"City of Steel" sets the stage with sweeping, shimmering drones and dragging chains. This industrial vibe is propelled forward by ritual, booming drums and heavily distorted strings. Unaffected, violins add cinematic flair and hint at the height of the city surrounding the visitor being taken in by the vast cityscape that surrounds him. Creaking in slowly and lowly like a heavy fog on a lapping sea, "Towers of Glass" brightens up and plays to the material that inspired the name. Softer and lighter than the previous track, synths dance against long, lush, sometimes noisy guitar drones. All is not what it seems, though, and the thick strings begin to take over, bringing a claustrophobic feel, as if the skyscrapers are forming into unscalable prison walls. The darkness of the city streets once again come to the fore in "Meatmarket." A far off beat pushes the droning guitars forward like an ancient gang of spirits coming to reclaim their turf. Along with this, thick reverberations float through and add to the ghostly atmosphere. Taking a more propulsive turn, "Hunted" increases the percussion, puts it in the spotlight, and uses lush drones to thicken and enhance. This approach gives the vibe of a hunter stalking its prey and breaks up the ambiance with its intensity. Although the percussion doesn't totally disappear on "Freeway Underpass," it takes a back seat to the slowly blowing drone before capturing the industrial vibe of the living metropolis. Delay and reverb give this one a fairly hypnotic feel that is teased along with throaty rumblings and bright, stray piano keys. These keys continue in "Skyline," and their sparse playing brings out a horror movie feel. Coupled with an oscillating thickness, the keys take on a more menacing feel, like the bait that will drag an unsuspecting victim into the constantly growing fog. A distorted, feedbacking guitar spews forth from the mist like a tortured machine before ambling forward on booming, industrial, metallic hits. Water crashing against the shore reminds the listener that nature is still present even in this vast "City by the Sea." Quickly oscillating layers rise like mist from the water. What could be a valid point of escape only seems to keep the listener trapped ashore. Taking its time to move and evolve, "City" pulls together many of the feelings presented earlier in the album. Standing on its own, "Dreams in the Witch House" uses twisted strings to bring on the creep value. Floating in and out of dense vibrations, one gets a vibe of inter-dimensional channeling and terror. Removed from the imposing city scene, for sure, however, "Dreams" holds its own against the staggering, unforgiving cityscape.

Moloch does an excellent job of capturing the dichotomy of a large and inviting, but also claustrophobic and intimidating city. Improving with each successive play, this album presents many interesting, well worked layers that grow and play extremely well with each other. Fairly long, but never feeling it, Vortex's latest is a definite treat for those into ritual ambient works.