OCCULT LULLABY - MUERTE

The good: "OCCULT LULLABY" packs a staggering punch behind its shadowy facade. MUERTE's affinity with embedding haunting themes into riddim is on spectacular show here, because it doesn't feel *too* edgy (as most projects of this style are), and instead hosts a fantastic atmosphere paired with calculated, eerie sound design and a few well-mixed vocal features. MUERTE hits the nail on the head with sound design, actually, with genuinely unsettling elements and timing. But "OCCULT LULLABY" holds a strong cohesive quality to it, too. Presenting a troubled narrative, sinister at times and destructive at others, "OCCULT LULLABY" opens with an orchestral intro track in "DAYSTAR", and the rest asserts itself powerfully with domineering basslines and dynamic production.

The bad: Though fantastic, this EP is far from perfect — sometimes it can feel a little repetitive, as is a common pitfall of this genre, and at other times it can feel a little too edgy, even if MUERTE have struck a pretty solid balance. Ultimately, "OCCULT LULLABY" is a really good EP, but it can't seem to transcend 'good'.