An old philosophical thought exercise asks “if a tree falls in an unpopulated forest, does it make a sound?” While the question has implications in quantum physics and notions of perceived reality, Nerthus would likely answer it with a resounding “Yes!”
Silent Monuments is a gritty post-industrial slab of ambient and mechanical noises. These dark, hazy soundscapes are littered with non-organic “life” in the form of long-abandoned machines that periodically generate clangs, static, drones, and humming. The sound palette on these tracks pulses and ebbs with haunting constructs and the occasional subdued wail of mid-range feedback. Sparse rhythmic pounding establishes a baseline for a variety of dense passages and shifting synth chords, some sounding breathy or cello-like in tone.
Slow-moving and not particularly harsh, Nerthus’s approach on this album is thoughtful and moody. It imagines a far future in which remnants of human technologies populate an otherwise bleak topography.
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