Soarwhole is the excellent trio of Michael Donnelly (Brothers of the Occult Sisterhood, Terracid, 6Majik9, etc), Steven Moller (Snowfoxx, 6Majik9, etc), and Ian McIntyre (Ffehro, 6Majik9, etc). They are another in a long line of bands housed under the MusicYourMindWillLoveYou imprint, and they are one that do not fail to boil your cerebellum. "Knows Krystal of Doom" is a one hell of a free form explosion. It leaves your taste buds on fire and will smack you cross-eyed. These two long tracks are like helpless virgins on the altar of psychedelia.

It all begins with the methodic "My New Studio Apartment." Such an unassuming name for a track that proves to be haunted by a million ghosts. It never lets you get comfortable. In the beginning, there are echo-laden children's voices that are barely there. You find yourself looking over your shoulder, making sure someone else isn't in the room. Acoustic guitars duel it out in a blaze of masochistic glory while droning, wheezing synthesizers climb the rock formations in the background. Eventually the duo starts wailing like werewolves toward the moon. It's as if they're saying "We shall bring you down to this earth someday soon!" It's fucked. After building to a feverpitch of epic proportions, "My Studio Apartment" slows to a crawl to bring you down from your trip gently. The acoustic battle comes to a close as a flute plays at its wake, letting you know that it's safe to open your eyes once more. This is brilliant and intense shit.

The second scrawl on this magnificent album is the shorter (by only a few minutes), "Spectres of Turkmenistan." It is appropriately titled as their is a faint Asian/Eastern bend to the piece. It is slow moving, utilizing subtle feedback walls and distorted electric guitars to counterbalance the layers of acoustic bliss. Soarwhole create such a perfect cacophony of sound that it's hard to believe this is only two people. This is magic. As the primitive, ramshackle percussion fades into the mix, Donnelly begins singing like a crazy street urchin, looking for salvation in the grime of the sand city. It's at this point that the electric fuzz takes over and begins raining down on the participants. Enthralling as it is, you are helpless in its glow. This all leads into the second half of the song which is a perfect tribal romp. It's like being lost in the jungles of the Amazon while firepits burn all around you. You can smell cooked flesh in the distance, but you have no idea who or what is being served. Absolutely fucking excellent.

As great as the whole MYMWLY collective is, Soarwhole have firmly cemented themselves as one of the absolute best on "Knows Krystal of Doom." This is a psychedelic masterpiece that rolls its way into heaven. This blissed out affair is absolutely essential and will wreck your brain and smash your skull into tiny, brightly-colored bits. Don't worry, though, you'll be all the better for it. Highly recommended. 9/10 -- Brad Rose (19 September, 2005)