siLLy puPPy MOLOCH is a fairly common band name in metal. Of course it refers to a biblical name of a Canaanite god associated with child sacrifice so it doesn’t get any more metal than that! There are several artists from the US, UK, Sweden, Canada as well as others but this MOLOCH is the one-man band of Sergiy Fjordsson from Rivne, Ukraine. Fjordsson has been quite prolific over the years. The MOLOCH project was formed in 2002 and he has released 48 different albums, EPs, splits and demos ever since.

Fjordsson pretty much goes it alone and tackles all the instruments and vocals but Gionata Potenti has been the permanent drummer since 2014. MOLOCH’s output is consistently bleak and depressing but quite diverse as it navigates the dark world of black metal, dungeon synth, dark ambient and just plain noise. While MOLOCH released a few demos and splits, this album titled Человечье слишком овечье which is Russian for “Humane Too Sheeps” was the first official full-length release and appeared in 2006. It was one of those lo-fi dark ambient noise albums that basically takes you on a dark journey through random noise-scapes.

The album was only ever released as a limited edition cassette and a CD-R and has two lengthy tracks that skate past the 30 minute mark. MOLOCH wasn’t adding black metal yet but sure had the eerie atmosphere and bleakness down pat. MOLOCH has become known for using analogue two-inch and seven-inch reel-to-reel tape recorders in order to achieve a specific raw sound and that seems to have paid off quite well on Человечье слишком овечье. Add to that many of the sounds have been recorded live in the forest or in dungeons and caves. It all adds to a creepier than expected sound effect.

While guitar distortion would become a staple for MOLOCH it isn’t the main focus here but there are moments of pure terrifying feedback and reverberating rage that pierce out of the oscillating dungeony ambience and petrifying pulsations of the atmospheric swirls. This is one of those types of albums you’re gonna love or hate. There is absolutely no structure to this noise. It is completely freeform randomness and this isn’t even music at all. It’s sonic terror delivered through unnerving electronic effects. MOLOCH certainly succeeded in creating a terrifying soundtrack to a nightmare. While this is hardly something you’ll want to hear on a regular basis, for those moments when you really want to go for the freaking dark ambient jugular, this really scratches that itch.