ULTIMATE SENSELESS

A link in a long line of EPs produced by the man behind the pseudonym of Misanthrofeel, 'Ultimate Senseless' is a visible return to the project's roots as a dreary industrial metal act. While the preceding EP 'Leisurely' brought a new sound to the table (in the vein of post-doom metal,) this one feels a bit too much like a b-sides compilation from Misanthrofeel's first full-length album 'Sampleria.'

While the compositions may be on par to some extent, with the majority of Misanthrofeel's releases, this one-man band is prone to reinventing itself with each new session. 'Ultimate Senseless' on the other hand, recalls back to the earliest material; before any of the ethnic or doom sounds were used overtly. While the debut album 'Sampleria' is (to date) my favourite release from Misanthrofeel and it impressed me with alot of it's extended compositions, 'Ultimate Senseless' feels like it focuses on the weaker portions of the debut; the shorter, heavier and less involving tracks.

In terms of production, things feel a bit off here. While all of the music here (and all other releases by this act) is electronically produced and uses artificial software instruments, it feels like there is a bit too much of a noisy, crackled edge to this that can't be heard on any other album. Perhaps it is due to an effort to make this heavier and more abrasive sounding, but the guitar emulation can be akin to radio static at times.

To this EP's benefit however, the atmospheric closer to 'Ultimate Senseless,' 'Ocean' has to be one of my favourite tracks that Misanthrofeel has ever done. It is a very gentle piece and doesn't try to be needlessly heavy. It works beautifully well, and hopefully Misanthrofeel can release more laid-back, yet purposeful music like this in the future. For the moment however, 'Ultimate Senseless' does not retain the sort of impact that better releases from Misanthrofeel have had for me.