Envenomist "Thirsting" CD
[Snip-Snip]
Four long tracks of bleak as hell dark ambient soundscapes from David Reed of Luasa Raelon (among others). I believe this is my first exposure to this project, and I'm definitely into it. "The Awakening" starts things off and takes about three minutes to build up into a nice low-end hum with some cascading drones and a nice, faint "sizzle" moving across the foreground - an approach that basically remains intact for 17 minutes. You read that right: The first track alone runs fucking 17 minutes! 10-and-a-half-minute "Risen" creeps in right away with a resonating throb and more ominous low-end pulses that weave together and encounter another faint type of sizzling midrange texture. There's a little more movement and density here, but for the most pat it is quite similar to the opening track in overall character. Barely shorter, "Imprisoned" again takes a similar road with similar sounds, but feels more subdued than its predecessors, and actually allows some of the distant hums to flirt with a hint of melody, which I find to be rather effective. "Burial" is the only selection that clocks in at fewer than 10 minutes (opting instead for a "concise" eight-and-a-half) - surprise, surprise - not at all unlike the other songs, using thick bass drones and slightly more textured foreground elements for a lulled sense of subtle movement and density. The CD-R comes in a slim jewel case but the printed matter breaks the Snip-Snip mold just a touch, opting for a straight xerox on red paper rather than any folded cover flaps or anything, so... while still a little plain, I actually prefer this even more basic look. I know this is a very short review, but there's not much at all in the way of progression from track to track here, the pieces basically lay a foundation and hypnotically revolve around that same core for each of their individual durations. I certainly feel that the material is deserving of a more interesting visual accompaniment (I don't really see a comic-y looking image of a bat as being very meaningful in relation to the tone of this release), but beyond that, and the need for a bit more variation, this is a great slab of minimal dark ambient experimentalism. I'll look forward to hearing more. Nicely done... (7/10)
Running time - 45:58, Tracks: 4
[Notable tracks: all four are very consistent, but "Imprisoned" is probably my favorite]
Snip-Snip - http://www.iheartnoise.com/snipsnip/

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