Releases of this nature can sometimes be viewed as a cynical way of squeezing every available breath from a, hitherto, well respected body of work, regardless of quality or validity. This is not the case with the Birch EP. ‘Her Young, The Wolverine’ ably demonstrates why as it gently opens wings of harmonious melancholy which expand and melt to form a sumptuous soundscape, in spite of the hopelessness hinted at throughout the composition. Captured electronica layers itself upon the below a dark cloud of breathless intensity while plaintive strings sound a discordant thread which bleeds through ‘Her Young...’ producing an evocative and shadow-soaked soundscape’, albeit one which considers Rorschach Tests as a subjective muted oracle for inspiration.

‘A Depression in the Moss’, in a manner, seeks to reclaim the primal spirit of the wolf from the ignorant, anti-nature of man. Sleek ambient drones rise amongst a rain of gentle, fluctuating, chimes and this piece shuns the light as it slowly draws the listener into a black woodland of menace. The final piece, ‘In Memory with Blackest Wings I Fly’ allows a thrumming canvas to snare tiny chimes which almost mimic the sound of hanging chains rattling gently together as a black breath moves through them. These chimes soon blossom into sharper, more intensive frequencies which burn through the ambient layers, allowing more discordant notes to nurture and rise above the dank sounds below before easing into darkness and silence.

‘Birch’ contains many of the signature sounds and compositional nuances which defined the work of Ruhr Hunter and as such provides a significant bookend to Scott’s work under the Ruhr Hunter title. These tracks retain an air of fluidity and form - exemplified in the excellent ‘Her Young...’ - which marks this release as significant and valid despite the antiquity and the fact that the tracks are only being released of now. These are nevertheless the dark offspring of a master composer and their evocative and bleak beauty is a testament to this. It will be of interest to see which direction Scott takes his new project, ‘Cycle of the Raven Talons’, for now, ‘Birch’ is a relevant juncture in that development.