Tunnels of Ah — Iron Speaks

What was meant to be the fifth Tunnels of Ah full length, Iron Speaks has now seen the light of day as the sixth. After reworking the existing material to closer fit the artist's aims, this "lost" album comes via Hypershape Records instead of the normal Cold Spring offering. Slightly different than previous releases, Iron Speaks captures the molten essence of the life-giving, godly gift as well as the coldness of its hammered, forged edges.

Spread over six cold tracks, Iron Speaks captures the essence of iron, its use, and formation. Like a fly on a foundry wall at times, the low, furnace rumblings provide the support structure for Tunnels to craft the industrial artwork. Highs mimic bending, shaping, grinding of metal to form the piece. Like molten metal goes from amorphous and fluid, cooling into a rigid structure, Burroughs takes the loose, formless world of experimental composition and constructs a shaped and imposing mass. Often times feeling like a forbidden foundry ritual, Iron Speaks rolls forth with a calm but very strong presence. Although originally shelved for sounding "unengaged," this reworked material is one of the strongest entries into Tunnels of Ah's oeuvre. Still present, the toned-down vocal interruptions allow the works to speak on their own and use their low-end tumult to draw the listener in - lower, murky pieces are not only felt vibrationally, but time must be spent to decipher their layers. This engagement with the material comes as a big surprise considering what its initial reception to the artist was. Overall, though, Iron Speaks does a real lot with very little, and I think that Burroughs has found some great balance in moderation.

Some records tend to use too much to draw attention to the base sounds that were recorded instead of allowing the material to speak for itself and pull the listener closer. Iron Speaks doesn't fall victim to that style and allows the lower, bubbling murk and foundry furnace rumble to draw the listener in and allow adequate time to process. While this takes away from surface dynamics, it constructs a far more engaging and interesting work, and finding this balance is crucial. Head by  here  to pick up a copy/ find out more