Field Of Fear – “Beyond The Reach Of Light” – [Whited Sepulchre]
whngr 5/1/2024 12-inch, A Library
BLACK-AMBIENT DOOM-SCORE DARK-INDUSTRIAL
A carefully honed expulsion of mental collapse in myriad strata composed of drone, field recordings, electric and acoustic instrumentation, sparse vocals often heavily manipulated. Deeply considered with a focus on repetition and power there exists an intense amount of variety in sound though the feel is primarily haunted, vexed and hopeless. From bleak industrial compositions with black metal intonation that evoke a contemporary reflection/distortion of Ministry (B2 “Descent”) to mid/heavy weighted power electronics behind synthesizer swells (B4 “Lost”). An inversion of Sunn O))) with buried and modulated screams of pain (B1 “Consumed”) and intermittent minimalist melodies. There are even some sparing moments of gentle ambient drone that still manage to allude to something profoundly amiss (A4 “Cold”).
More than just a soundtrack to a major depressive episode and more than a document of the same, Beyond The Reach Of Light is an intensely personal vehicle in search of catharsis that we believe is represented well in the philosophy of their Cincinnati based label, “Every record is a tomb where the ghosts of our former selves live – every spin is a form of necromancy.”
Field Of Fear Is one Drew Zercoe based in Oakland, CA. Beyond The Reach Of Light was produced and guided by New York based experimentalist David First (Notekillers, Echoes Of God) and mastered by James Plotkin. Compelled listeners can find several other releases by Zercoe on cassette that feature a revolving cast of co-conspirators.
Whited Sepulchre – 2023