Hilyard Continues the Furthermore Story with "Division Cycle"
Under the solemn gaze of Furthermore the gears of hatred and wrath grind down the bones of humanity into sustenance, digested deep within the bowels of the earth, where the roots of its ancient trees pull the flesh from the ramparts of civilization and giants move as clouds of remnant dust above the lungs of the Internal Forest. Beneath our feet the earth quakes with hunger below, awaiting the spoils of The Division Cycle to rain down and fertilize the Innermore landscape.
"way down
below us
roots and bones
grabbing all
feed the earth
more flesh and blood
barely full
way down
below us
roots and bones
grabbing all
feed the earth
more flesh and blood
belly full”
Thus is the narrative precis for Hilyard’s second full length album from Cryo Chamber. Division Cycle is a tapestry of methodical sound design and minimal movements; it is a showcase of kinetic composition, yet deceptively resolute. From the beginning of the album, to its languorous, fading ambient pads, no sound is out of place with Hilyard - his composition is almost painfully determined, as displayed in his previous entries, Furthermore, and his collaboration with the like-minded dronescape purveyor, ProtoU, titled, Alpine Respire.
Division Cycle is drone escapism at its finest. Hilyard’s minimalist craftsmanship displays a methodical, calculating approach to his craft, with each song posturing an entrance, and then resolutely fading into oblivion as the next palls of stillness wash over the listener. Division Cycle continues the oblique narrative begun in the previous Hilyard album, Furthermore, yet much like the artist’s composition style, nothing is ended; the only resolution is the calm passage into the “next” - into the Furthermore, if you will. I can only marvel, and wonder where Hilyard’s muse will guide him next, as this offering is certain to please fans of background ambience, and fans of the Cryo Chamber brand will definitely want to add this one to their collections and playlists. Division Cycle is available in digital and CD digipak from Cryo Chamber on Bandcamp, on February 23, 2021.
Read more within the Museum of Macabre Media on Monsters, Madness and Magic here: Beyond the Ghost Begins a New Dystopian, Thematic Journey with ‘The Last Resort’