The unwieldly titled Black Depths, Grey Waves is a collaboration between Clint Listing (behind the doom metal outfit Long Winters Stare, the deathfolk act As All Die, and a number of other projects) and the mysteriously named Saint ov Gravediggers (rumored to be in Ordo Tyrannis and Grim Pig, which are bands that haven't darkened my doorstep). The duo's compact disc album finds Listing providing an ambient noise base for Mr. Gravediggers' vocals. Musically, Black Depths, Grey Waves firmly dwells in the minimalistic dimension, using a host of loops, noise, mild distortion and reverb, creating moderate drone ambience. Gravediggers' contributions come across like Nivek Ogre of Skinny Puppy reciting coffee house poetry off in the distance. Admittedly, I tend to shy away from any sort of premeditated vocals in this sort of music so my bias automatically wishes this was simply a Listing solo effort or that Gravediggers had done something besides a predictable spooky processed voice for his contributions. Fortunately, the instances of his vocals are relatively sparse throughout the album, so it's not a major chore to deal with them.

Black Depths, Grey Waves has some appeal for those who think Aube is a rockin' good time or anyone who has a noise fetish. However, this project does seem like it still needs some more distilling time before it'll have more impact.

Review by John Chedsey

Review date: 05/2008

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