ast unTA AKSElin
VARJOutoMAA
joenukkuMA-A lue
kulKU ISKA AJAn alia
puhdASTRAALIvaio
MAgneTisOitUNut aIval
TULVI Alas keESIIN
AURAsh
siE LUs tO

This is a great CD from Aural Hypnox, and from the product number I do believe it’s their first release? This is a Finnish record label specialising in Drone and Dark Ambient.

'ast unTA AKSElin' starts with percussive samples over a drone sound-scape produced using both guitar and vocal generated source. As the track develops, strong drum rhythms are introduced which complement the guitar drone perfectly. 'VARJOutoMAA' opens as a standard drone piece using sustained guitar effects (very similar to Troum). Strong drum rhythms develop along with vocal samples. Again, like the previous track, there is smart use of voice here to generate both dark drone and additional overlaying inaudible vocal. 'joenukkuMA-A lue' consists of a vocal and sustained guitar intro. Again very similar to Troum, this track is supported with strong percussive rhythm. 'kulKU ISKA AJAn alia' holds a broad array of guitar-generated samples, which drive the rhythm of the track. This differs from Troum in that there is a lot more happening and is far removed from the minimal approach of Troum. The use of percussion here makes this style more accessible to the listener. 'puhdASTRAALIvaio' is lead from the previous track and in ways is a lot similar with the ubiquitous guitar sound-scape and percussive rhythm. 'MAgneTisOitUNut aIval' picks up where the previous track left off. There is an intro of guitar-generated drone supported with some nice sweeping oscillations (quite reminiscent of early Hawkwind, but better!). The drum rhythms eventually build along with the vocal effects to great effect. This track builds better than the previous ones and really stands out (essentially tracks 3-5 blended into each other). This excellent track fades into 'TULVI Alas keESIIN' with a calming cavernous sound. Percussion is absent here, which is a nice break. Lovely vocal samples complement the guitar-generated drone in 'AURAsh'. The return of the percussion fits in perfectly here. The overall effect here is a strong dark ambient piece with sacrificial undertones. Lovely!

'siE LUs tO' is the big one! This track opens with the expected, and welcome, guitar generated sound-scape. Here we have some sporadic yet defined percussion. Again the drone sound-scapes are very reminiscent to Troum (which here is a good think) but with added percussive rhythm and increased urgency about it. It’s a bit like Troum on speed. This track I’m sure would come across very well in a live situation. The percussion eventually subsides leaving just guitar and vocal textures, and finally drops out after 13 and a half minutes. At this point there is a sort of re-birth as the track begins to develop again with vocal and percussive textures, until its final demise. A fantastic track.

DFG