Prior to reviewing any of Locrian CDs, it must be said that packaging/artwork on their releases deserves a mention. Their records always look beautiful and as for the music…

“Rain Of Ashes” (a CD version of which came out on French label Basses Frequencies) is an hour long album that consists of a title track and “Sehsa Fo Niar” – a variation on a theme, if you will.

Title track starts out as an abstract soundscape, where guitars and synths eventually converge to create a melancholic soundscape. As it proceeds it gets progressively bleaker, to a point where a track starts to resemble a backdrop for a funeral (albeit, a grand, majestic one).

Second part starts out as a bit of crunchy power electronics, with fragmented voice samples and distorted guitars create an aural hurricane.  Crunchiness, however, eventually gives way to somewhat different mood – the one that’s closer to the first track (and a fragment of the first track also appears there). The track ends on a fairly quiet note.

If there’s a downside to the album, then its a fact that tracks are incredibly long, so you have to have a lot of patience to sit through an entire album. However, there’s also enough of diversity in moods/textures to compensate for this. Also, it’s a very bleak record, but if you know the genre and know what to expect, then it just might be a record that you will appreciate.