The two tape set appears on Stockholm based Ominous Recordings- with the black shelled tapes featuring stuck on ripped paper pieces to identify each tape. The tapes are presented in a long single case- this takes in very murky & grim artwork of a mountainscape, and grim texts- all fitting the darkly stark aesthetic that all nods towards the main influence/ theme on this set second wave 1990s blacked metal. The release appears in an edition of seventeen copies, and as of writing this review the label still has a few copies left for sale.

The release is laid out with alternating tracks from each project, and each of the four tracks hits  around the thirty-minute mark. So first out of the bag, we have a track from Eugene Critchley- this is one of the projects of Minneapolis based noise/ bleak drone maker Cory Strand- it’s been going since around 2016, becoming his most active venture at present- putting out over the thirty releases. All of the stuff I’ve heard from Eugene Critchley is fairly similar in its set-up/ feel- we normally get a troubling often suicidal themed long sample from film or  TV- then we drop into a fairly unmoving mass of stark drone matter, that’s more often than not recorded at a low volume. This first track from the project is entitled “Life Devoted To Death”- this opens with a blend of dialogue samples from the 2018 Lords Of Chaos, which of course focused in on the church burnings, suicide, and murder connected to Norwegian black metal scene- the sample collage is themed around Mayhem most notorious singer Dead. Underneath this blend of samples, we have a slowly rising flow of churning low-end drone. The samples drop out around 8th minute, and we’re left with this sustained purring & hovering low-end drone blend, which from time-to-time has some rumbling sub-bass tones nicely buffeting the edges of it. The samples appear again in the last minute or so- these sound like they are from some glum US TV thriller talking about a suicide mission.

Moving onto the second side of the tape and we have the first Charles Razeur track- this is one of the projects of Belgium stark wall nosier/ grim drone maker Damien De Coene. This venture has been active since late 2017- putting out about ten releases, this project work is less predictable in its sound- as it’s moved from ultra bleak & low volume ambience, through to drone-based walled noise, and the two new tracks here focus on yet another side of the project- which I guess is best described as droned-out & bone freezing black metal ambience. This first track is called “The Angle Ends” – it’s built around a set & purring low-end tone , & around this we get very sluggish wailing & discordantly droning elements which sound either bass or guitar-based. On top of this ever so often we get fleeting flecks of rushing static feast & muffled/ pained blacked vocalizing. Over the track thirty-minute runtime, one does feel there is zero hope or light as the two main textures set into a terminal grim & pained sonic path of glum drone matter.

Moving onto tape two- and once again we have the second & final Eugene Critchley  track “The Wheel Of Suffering”- this starts with a collage of largely pained & emotional dialogue samples from what sounds like TV US dramas/ similar- these feel somewhat unfocused, but I guess if I’d heard where they had originally come from they may be more impactful. Anyway, underneath these we get a glacier-like rumble of stark drone matter- at around the 8th minute the samples drop out & we’re left with just the grim & constant cold purring tone which just simmers on it an unchanging manner- and once again in the last minute or so we get a return of the samples again. Of the two drones on here, I think I prefer this better as it really does seem to get deep into the head with its chilling starkness, though I prefer the first track samples.

On the flip side of tape two, we have the second & final Charles Razeur- this is entitled “By Sin & Death A Broad Way Is Paved”. And here find a blend of compressed & starkly hazed out black metal like hoover discord, constantly cascading static churn- with a few micro pops  & sudden rushing waves of grimly muffled vocals. I like the main elements here, and the ultra grim feel they create- I’m not so sure about the vocal layers as they seem to suddenly appear in at times awkward lumps, feeling at like they don’t fit. Of the two tracks, this is my least favorite- though I do still think the two constant/ main elements are effective.

So in summing up this split, it’s certainly effective at creating two hours of grim drone bound despair- the Eugene Critchley tracks are pretty much what you’d expect if you’ve heard past work from this project, but if you’ve dug what you heard before you’ll like this. The Charles Razeur tracks certainly presents us with a different sound, and I do hope De Coene develops & sharpens this sound more in the future- as it’s rather distinctive & damn effective in its creation of terminal grim atmosphere.