Hum of the Druid "Amphibia" 3
[Barbituarian]
Ahhh, more quality sinister dark ambient from this project. Three tracks and 20 minutes of material created using pedals; distorted recordings of heavy paper, plastic bags, and clay ocarina; vocals; and guitar; likely among a few other sources. "Hopping Upon an Amphibious Sun" starts things of with a nice, droning hum that utilizes a little bit of crunchy distortion and a lean towards near feedback. This delivery persists for basically the entire seven minutes, at times stripping down to a slightly quieter and more minimal level, but never varying greatly. Shorter "The Croaks of Cleansed Minds" begins in a similar manner, with vibrating hums and drones that have a slightly dirty edge at times, but here are smoother and a bit eerier. This is another very consistent track, however, pulsing along without any real variety, just the subtle shifts and fades as the various layers slide in and out of prominence. "Mistaken for Reptilian Nature" then tops eight minutes, quickly introducing some growling vocals that are very uncharacteristic against the preceding compositions, but still somehow fitting of the general tone of the disc. The backing textures are also a bit grittier, resting more in a windy midrange distortion (though nothing too harsh). I have to admit finding the vocals to be a little redundant and less than necessary (or truly effective), but they don't do any serious damage, as the track gradually gets a bit thicker and more active, changing course a little more than the others. The 3" CD-R comes in a DVD case with minimal black and white artwork and a black and white insert that's mainly text. The only color is some green paint smeared on the disc, while the outer packaging is mainly abstract sketches. Pound for pound another damn solid release from a young project that's rapidly gaining my attention. Recommended. (7/10)
Running time - 19:58, Tracks: 3
[Notable tracks: all three are really quite nice]
Hum of the Druid - http://druid.thekatana.com

This review has been displayed 1355 times.