Darkness, complete and utter darkness, pitch black. These words are the only descriptive terms that come to mind when trying to describe the sound of Darsombra. The one-man project of Brian Daniloski, who some might know from his previous output with Meatjack, Darsombra’s debut effort, Ecdysis, is some of the most evil drone ever concocted. Throughout its relatively short running time, Ecdysis is pulsing with a general feeling of unease. I personally can’t recall the last time listening to an album made me feel this unsettled.

Judging from the sludge sound projected by Meatjack, Darsombra is precisely what I did not expect to hear from Daniloski. Apparently, he has a dark corner of his brain, which he channeled into sound form for Ecdysis. Let me preface any further description by making it known that this album is going to be difficult for most listeners to grasp. You really have to be in a certain mood to fully appreciate what Daniloski has created here.

At times, it would be a stretch to even describe Ecdysis as music. Vocals are hard to come by, percussion is even more sparse, and at only few points does this album move along with any sort of discernable pace. The first and second tracks, Thinning the Herd and The Place Where There is No Darkness, are borderline background noise, occasionally joined by guitar and feedback. Thinning the Herd also utilizes a tortured, distant scream to further its overall mood, one of fear and peculiarity.

The flow created by the first two tracks is severely altered by My House, the next in line. It begins with a manufactured drumbeat, and then follows with a simple doom riff and a sort of chant, which is about the closest Ecdysis ever gets to using traditional vocals. This song is the high point of this album’s bell curve, preceded and followed by dark ambient pieces.

Drag the Carcass reintroduces the drone of the first two tracks while also splicing in what appears to be singing one would find in a southern baptist church. While this sound is usually very jovial, here amongst the empty drone it emits a feeling of pure terror.

The grip of fear is tightened on Swelter, where an effective use of a breathing sound resembling a death rattle can be found throughout the ambience. This song is the finest example of the disturbing effect Darsombra's dark drone can have on its listener.

Daniloski definitely broadened his horizons here. With the possible exceptions of portions of My House and Dies Irae, he has shyed away from incorporating any of his past endeavors on his solo project. While Ecdysis is very good for its intended purpose, it requires a certain atmosphere and setting to listen to, or it will undoubtedly feel out of place. Lying down in a dark room at night is probably the best location to adequately experience what this album has to offer, a tormentingly evil yet somehow soothing ambient drone.