Long, deep, and dark, Filth Haven starts off with heavy synth drones like drawn out, booming fog horns on "Elberton 1979."  These long drones are matched with an overlaid series of recordings. Although getting more and more common, Kris' use of these recordings doesn't overshadow the song; they're brief, fairly unobtrusive, and the song doesn't suffer for it. Exploring different galactic realms, "Traveller" takes the listener on a direct flight to the outer reaches of the cosmos. Lon, low, slowly oscillating synths envelop the listener in a tunnel drive of sound. Soft waves of noise wash over the mind and the universe is exposed. "Anticlockwise Rotation" follows this, and brings a more urgent tone to the mix. While still drifting and distant, quickly moving synth loops and 3D drones cause the listener to actively engage the track instead of passively accepting the sounds presented. Using field recordings from a lake, "Row Me Over" directs the atmosphere to an earthly level. The sound of the water lapping against the boat and the birds overhead provide a nice backdrop for the haunting synths midway in the mix. Is this someone peering beyond one's own world and into the blackness beyond? As the gaze continues to reach further into the heavens, the song gets more brash and more cacophonous, until the eye strain is too much and one's sights are focused back on the sea below. Buzzy fluttering and a distant hum play over long, slowly rising drones in "Liquidator." Despite the full, solid middle section, this one plays more to the sparse side, which adds a nice, contemplative distance. Feeling straight out of a space film, "The Sun Maker" lightens the tone quite a bit. Not in the goofy, lighthearted sense, but the tones are higher and brighter. Synth notes cascade off each other in cinematic fashion, and one can picture the scenes unfold. Closing out Filth Haven is "The Arch." Dark ambience mixes well with a metallic, industrial backbone. Its reserved nature makes one appreciate the album's restraint all the more.

Kristoffer Oustad's debut album, Filth Haven, is a dark and engaging journey through the cosmos. After repeated listens, I grew to appreciate it's subtlety more and more. It's the type of album that is solid enough throughout, that if you put it on repeat, get called away from your desk, and pop your headphones back on later, you'll have no problem getting right back in. I look forward to Kris' future solo efforts.