Easily Panopticon’s heaviest record to date, Kentucky-based Austin Lunn’s one-man project churns out some cerebral, impassioned black metal. The riffs are as dense as an Appalachian blizzard, the atmosphere filled with palpable despair. Reminds me very much of Paysage d’Hiver, Taake, and mastered by Colin Marston of Krallice, to whom they also bear resemblance. The distant vocal screeches emerge from a blur of whirlwind guitars and impeccably tight machine-gun drumming; occasional violin adds texture and variety. Themes of insanity, isolation, and contempt for society hold these epic tracks together under a unified artistic statement. Top-notch stuff!
45rpm

Side A
1. (11:22) Sample of giggling infants for <1min… bleak and destructive riffs crash and disorient; harsh and triumphant—think Emperor “In the Nightside Eclipse” minus keyboards and annoying trebly mix
Side B
2. (9:10) Wailing, bawling infants for >1min, slowly buried under walls of feedback… fast song pummels along, but not without some melancholy guitar/violin harmonies to add emotional layers
3. (9:24) Dark, brooding, mystical contemplation. Majestic mountaintop riffage; ambient chanting interlude; finishes off in an epic midpaced march.
Side C
4. (20:07) ***EPIC!—as in, it’s long, goes through various sections, but never gets boring at all. Great variety in riffs, from lightspeed blizzard cacophony to steady marching, even an interesting post/math rock section with a drum solo!