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TROUM, "DAUR/VENUSTAS; KRYPTE"

After disbanding in 1996, two-thirds of the masterful German drone trio Maeror Tri moved on to a new project, Troum.
The overall sound of this Cohort Records release isreplete with a dark exotic beauty. "Daur" is somber and minimal,blending low rumbles, mechanical reverberations, and the lush sounds ofa yang t'chin. "Venustas" as well has a decidedly Far Eastern quality,and "Krypte" is strongly reminiscent of early 4AD instrumental pieces:a pretty guitar line with lots of ethereal effects and processingsurrounded by heavenly washes. This 10" released on Cohort Recordsmarks a striking departure in sound, not only from the music of MaerorTri, but from conventional ambient music in general. In fact the onlything about this 10" that resembles Troum's former project is theinventive packaging. The dark blue vinyl 10" comes in a sleeve made ofcork. The sole disappointment of this release is its brevity, buthopefully the future will bring more soon from Troum, and I lookforward to it.