This album is not the work of any one artist, yet neither can it be considered as a compilation. It is best regarded as a collaborative work, which amongst others features members from Arktau Eos and, I suspect, Halo Manash. The artists in the Helixes collective have a similar mindset and approach, so their co-operation does not result in clumsy meeting of oil and water. The album is therefore remarkably cohesive, despite being recorded at venues as diverse as Norway, the Czech Republic and Guatemala.

As is the norm of Aural Hypnox, the CD arrives in creative packaging, this time a beautifully designed six-panel hand-finished unbleached cardboard booklet. At least they haven't wavered with regard to this aspect.

Opener "Before the Great Stone" consists of some distinctly eerie tones and does not overstay its welcome. Arguably, the same cannot be said for "Beyond the Black Deep", which gives new meaning to minimalism, and carries on for a mind-numbing forty minutes. For an ambient drone number, it is not particularly bad; but it lacks that inimitable improv ritual feel that made previous releases by, amongst others, Zoat-Aon and Arktau Eos so uniquely special. "The Day of Opening the Tomb" follows, and this lasts only 23 minutes and is in the same vein as its predecessor.

Initially, I thought this album was horrible -- the definitive ritual feel was gone, to be replaced by some ambient drones. After a while, I was able to appreciate it, and whilst it may not be as memorable as earlier releases, it does have its moments.