back to shilmarine is (as far as i can tell) the debut ep from bristol band haal. i am listening to this excellent piece of work while typing this, and so far i am liking it so much that i have decided it needs an immediate review. this is just some great music! back to shilmarine blends a minimal, spacy, pared-back industrial-math sound with noise and sludge elements, and it does this really well. each of the musical styles on display here know when to shine and when to breathe. nothing is too much or too little. all of the tracks stand out in their own right, but they also flow well together, and the tight percussion makes sure we as listeners never "lose the plot" so to speak. more than anything, i think praise is due to the production and mixing for keeping everything streamlined and smooth. the album's description on bandcamp says it's meant to be enjoyed solo, which makes sense. everything i've just described makes for an extremely engaging solo experience.
spoken-word vocals guide us through a series of fucked-up lovecraftian/fantasy scenarios that may be interconnected. overall the lyrics center around being haunted or consumed by some kind of all-powerful force you cannot understand, be that the great old ones or a thousand rats spewing out of your face. sitting and reading the lyrics is also a really fun time for this reason.
anyways, haal is not reading this, but if you are, great job guys, please make cds? i would recommend this ep to fans of the band dry cleaning.