing them together in a meaningful and aesthetic way as the projects grew. The visual aspect has always been very important to me and simple box and a death cinematic is an ongoing work in progress. I now consider any artwork, whether it is writing, photography, music, or drawing to be a part and a continuation of this.

BMAB: 
Is there a unifying theme to your albums as a death cinematic? Is there a message you’re hoping to convey with a death cinematic’s artistic output?

ADC: 
I think there is a unifying theme. To me it is a journey and each release is the next logical step along that journey. It all goes together. I am not as concerned with conveying a specific message with a death cinematic as I am in building a context for a listener to construct their own message. The work I do has specific meanings for me but I am not concerned that a listener or viewer know what those are for me. I want it to mean something to them on their own personal terms. If I was to say that this album is specifically about x, y, and z and nothing else, it constricts and pigeon holes the work, limiting the experience for the listener. At this time I want to make fertile ground for a willing participant to grow their own meaning.

BMAB: 
How has your personal growth as a person and musician changed a death cinematic’s direction? Has it changed the direction?

ADC: 
I am not so sure the direction is changed but I think my personal growth has furthered and moved a death cinematic farther. I work on becoming a better musician/ noise maker and artist and with that this project grows and gets better. At times it feels like there is no movement at all or that it is glacial at best. Those times are the worst, I imagine, for any artist. The times of misperceived stagnation. As I grow and progress with these projects, I get better at editing the work. I also get more efficient with my decisions as how to get to a theme and what materials to use.

BMAB: 
You collaborated with Matt Finney on your most recent release. How did that come about?

ADC: 
That was his idea and offering and it was a long time in the making. He suggested we do something back in 2010. He sent me a track of him reading the new world and I recorded the music and sound to it. It was meant to be a download only single but as I was working on that track the concept for the whole album crystallized for me. It just came in a flash and was so complete that I even had the basic concept for the packaging. I then asked him if I could make this album around our track. He was into it and very gracious and patient. It took me a long while to realize the release in its final 150 hand made copies.

BMAB: 
What inspired you to establish simple box construction rather than signing off your releases to some other label who can do all the physical production of the album for you? What drives you to craft and oversee every aspect of a death cinematic’s artistic image?

ADC: 
I have been a visual artist or interested in being one for as long as I can remember. simple box originally was going to be a small press for handbound books and limited edition print runs. When I started to get into making music, I looked into finding labels but as I was developing the concepts for the releases, it became clear to me that I should be doing this on my own. So simple box construction was revived and started to be this label of sorts. 

The drive to do everything for a death cinematic is that even though I want the audience to build their own meanings and experiences, I want them to do it in a specified context. That context [is something] I have to construct and be as meticulous as possible about building. It could also be the early signs of madness and OCD, to try to control every aspect and build every copy as if it was a singular piece of art. At times it sure feels that way. I enjoy making the work and it becomes a vehicle to express myself in various mediums at once. Plus, doing it this way I have to answer only to myself and the failure or success of any release is my responsibility.

However, there have been and will continue to be a death cinematic releases on other labels. A lot of the labels that I have worked with allowed me to design and fabricate the packaging for the the releases. On some of the splits, the other artist designed them and the label had them made. It all comes down to what everyone is comfortable with. I found that most of the time everyone is pretty accommodating and respectful of each other's concerns. The new full-length on cassette is being released on tycho magnetic anomalies. They're a great little cassette label who asked me to do a tape release for them. They were very accommodating to my aesthetic concerns and gave me control over the design and fabrication of the whole edition. This was great because I had specific ideas for the album and could work on cassette packaging which I have not done before. So it feels like this album is made on terms that are very agreeable to me. As I talk to other labels who are interested in my work I always ask them to allow me the control of over the design and fabrication of the edition. Even though I have some projects slated on other labels this year, for the most part I still plan on the majority of the albums to be self-released.

Free Music Friday: Abhean- "Recollections"

We're starting off 2013's Free Music Friday with a release from a younger label than I typically cover. I had the pleasure of obtaining a copy of Abhean's cassette from Cloister Recordings a month or two ago, but hadn't yet written a proper review due to holiday madness, school, and the like. Now that things are slightly mellower here, I'm able to properly convey the beauty and brilliance of this recording.

This album focuses heavily on nature and natural themes, both in song title and atmosphere. It's very rare that I get the feeling of actually being out in the woods from music, but this release does it quite successfully. "Dreams of Rain" especially captivates and draws me in, with its steady drumbeat setting the stage for the soothing and tranquil sounds of rainfall in a forest.While the whole album brings me serenity, there is an underlying darkness present throughout this recording. Just as being immersed by nature can be beautiful, there can be dangers that hide just outside of our vision. From start to finish, this is an actual journey more than just an attempt at conveying a feeling.  The closing track is a bonus recording from a live performance, and it's certainly the most intense and unsettling track here. Especially after the trance-like state the preceding tracks created for me, this song caught me off guard, but I enjoyed it thoroughly.

