Kristian Marstal - PROZESS

Kristian Marstal

PROZESS
self-released; 2016

​3.6 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Kristian Marstal is a Danish based artist who just released his fourth album entitled PROZESS. Not unlike his previous efforts the album was based on mostly improvisation. Over the course of four days he recorded the ten songs on the album. 

For better or worse two signals were recorded from speakers which give the sense of a live recording. You can hear the room and also notice the diminished sound quality of the frequencies. With music this experimental it's all about subjectivity. I personally feel this music does need to be recorded live. HIs music is thematic and atmospheric and relies on hi-fidelity to be fully appreciated. 

On that note his music feels just about perfect for a horror movie. I feel that point is indisputable. I was watching the movie “It Follows” and the music plays such a huge part in creating the tension in the scenes. Try watching a horror movie with the sound off. It's not nearly as scary. In general the music on PROZESS has an ominous tone to it that instills apprehension and could work in a similar tension-filled movie.

Take for instance the opener “Overture” which slowly rises. It initially sounds like a cold air vent pumping air through an old factory. As the atonal song progresses it starts to sound as if a demonic force was being pushed through the vents alongside the air. “Time Regained” sounds like a washing machine combined with a synth while “Young Man” combines dripping drops of water, a vacuum of hollow air and synths that lie very low in the mix. 

‘Knights of Faith” is just terrifying and could easily be used for the part where the demon is approaching the protagonist. One of the standout tracks was “Superhuman.” The song contains dense organ and tremolo like effects which combine to give us some of the fullest sounds of the album. I also enjoyed the ethereal closer “Undefined Love.”

​Marstal has a lot of talent especially for creating music that sets mood. I hope to see his name in the credits of the next horror movie I see.

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