Hierophant Nox

ALBUM REVIEW

Crisis - Reactor 4
Syndrom Records
As you are already well aware, I have a decided ‘weakness’ for the dark atmospheric ambient and drone genres, also for subtler industrial and minimalistic material too. This remarkable debut from Crisis is musically and thematically based around the tragedy at the Chernobyl reactor back in April 1986. So not surprisingly, it is a sombre, haunting, melancholic, and darkly harrowing album, beautifully crafted, and in any other circumstance would proudly sit amongst the very best of the Cold Spring roster.

My first thoughts were that “Reactor 4” reminded me of the elegant hypnotic power of the very wonderful Sleep Research Facility, and I in no way mean that as a slight, nor indeed to in any way infer that they are imitating SRF, it is intended as a compliment of the highest sincerity. At the risk of sounding like an aging hippy, this is ideally a perfect late night album, one to be savoured in a quietly meditative place, with as few distractions as possible, even better through fine quality headphones to fully appreciate the sonic excellence on offer here.