Desiderii Marginis is steadily building up his discography. ‘Strife’ is the third album in eight years time. The music is not revolutionary different than before: cold dark ambient which is typical for (part of) the Swedish Cold Meat label. If you like Desiderii’s previous work or that of labelmate Raison d’Etre you will certainly appreciate this solid album.
Apparently the album was created while the maker reflected over the rather pityful human desire to engage in all kinds of conflict, which usually takes the form of mere pointless destruction. But this doesn’t lead to aggressive music. The overall mood is sombre and desolate. I think I find ‘Strife’ not only more depressing that its predecessor ‘Deadbeat’, but also more impressive.
Many tracks have a rather bleak industrial sound, with rumbling machinery and deep drones. A good example is the slowly build up first track ‘Forlorn part 2’. In other pieces classical electronic layers come more to the foreground, like in ‘A failure at liberty’. You can hear that the various elements are carefully assembled. Though keeping a spacious, minimal feel, there is enough going on in the tracks to keep you focused and suprised now and then. The last track ‘The sweet hereafter’ is perhaps the most impressive, lovely piano sounds and raw industrial sounds create a special atmosphere.
