Eugene Critchley is one of the projects of Cory Strand- a Minneapolis based noise/ experimental artists, who is hugely prolific both under his own name & under various projects names  such as Fantome De Sang, Dejection, Lethe, & Lindskold. Eugene Critchley is one of his more recent projects- first releasing work in Mid 2016, and so far it’s released around eleven physical releases, as well as a few digital downloads.  Most of Mr Strand’s work has often flirted with bleaker & nihilistic themes/ sounds- but with this projects out put the focus is totally on the more depressive, suicidal, human life hating sides of things…so it’s certain not for those looking for anything remotely quirky/ fun noise wise- this is a grim as it gets really.

On side one we have the track “Maybe we’re All Just Ugly, Dying Sacks of Shit”.  The track begins with a building billowing drone- over this we get a rather strange selection of dialogue samples- first we get a man saying 'I’m sitting on a rock' & male harmonise, then we two men discussing about having a friend, a phone, and a girl one of them wanted to talk to on a bus- I’m not what are the origin of these elements, but they certainly start the track in a rather puzzling & unnerving manner. By the second minute the samples have dispersed & we’re left with just the drone. This has now grown into a more battering & buffeting feel, with juddering sub-bass crackle ‘n’ grind tendencies edged the truly hopeless drone, rumble & churn.  It feels akin to trying to walk through an abounded, barren & grey wind tunnel at the end of days- as a nuclear winter rages outside. You know you’ll at some point you'll reach the end of the tunnel & be out in bone chilling radiation, but you just keep walking.  Truly there is no trace of harmony, hope, or anything near pleasing in this tracks make-up- it batters & buffets away at you in a fairly similar manner for the remainder of the track. In the last five minutes we get the return of the weird male harmonise, and strange dialogue with the same men talking about meeting the girl, the sound of one hitting the other, and the tracks title been quoted. Then lastly we get the voices of two men & one women, who sound like their just about to report from a morgue- with rising string music in the back ground, as the drone fades back.

Over onto side two we have “The Scent Of Hair”- this starts with what sounds like another film sample, with what off with what sounds like a ballad from hair metal band Poison, and a boy trying to chat up a girl, and failing.  With-in two minutes the sample has faded, and we’re once again dropped into a blend of buffeting & billowing blunt drone matter, which is underfed by sub-bass crackle & batter. The drone on this side maybe feels a little more murky, tired & worn.  Again it very much brought to mind a total hopeless after the bomb has dropped vibe, and this time around I get images of a sobbing & hunched figure that’s managed to finally crawl out of the stinging & burning post nuke storm. And into a train tunnel or storm drain to finally die, as memories of their first failed teenage chat-up flit through their mind. Once again the drone buffeting & battering drone wall remains fairly set & unchanging. In the last four minutes we get another  dialogue sample- this time it’s about a very awkward conversation between a  teen girl & a boy about a love letter.

To quote a line from hope crushing doom drone  band Khanate ‘There Are No Good Times In Here’( Red Glory from 2003’s Things Viral) seems most apt to described & finishing off this review. Hopefully you’ll really know by now whether if this for you or not now, but if you want to revel in true hopeless-ness then pick this tape up