DWELLING BELOW are back with their mind-altering interpretation of dissonant, warped death/doom metal with a flair that only they are capable of doing. One would normally associate this style with music that's fairly straightforward and nothing that would particularly accelerate one's heartbeats save for the expected heaviness, but their music sets off all kinds of medical beeps and alarms with their unpredictable and erratic approach. The interdimensional trajectories shoot off in different directions as the mass of the music keeps stomping and marching menacingly, getting closer with every beat as though to deal a final heart-stopping blow. Only they can lull the listener into a hypnotic, vulnerable state with their ponderous tunes and repetition for emphasis, and then bombard him with multiple angular riffs zipping through the flesh over the all-powerful roar of a subterranean demonic entity and even to the persistent wails of the foul, spiraling leads.

The album has six songs, and the title track is first. It's a 13-minute beast, segueing from a long hibernation to a barely awake state, to crawling. The music is slow, dissonant, and the gutturals come from the bowels of the earth. It picks up just a bit, and harrowing warning sounds can be heard. Something stirs…something is coming. The march from there is both straightforward and hypnotic. "Unfolding Universe" begins with thick, meaty bass notes, before transitioning to a Death/Doom sound that is dissonant, and barren. The vocals continue in low guttural utterances and the riffs do have a bit of variance every now and again. "Interlude" is a short, one-and-a-half minute break from some of the previously very weighted tones.

"Termination Experiments" is another filthy, thick offering, that develops about as much hope as the promise of a better life while the world crumbles around you. Unlike some of the previous songs however, this one rises with a bit of anger. "The Altar" is another heavily dissonant affair where there is virtually no melody to speak of. Instead, I get hues of dark grey and black that are everywhere. Talk about hopelessness…this song champions that in every ugly way. "Sacraments" is the closer, and there is a little more haste here. Something is urging you to get to your feet and see through the clouds of thick haze. You stumble, run forward, and are knocked down, again and again. Each blow furthers your steps into the darkness that lies ahead.

Overall, this was a dreadfully dissonant and hopeless affair, and what it lacked in diversity, it made up for in torture. By the end, you can feel you soul twisted into something that barely looks human. If you dare, take the plunge, but be warned…you will emerge something that you are not.