When sounds of brisk Siberian landscapes are captured and laced together with haunting, minimalistic compositions, chances are you're either stranded in a frozen well near a Siberian concert hall, or listening to Stuzha's first EP...or both. Created by the mastermind of _Algol_, Through the Snowfield guides the listeners in some of the most desolate locations in central Siberia in four dark ambient tracks.
The most domineering aspect of Stuzha's music is the ability to create and show perspective of the natural sounds included in the field recordings. Sounds such as fire, one trudging through the snow, heavy gusts of wind, breaking wood, and the echoes of a hollow cave are captured and mixed specifically to paint a picture in the listener's mind of the landscapes explored in each song. Guitars soaked with freezing reverb are prominent yet minimal in style, along with acoustic guitar and choral singing.
Stuzha's approach to sound selection on Through the Snowfield is different than most other ambient projects around these days. To be honest, not all of the sounds used in this EP are always beautiful. Dissonant shrills are summon every now and then under ugly, depressive melodies to possibly symbolize the chilling cold brushing against one's body in barren terrain. It's safe to say that most of the sounds and their timbres and placement have some symbolic meaning to them.
It's a shame that a band who releases an EP like this only has just little over 500 listeners (on Last.fm.) The music and overall atmosphere of the music is very appealing especially to those who enjoy atmospheric ambient music or anything experimental.
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