Blood Fountains - Floods

Utech, 2009

One of the records from Utech's 2008-2009 URSK collaboration series with excellent painter Stephen Kasner which gelled with me the most, Blood Fountains actually counts Kasner as a member, and is quite the hidden gem. Some of the series was a bit patchy for me. Heavensore's doom-improv was occasionally great, but occasionally stilted, and for some reason I just can't get into Aluk Todolo though everything tells me I should. RST & Final's records were unequivocally quality, but didn't open up much new territory for me either. Nevertheless the series concept and its execution have remained high enough quality for me to keep them in my collection. This is probably the best record of the series for me other than Skullflower's Desire For A Holy War (but nevertheless that wasn't as excellent as more recent SF records). What's here is a ghostly and æthereal psych-doom. Synths and guitars are reminiscent of dare I say Lycia, but with a doom feel that puts this sort of in the territory of Elysian Blaze, some Xasthur, and Lurker of Chalice. But I don't want to strain the metal connection, this isn't really doom at all. On top strained semi-tonal Japanese vocals ala Nijiumu or Suishou No Fune. Other than those paltry descriptions, this is really its own beautiful beast.

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