Half Makeshift — L'anse amort & Final

These two new releases by Nathan Michael under the Half Makeshift banner feature more droney melancholy like than on his debut Aphotic Leech, but each with a small difference.

Right from the start of L'anse amort you'll notice the more rhythmic approach as well as more 'clothed' melodic ideas. The distorted harpsichord, the guitarchords, bells and atmospheric keyboards take us to the more romantic aspects of nordic metal without being metal (or nordic). More the stuff you'd find as intermezzo's on the classic black metal releases. After 10 minutes into A Whale's Heart a screeching, distorted - if not devastated - heavy guitar takes the opening piece into a grim finale. Like the titletrack, which after repetive clean guitartinglings takes a massive turn into heavy, droney wall of sound. Melancholy is maintained to the end where the flutterings in Eye make you worry a bit about your cd-player. All this makes a dark but pleasant 45 minutes and the CD comes with a nice set of cards.

CDr release Final continues in the same melancholic yet heavy fashion. Distorted and slow paced are nicely paired with moody electronics. The music here is more ambient than that of L'anse amort. Its heavy opening is shortlived and soon a more calm and minimal, yet ominous mood is created, particularly in the second piece Origin. In Les livres, ils pleurent a more distinct guitar loop is slowly altered and augmented by backwards swirls and some more dramatic piano. Even the heavy guitar is more subtle than those on L'anse amort (although it seems to make an attempt at grimness which is cut short drastically). Overall Final is slighty more calm and moody.

Both of these come in small editions, so hurry if you want one. The material is strong enough to not wait until it's sold out (although I don't foresee Ebay madness yet).