As always with Free Music Friday, there's a free download available from Abhean's bandcamp, however I must also recommend the cassette for purchase from Cloister Recordings. In addition to being a beautifully packaged cassette, this tape comes with an 11x17 poster. They're limited to 100 copies, so you should get on it quickly.

Free Music Friday: Nighttime in the Abyss- "Amongst the Dead"

This week's edition of the Free Music Friday feature touches upon an album that would've been an appropriate soundtrack to the overly hyped yet obviously unbelievable apocalypse we were supposed to experience today. Nighttime in the Abyss is a one-man project with the sole purpose of creating audio horror without simply turning all the switches up to eleven.

Rather than simply creating horrific walls of static or friendly drone dirges, Nighttime in the Abyss creates sonic templates designed to create anxiety and uncertainty with each shift in sound. This album in particular is a self-described "[o]dyssey into the world of the undead, as seen by the undead." While many poetic and evocative descriptions come to mind, this is a rather appropriate way of explaining the sounds contained in this album.  There's seldom an outright moment of overwhelming horror here, but there is a constant sense of dread and uneasiness. From the swirling voices and whispers of "After Life, Life is Pain," to the seemingly disintegrating guitar tones of "Spectral Imaginings," this album comes across as the soundtrack to one's fearful thoughts late at night, when all sources of comfort are as distant as the sunlight.

If you're into scaring yourself and imagining the horrible ambiance of the world's end, do yourself a favor and download this stellar release. Nighttime in the Abyss is gearing up to release another album in early 2013 on badGod music, so consider this free download an opportunity to prepare yourself for the next transmission from this promising artist.

Free Music Friday: Crowhurst's "No Life to Live"

This is the first installment of a new "series" I plan on running each week. I'm not sure if future occurrences will feature full-length reviews or if they'll be a collection of some of my weekly bandcamp discoveries/legally shared files. We'll see, depending on how creative I am. This week I am sharing an album that can be obtained for free or purchased either on cassette or a 4xLP set. This album, "No Life to Live," is currently available for the price of your choosing on Crowhurst's bandcamp page, and is worth the two hours of your life it will consume.

First, I must say that this is not a metal release in any sense of the word. This is a display of extreme sound manipulation, an experiment in atmosphere. Opening track "I Saw the Sky" gradually leads the listener on a descent into darkness and anxiety. Following the name, I can't help but envision the sky being obscured by black clouds as the world slowly crumbles beneath. About three minutes in, the rumbling wall of terror gives way to haunting bells, an eerie aftermath to the song's prior chaos. Rather than being a repetition of the aural nightmare presented before it, "Pleading for the White Light" showcases a blurry sort of beauty and melody, reminding me of foggy mornings on the rocky Pacific coastline. Although the song builds to a dissonant hum, it's still an experience I find soothing.

The dichotomy of sounds instantly presented challenges and excites me as a listener. It's enjoyable to have an album take on many faces rather than present eight to twelve tracks of sameness. If I'm kept on my toes, it's more likely that each song will leave an impression, and that's exactly how this album works. According to commentary from Crowhurst's main figure, Jay Gambit, this record is meant to be an epic collage of songs, in the vein of masterpieces such as Swans' "Soundtracks for the Blind" or Today is the Day's "Sadness Will Prevail." While it's quite different from both of those albums in style, this album feels like it comes from a similar sort of place. All three albums have intense, introspective, and painful moments. All three albums are more patchwork than seamless pieces meant to flow together. In this regard, Crowhurst has certainly put together a beast worthy of its influences.

While the album is generally a collection of noise and drone works, there is enough variety to keep me entertained and interested. Some of the strongest points on this album are the longer songs, where Crowhurst is really able to let an atmosphere stretch out and consume the listener. Songs like "How to Burn a Book" and the title track may be intimidating in length at the first glance, but have proven to be some of my favorite moments on this album. Other highlights are the glitchy fuzz of "Coma Vision," the abrasive and unexpected ritualistic jam of "Run For Your Life," and the brief yet stunning crackling radiance of "The Sun is Like a Bacteria." While I'd normally try to link one or two songs that represent this release as a whole, it just isn't possible. Each song is equally song on its own or as a part of the complete album experience.

If you're interested in purchasing this/contributing to its release, please visit the ordering page to select either the 4xLP or cassette package and help this amazing album see the light of day. Also, it was recently announced that all orders of this album will come with a copy of Crowhurst's split tape with Rosy Palms for no extra cost, so that's just one more great reason to consider purchasing this after giving it a listen or two.