When the press release stated that this was five acoustic works, I expected something quite different from the rather noisy affair that erupted the moment it started playing. Grand dehors comes across as a psychopathic mash-up of folding ambience that steers just shy of falling apart at the seams, where an undercurrent of drama holds a cinematic space that is peculiar and strangely alluring.

Track two Topographie de la noirceur however, is something of a let down, concentrating on Tibetan chimes and clatters that I haven’t heard since the soul numbing ridiculous compositions of Z’ev; luckily the true horror that is Push & Pull, makes up for this by reverting to the form of the opening number.

The remainder of Topographies follows suit and concentrates of varying degrees of Dark Ambient, infused with noise; and whilst nothing quite matches Grand dehors for outright depth and furious rage, it does hold steady to the end; completing a solid release with a few minor hiccups along the way.

7/10