Review Summary: In his house at R'lyeh...
Creating a single piece using a dark ambient baker's dozen is a fascinating idea, is it not? It's typical for an extensive, droning album to have an ambiguously narrative style resulting from a singular vision, and applying too many additional perspectives runs the risk of losing concentration. However, the format of
Cthulhu works. While having a dozen or so tracks slapped together in a compilation could create a wholly unsatisfying experience,
Cthulhu is composed of one mammoth track courtesy of dark ambient's best and brightest (haha), to be found on the Cryo Chamber label. The Lovecraftian influence is clear, and would be regardless of the tell-tale heading... at least, for those somewhat familiar with his work.
Cthulhu effectively captures the essence of the story from which its title is derived, speaking of horror and an unsettling tone brought on by chance discovery.
The Cryo Chamber was a chance discovery indeed, but speaks of untapped potential coinciding with the rife unsettling tone. Every member of the label - founded by Atrium Carceri - is beginning to make waves in a dark ambient scene, and
Cthulhu is surely their sinusoidal apex (a sinusoidal wave is a simple harmonic wave, thank you physics). The droning nature imitates a storm surge, deviating little from its path of destruction. It builds from a puddle soaking into your shoes, to enveloping you as it nearly pours through your nostrils while you stand fixated. As many thoughts cross your mind, as they likely would when your life hangs in a balance, you begin to question your significance, or lack thereof.
What a dour tone that is, but such is the modus operandi of Cryo Chamber. If their mission statement promises highly cinematic dark ambient music,
Cthulhu holds true. The piece feels tailor-fitted to the story progression, and easily offers an audial equivalent for those wishing a chilling, alternative reading experience. However, as a standalone music piece,
Cthulhu is a far cry from casual listening fodder. Established fans of ominous drone should take notice, but new listeners beware: "
Loathsomeness waits and dreams in the deep"
