As the artists find their comfort zone in an assemblage of mangled industrial, bass, illbient, techno, downtempo, and even dub, Firelands showcases familiar shadows shifting in the dead of night.
An avalanche of beautiful noise that doesn’t let up
The sonic fury continues as Snowbeasts collaborate once again with Solypsis. Their Parasomnia and Fever Dream albums were well-received in 2021 and 2020, respectively; “rattling crunchy and tempered post-industrial warfare.” But this time there’s a maturation of soundscapes, something a bit more raw. The darkness persists, the roughness remains, and the distortion ravages on.
Available on vinyl and digital, Robert Galbraith (also a well-known mastering engineer and Component Records label head), and the hauntingly surreal voice of Elizabeth Virosa combine with Arizonian deconstructed electronics mastermind Solypsis (aka James Miller). What else can be said that’s not already noted previously? Firelands‘ industrial grit and exploratory sound field opens with the quintessential track “Topaz” as “Approaching Fire” blends harsher techno, jungle, and scorched bass expanding through cyborg wastelands. It’s an avalanche of beautiful noise that doesn’t let up.
Yet it’s when things slow down (just a bit) that we find this album evolving. Tracks like “Drowned In Light,” “Striped Cat Dub,” and “Stone Crusher” traverse low-end rumbling and dystopian soundtracks echoing in space. As the artists find their comfort zone in an assemblage of mangled industrial, bass, illbient, techno, downtempo, and even dub, Firelands showcases familiar shadows shifting in the dead of night, while it’s clear as mud that they’re nowhere near done developing a signature assault on the senses. Powerfully engulfing and all-consuming.
Firelands is available on Ohm Resistance. [Bandcamp]
