HEEL- Light in the Hell

Written by Shaun Phelps

Artist: [H.E.E.L.]
CD Title: [Light in the Hell]
Label: [Monopol Records]
Reviewer: [Shaun Phelps]
Date: [12-01-05]

H.E.E.L. is the audio/video project of Patrick Lev (Depressive Disorder) and Martin Pavlik. The basis for this project is to put pictures into music. Martin Pavlik apparently began taking and generating images in 2001, working to manipulate photographs and turn them into poetry. He then challenged/worked with Patrick Lev to turn these graphic-poetic representations into music.

Light in the Hell is beautifully composed, technology-ridden tribal music fit for a futuristic, fantasy-themed, major motion picture. The sound of this album strongly reminds me of the Myst soundtrack—if Myst happened to take place on a space ship. That is an incredibly cheesy description, though—Maybe it would be better said by comparing Light in the Hell to the ambient, breathy ambience of Gridlock coupled with the organic sound of Xorcist’s later work, all tied together by the programming genious of Individual Totem.

H.E.E.L.’s Light in the Hell is the perfect mixture of primitive atmospheres, tribal beats and synthesized textures and glitches; merging two of my favorite sounds into one empowering release. H.E.E.L.’s Light in the Hell seems the perfect release to forget the world as we know it exists—this is the stuff fantasy is made of, have no doubt.