4 out of 5

Label: SFI Records

Produced by: Andrew Nixon

Let’s do some wiki-ing: Vampyroteuthis Infernalis is the “hell squid,” or “squid from hell,” or other variants, and it’s of the Vampiromorphidia classification / order, existing at extreme ocean depths – say, above the Abyssal Plain – and thus displays bioluminescence, and needs minimal oxygen.

If you take a browse of the track titles on the Deathcount in Silicon Valley album named Vampyroteuthis Infernalis – not to mention the cover art – you’ll see names that line up with what I’ve just explained, however briefly and poorly. So… my thoughts drift to a narrative: that this album explores the squiddies environs, or is perhaps anthropomorphizing oneself as a hell squid, or, y’know, something along these lines. And while the application of that narrative is on me, it’s hard for me to shake that frame, and not question the structure of this album. But even setting that aside, I’m left with a big puzzle piece in the concluding track – the droning buzz of Descending Upon The Abyssal Zone – which just doesn’t accomplish what I’d want from a closer to an otherwise magnificent experience. Burying the lede? I mean, you saw the rating: I really enjoyed this. Synths, fuzz; vague, non-intrusive but present drumming; layers – waves – of evolving melody / noise. DiSV absolutely takes us on a journey, whether you want to use my framing or not, pushing us from ambient white noise to slowly building tensions on Saturation Of Oxygen, then employing more clearly electronic notes as we explore, first with joy, then with fearlessness, on Bioluminescent and Drifting.

The 2-part Vampiromorphidia is a bit of an oddity, and a sign of how the ending sort of fumbles. I’d note the limited edition of this cassette calls the second track Turning Ones Self Inside Out; I don’t own it to confirm the editions are the same, but I do prefer this track title. Otherwise, the oddity is that the songs don’t necessarily tell me something distinct from one another. They both add a bit of darkness and moodiness to Drifting’s comparatively upbeat vibes, but it feels / sounds like examining the same thing from two different perspectives – which is why I like the alternative track title. I almost wish these were sonically linked together, though, one flowing into the next.

The closer is a solid bit of drone, but at 13-minutes long, I just wish it did more than shift up and down in tone. On the back of an already immersive experience, it’s… not immersive, which feels weird. The title suggests action – sinking into the depths. I want that feeling. Once again, separated from the title, and maybe from the album, it’s quite beautiful. And beauty could / should be part of that sinking, I suppose I just expected something more enveloping and loud.

As the majority of my gripes are with storytelling – something of an external factor – I can’t knock things much: I truly love the majority of this, and still enjoy the other bits, even if they take me out of the story.