The singular, desolate rock destructor Justin Broadrick revives his longest running project to reveal the essence of his sound sculpting genius. In the mid 80's final was the earliest outlet of a teenage Broadrick obsessed with all things dark and noisy. Tapes, vinyl and then cds all came along at their own pace and the sound progressed as new production techniques were employed. But through all the years and dabbling in various forms of underground rock/metal and electronic beat hybrids, final has stayed consistent in its minimalist approach and exploration of subtle guitar experiments.

This double disc presents tracks produced from 00-05. Length varies from pop format to Godflesh cd bonus track marathon. Justin?s Jesu bass buddy, Diarmud Dalton adds to nearly half the tracks here but one might be wrong in assuming which sounds are his. These recordings were conceived during the birth of Jesu so there is definitely a crossover of some sort at work here. The sound of this new final is as if that project was boiled down until it becomes transparent, all substance removed. The loops, noises, and sometimes melodies that underlie Broadrick?s more dense projects are laid bare as the evidence of a common origin. Processed and reconfigured guitar sounds are looped and arranged into simple evolving patterns. Sometimes the 6 strings become really evident, but mostly the sounds are tweaked beyond recognition.

Youngsters lured in by Jesu?s Hydrahead Records debut will be killed softly by this one. Old ambient, isolationists will be satisfied by Broadrick?s pedigree fulfillment as they seek solace from the wife and kids. And disciples of the guitar/computer mashup will have a desolate winter soundtrack to complement the ubiquitous ?Endless Summer? of Fennesz, et al. 9/10 -- Warren Realrider (7 August, 2006)