EXODUST

"Slow to start, Exodust draws the listener in with the one-two punch of droning bass to set the mood and one man's observation that "I believe, if we live right, some way, somehow, we'll find a happy landing sooner or later." This mix of oppressive dread and almost naive optimism propels the album forward, lurching into deep pits, then climbing back out again. Raw instruments are applied throughout -- accordion, acoustic guitar and what sounds like homemade drums and percussion. The meter is slow, unyielding, a funeral procession or a relentless march onward. At one point, the disembodied voices singing period tunes are slowed down, made even more ominous; the cumulative effect of primitive instruments and the serenade of the dead caused the hairs on my neck to stand on end as I drove through a deserted section of town at 2:30 in the morning. That moment alone made the entire endeavor a success in my mind, but Kiefer strives onward, diffusing the tension with a bit of upbeat neo-exultation before finally settling back into the grey middle ground. www.splendidzine.com