Having been active for over a decade and a half, Stephen Petrus' Murderous Vision alter ego has been a pillar in the US death industrial scene, creating a body of work that captures the essence of the likes of Brighter Death Now or Anenzephalia, but sounding completely original. Perhaps it is the fact that the material is not coming from the central European region but home grown out of Ohio, which is in itself a distinct industrial wasteland.
"Echoes of Hollow Agony" captures that Cold Meat Industries sensibility perfectly, coming together as a dark and dissonant, but not overly menacing composition, slowly building in intensity as far off sounds make for a disorienting, bleak mass of cavernous noise."Finding Death at the Crossroads of Life" follows, covering layers of synth in reverb and delays, with monstrous like noises appearing here and there to keep tensions high.At times its understated nature lets it fall into the background somewhat, but just as it happens, some creeping, unidentifiable noise pushes it back into focus.
"A Whisper Becomes a Shiver" goes industrial in the more literal sense, with what sounds like machinery clanking away amid blasts of textural static offsetting the piece.There may be vocals lurking somewhere in the mix, but so heavily processed and treated that it sounds like any other reshaped sound, while depressive melodies slowly play from the blackness."The Soul Confined" comes off like a throwback to another titan of the genre, with its filtered rhythmic throb conjuring memories of Maurizio Bianchi’s earliest (and best) work.
The final two pieces are where things get mixed up, in a very good way."You" opens sparse and hushed, keeping far off vocals at bay in the mix.Heavy synthetic rhythms come to the forefront however; giving a different overall push to the song that lets intensity build slowly around it.Finally, "The Horned Beast of Golgotha" (previously released as half of a split cassette) goes completely manic, loading in samples, an oddly upbeat bass and drum rhythm, and waves of noise that push it into full on harsh noise walls type sounds, even while the odd rhythms continue to pound away.
Petrus has been consistently honing his sound throughout his career, with the earlier work not quite standing out as distinctly as it could have amid the heavy reverb and dark ambient sensibilities, but recent work has seen him find his own voice.By integrating his influences into the overall sound, but putting his own unique, personalized approach to the sound in his art.Awash in gothic imagery, but free of the associated pretense, this album is a highpoint in a consistently impressive career.
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