Kev Rowland Carrier Flux is an avant garde black metal project fronted by Jeff Phillips, and this is his third album under this name although the first in some eleven years. A multi-instrumentalist, Phillips plays guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals and programs drums for Carrier Flux, mixing & mastering the audio in his Minneapolis-based sound studio. Phillips has also been involved with a number of metal & dark ambient projects, including Cold Colours, Blood of the Earth and Vedisni, and states that he is inspired by bold, complex & atmospheric metal, citing Abigor, Alghazanth, Arcturus, Nazxul and Ved Buens Ende as his primary influencers. So there you have it. Now, if you search the web you can already find a few reviews for this album, who compare Phillips to Burzum and state that this is an indispensible release.

Hmm, to be honest the most positive thing I have to say about this album is that the artwork is incredible, step forward Costin Chioreanu who has done a great job. Okay, that may be a little harsh as there really are some great moments on this album where everything clicks, and he genuinely has some interesting ideas, but there are other times (especially during the ‘experimental’ sections) where it just jars and doesn’t work at all. There is no doubt that he is a fine musician, but this isn’t something to which I will often be returning and for me this is an opportunity lost. For more details visit www.auralmusic.com