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Band: Hoshin
Album title: Path Of Dissolutions
Release date: 13 September 2016
Label: Cryo Chamber
Tracklist:
01. Tender Deadlocks
02. Souvenir From The Sacred
03. Drop Out The Fruitless
04. Lone
05. The All Is Aflame
06. Dissolving Steps
07. Ruins In Focus
08. How It All Ended
This debut album by Hoshin is definitely a slow burner. But, once you get yourself entangled in this foggy world he has created, you will never want to leave. Hoshin, also known as Esylt, has an extremely subtle yet potent version of dark ambient. On Path Of Dissolutions he takes us on a tour of our planet. Wading through all the dilapidated structures, steaming past all the abandoned factories, we find ourselves on an Earth which is being, or has already been, torn apart.
The first track "Tender Deadlocks" (deadlocks: a situation, typically one involving opposing parties, in which no progress can be made), and the second track "Souvenir From The Sacred" seem to set the stage for the rest of the album. On these first two tracks we hear some beautiful nature sounds like birds and rain over some dreamy drone work. But we also hear a distinct presence of humanity. People are walking and talking to one another. There seem to be the sound of some machinery in the background. Maybe we are in an industrial complex. Watching its workers as they devour Mother Earth's resources. To me this album seems to be a bit of a warning of the coming times. We currently live in a world, which shows so many possibilities for being destroyed, by humanity. Between our ever-long search for more and more resources and our unwillingness to stop burning fossil fuels we are set on a crash course with the end times. What will our planet look like one hundred years after humans have left? Sabled Sun has given us one example of this concept, where robots and "the nightwalkers" have taken over the abandoned planet. But what if the robots die off with us? This seems to be where Hoshin is taking us, to a planet devoid of all human and artificially intelligent activity.
So after the first two tracks, we move into a space which is more nature oriented. When there are synthetic sounds they seem to be more a memory or a derelict antique than a contemporary working instrument. Looking through the track titles alone, we can build a pretty clear picture of the album's meaning to Hoshin. Track titles like "Lone", "Ruins In Focus", and "How It All Ended" come together to give us a picture of a ruined planet, which may still have a very small number of humans left, but they have lost their technology and therefore their glory is gone.
Hoshin has a style and sound which seems to go beyond the skill sets of an artist on their debut. Each track is painstakingly put together. The subtlety of the album can trick the listener into listening passively and not noticing how much there is here to offer. This is a testament to the skills of the creator. Putting so much detail and organization into something which on the surface seems flowing, gentle, and soothing. For this reason I find the album is a perfect fit for being music to fall asleep to. It is subtle enough to allow the mind to drift off, but there is so much detail, that if you are lying awake, wide-eyed, suffering a bout of insomnia, Hoshin will be there, whispering his story in your ear, allowing you to relax, focus on the music, and be at peace.
Hoshin has created an album in Path Of Dissolutions which could be played twenty times before some of the details jump out at the listener. The blend of subtlety and intricacy make for a really interesting album, one that can be played and replayed over and over without even really thinking about it. It can hide in the background, but the moment the listener takes notice and concentrates on the music, well, at any given time they can find plenty of detail to capture their imagination and hold their interest. I would highly recommend Path Of Dissolutions to anyone who likes the more subtle varieties of dark ambient. This may even be a great fit for listeners of strictly ambient music, who are looking to take that first step into the darker side of the ambient spectrum. But, don't get this confused, there is plenty of darkness and decay here for even the most melancholic of fans.
Written by: Michael
Rating: 8.5/10
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