Aural Hypnox - Underworld Transmissions II [Aural Hypnox - 2014]This second volume in the Underworld Transmissions series offers up another two slices of seemingly improvised & eerier ritual ambience from the mysterious Finish based Helixes/Aural Hypnox collective. The release comes in the form of a c20 cassette tape, and just like the first vol it comes in slight oversized brown cardboard tape box. The box features a cut out front cover, through which you can see the inlay booklet through. This small booklet takes in an off white out art paper cover, which on it’s inside flaps features hand printed multi coloured ink spheres, and texts about the recordings. Then the inside of the booklet takes in four pages of black printed ritual elements (such as bones or containers) on white parchment like paper. The release come in an edition of 50 copies. So first off on side A we have the track “Séance II / 2014 (March 2014)”. This first sides track is built around a slowly thickening & increasingly dread filled mesh of subtle electo-acoustic elements, and these take in the following: dragged ‘n’ dirge bound ritual loops, taut webs of creaking, reduced electro grating, subtle squirming & crating textures, and muffled sub-bass hints. The whole track just nicely builds & builds with its subtle detail, until you find yourself in a rather taut & foreboding ritually sonic space. Over on side B we have the track "Séance III / 2014 (April 2014)". This track opens with an eerier stretched-out & hovering mixture of subtle feedback tone & a rising ‘n’ falling bowed string like morbid hum. As the track progresses more layers of subdued metal grating & feed-back circling are added to track, along with some form of sampled & run backwards like avant orchestrations. As the track moves on more it continues alternating between stripped back mixes of doomed string hum ‘n’ subtle feed-back drift. And more malevolent through still fairly subdued mix of backwards orchestrations, brooding horn work, and grating ( maybe electro treated) angular string swoons. The whole track has a great feeling of wonky dread, and often has a almost slurred yet dark modern avant classical feel to it.
All in all this is another enjoyable & worthy chapter in the Underworld Transmissions serises , and I very much look forward to Volume three & beyond. Roger Batty
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