Hram is such a startling listen. From that opening vocal it's as if the scream never stops, carried along by the single droning chord, the drum circle percussion, the chattering choir, the tearing minimal guitar. It's more full of sound than anything I've heard in a long time. Too full at times? Perhaps, but if that's a mistake then I don't want to go back to things being right. The CD release comes packaged in a hand-felted pouch that is a swirl of textures and colours, and it's a surprisingly honest album cover.

Staraya Derevnya - Hram
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