Pass Away Into Heaven

Pass Away Into Heaven - #2 in “For The Love Of Death” series

2002 - Crucial Blast – CDr – Limited to 25

Tracks:

1. All Will Fail

2. Razor = Freedom

3. Slipping Away

Total length: 26:31

Eclipse Records

"Marax returns with another descent into funereal themes with this new limited CD-r, limited to only 25 copies. Marax continues the construction of dark post-industrial drones and subdued noisy ambience on this disc. Packaged in a black DVD style case with black sleeve."

Aversionline

This is the second CD-R in the "For the Love of Death" series, all of which are limited to only 25 copies, if I'm not mistaken. "Pass Away Into Heaven" is made up of three rather long untitled tracks (or at least the titles aren't included) totaling around 26 minutes. The first, and longest, piece runs nearly 13 minutes and is basically dark ambient that borders on death industrial thanks to some menacing low-end distortion crunch. The composition is very minimal, but I think it flows well, and there are just enough changes to keep things interesting. Some odd musical tones cut in and out, adding an almost melodic tinge to a degree, but it's mainly hums and drones running the show. Just past the halfway mark some manipulated vocals creep in, but I can't really tell what's being said. Regardless, it adds a great texture to the track, and at its best I'd almost rank this piece right up there with the calmer work of big names like The Grey Wolves, etc. The second track follows a similar style, though a bit harsher, with some dissonant musical tones in the background under dense distortion. The vocals in this one are sick! Distorted, throaty screams that almost remind me of Terror Organ. I'm not really a fan of the clouded musical textures in this one, but it's not that big of a deal. The third track starts straight out of the second, so perhaps all three of these tracks are supposed to be one large composition? Who knows? Regardless, the final track moves a bit faster than it seems, relying on a monotonous, droning loop and more dark, dingy distortion. It's not harsh, but it's not really what I would call calm by any means. It's pretty foreboding, which comes to an apex when softly whispered vocals fade in towards the latter portion. As with most Marax material the recording quality is tactfully lo-fi, with a good mix of tones and less muddiness than might be expected. The CD-R comes packaged in a DVD case with a simple xeroxed cover and insert with imagery of skulls and whatnot. Nothing truly exciting, but it works alright. There's also a brief passage called "Deeper in My Dreams" (Lyrics?) that deals with suicide: "Slicing puts the words just right, explaining where words fail me. The bright red relief, I must hold back, but I need it, I deserve it. No one better than I " Despite the visual weaknesses, this is musically probably the best Marax material I've heard to date. Everything is fairly cohesive and focuses on atmosphere, and it's obvious that both thought and emotion went into the work, which is very important. I hope this is a sign of similar things to come.