Death Frees Every Soul — The Hunters In The Snow
The releases takes it's name from the most famous picture by 15th century Flemish Renaissance painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder. This release is dedicated & inspired by Bruegel’s work in genreal. He specialized in genre paintings(those depicting scenes or events from day live ) populated by peasants, often with a landscape element, but he also painted religious works. He made the life and manners of peasants the main focus of a work, which was rare in painting in Bruegel's time, and he is now thought of a pioneer of Netherlandish genre painting.
Instead of utilizing Bruegel's artwork for the cover & inlay, a patterned 'n' abstract like artwork,that has intense psychedelic edge, is used. It looks like some of Bruegel’s art work may have being used as a starting point, but it’s been morphed & abused with-in a photo editing program.
The release is made-up of four tracks in all, these are nicely sequenced direct into one another to create an often jarring moment when it moves from track to the next. The tracks last between just shy of five minute mark, to just over the sixteen minute mark. First up we have “Facing The Winds”, which offers up a mixture of juddering 'n' rolling low end, with skipping ‘n’ juddering sub-tones. As the track moves on it slowly shifts ‘n’ bends on it’s taut & tense yet fairly active axis- from thicker to petered back textural shifts. Next up we have the track “Hidden Paths”, and this is built around a urgent rumbling bass judder which is ribbed with thinner & taut semi-skipping static grain. Once again as the track moves on it’s textural trail it slowly snakes & shifts it’s way along in a fairly active manner, moving from intense & reverberating build-ups, to slight more thinned back dwells. Also at times there’s a almost meaty harmonic tipped throbbing synth like presence with-in this track.
Track three is entitled “Myriad Of Distraction”, and it starts off being built around higher pitched amass tones & clashing/ jittering static. Then fairly soon we fall into a descending billowing mid-range judder, which is cut by agitated banks of jittering & seared static. And later on the track gets even more active & agitated, with a billowing & rapidly singeing mix of mid-to-nearing higher end noise texturing. Lastly we have “Nature's Blessings”, and I guess this is the most fixed ‘wall’ here. It’s based around a constant almost harmonic juddering tone, which is surrounded by fairly similar yet shorter buzzing & juddering tones. The main tone has quite a rapid & oddly pleasing yet slightly machine hazed vibe to it, and I’d say this is my favourite moment here. Once again there is a little movement with-in the ‘wall’, but it mostly stays fairly fixed.
There’s no doubt that all four tracks here are skilfully put together & executed, and there is a distinctive & original feeling runing through-out all four tracks. Also the theme of the release is something a little different from most HNW releases. But from my personal taste I found most of the release a bit to active for my liking. So if you are into more active & shifting walled noise, this is well worth a look…