Billed as the “integration” of Schuster (based in Perth) and Present Day Buna (based in Sheffield, England) – two acts with roots dating back to the early ’80s – Zilverhill is a vague entity requiring quite a bit of attention. Latent-Active-Descent is the follow-up to 2008’s debut Eotvos and unfolds as an hour-long foray divided into the three parts of the album’s title. It floats by nicely enough as background music, but treating it as such would be neglecting the countless colliding details at play. There are faded drones and clattering percussion in some spots, distorted vocal samples buried deep in other spots, and much more to discover lurking in the broad fringes.
Mostly these are ghostly, slow-burn instrumentals suffused with loneliness, chaos, and a faint sense of dread. ‘Erebus’ has the sense of a blinking beacon lost in deep fog, while the following ‘Post Antrim’ is at once cavernous and more active. Influences on the album reportedly include artist August Natterer, author Lewis Carroll, and the phantom of Richard Nixon, which gives you an idea of the all-encompassing breadth of vision. Each of these 10 tracks offers something distinct, though never casual or light of heart.
Doug Wallen
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