Album Details

• Artist: Hallowed Circuit
• Album: Dead Planet Transmission
• Label: Inam
• Year of Release: 2011
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2012-02-21

The latest alias from Sujo's Ryan Huber, Hallowed Circuit, continues his singular exploration of the possibilities of the drone, and of the solo artist in creating a world from it. "Dead Planet Transmission" sizzles with raw energy and subtle attention to silence and to the active corners of echo and reverb.

"Romans," haunting and gripping, with industrial bite and a muffled metal flavor, would have been a better opener than "Pillow Dust," which is a fairly typical slow to loud to louder to a little slower noise drone. HC1" features a more or less single tone but with accents and flourishes; it is contrasted nicely with the ghostly and assaultive "Sister Signal," the best of the six tracks.

The set ends with the title track, an expansive, cinematic, occasionally soaring, sometimes introverted mini epic. In all, a fitting end to "Dead Planet Transmission," a record that seems personal and distancing at once, but with a confident delivery that indicates an artist in full control and aware of the options available in his arsenal. Using only guitar, pedals and mic, this 2011 release by Hallowed Circuit offers a huge sound that belies the minimal equipment used to produce its sounds. Sujo's Ryan Huber has harnessed the power of electricity in his music, and his output is a constant ode to the raw and the eternal drone. Limited to 30 copies, so start digging, and throw the consistently great and visionary Inam label some money.

User Reviews and Comments