Brutal Shift makes no bones about the struggle he has gone through to find his peace, and surely many listeners can relate. Going through the pain, the loss, the changes, and shifts allows one to see new viewpoints, re-evaluate relationships and experiences, and recalibrate oneself with all the new data being discovered about one's existence. From the low, sweeping synths of "Wings of Guilt" to the cathartic distorted screeching of "Where Is Your God Now", Pain Has Brought Me More Peace Than Any God is a deep, dark, churning mass of intertwined, droning layers. Slow and deliberate, Pain works its way insidiously into the listener's subconscious, using its oscillations to evoke feelings in the deep recesses of the mind. Whether familiar with the inner darkness, strife, and phoenix-like rise above it all or just along for the grim scenery, Brutal Shift's latest is densely layered and undulates forward with a purpose, like a sonic representation of the storms on Jupiter.  Pain is definitely a mood piece, with each track reinforcing the overall feeling and loose narrative. Much like the abrasive closer, tracks like "Pre-Drilled Stigmata" and "The Mysterious Working of Undeserved Suffering" help to bolster the low, frothing sea of misery with industrial-tinged crests and razor blade valleys. Brutal Shift expertly captures the darkness of pain and the struggle to rise up on one's own self-made rebirth.

 

A telescope's view away from Boar and Pyramid Dust, Nowack's Brutal Shift churns out dirgy ambient that longs to pull the listener down with it on Pain Has Brought Me More Peace Than Any God. Cold, enigmatic, and easy to get swept up in, Pain is an excellent new entry in the budding Brutal Shift discography. Certainly enough to propel the Northern Hemisphere through the rest of the winter, Pain will be revisited again throughout the year when needed. To check it out for yourself