Iron Sight – Chapter Two, The Broken Son [Strange Therapy]

The Danish artist Iron Sight (Isak Hansen) extends his autobiographical story and eleven months later returns to Strange Therapy with a second chapter entitled The Broken Son. The saga continues, and unlike the first volume, this second is presented with three more tracks and a double-cassette format.

In this second chapter dark textures and distorted voices persist within an industrial environment with eerie and evocative ambiances, as well as surprising elements coming from distant sonic dimensions, shows us another side of his soul and art in a work full of pathos.

A Losers Game welcomes us with sparse rhythms and noisy vortexes underlined by aggressive vocals and mysterious atmospheres. A sense of dread and tension grows around us giving aural form to inner turmoil and unspoken words. Orchestral synth-lines enrich the track with an elation doomed to be cut short by the main theme. The Loser starts as an ambient piece full of evocative sounds and soothing atmospheres, a different affair showcasing emotional takes and grandiose choirs and arches. Then, destructive kick drums and malevolent vocals perturb our peace once again without forfeiting the previous motif in a climaxing communion of opposites.

This Is Not Your House/The Family rewards us with a beautiful mantra full of elegance and orchestral undertones. A hidden crescendo reaches desperate shouts among celestial soundscapes fusing ethereal movements and sharp noises – giving once again body to a mental dimension made of contrasting feelings. I Had A Name explores droning effects in a rare atmosphere rich in majestic awe, adding horn sounds and mechanical glimpses. We reach a compulsive march made of war drums and demonic vocals in a slow but crushing manifestation of rage. The perfect balance between elements conjure a unique feeling in the listener.

So Wrong dwells in dark ambient paranoia before engaging us with broken rhythms and sulfurous passages, building a techno-gothic pastiche with organ sounds. Iron Sight’s craft shows itself by the means of corrosive bass sounds and roaring vocals, picturing a scenario made of fractured tension. A suffering mind finds here is apt description thanks to a well thought songwriting, as well as a beautiful passage during the final part of the number. Devil’s Deadly Stare surprises us with soulful choirs akin to ethereal music, upon which a clean voice sings for us a crooning piece. This is a moment of pure bliss and a demonstration of Isak’s love for music in various forms. The listener will maybe think to retro and folk elements, but the track finds strength in its own peculiarity.

Cell employs sharp noises in a hypnotizing theme with droning repetitions and sparse sound, a representation of brooding feelings reaching sudden hard and distorted beats. Hoarse vocals guide us in a hellish but crawling mantra made of restrained aggression. Something is following us in its sonic corridors, but we never find a real conclusion to the alarming chase – the episode ends abruptly with a sense of suspense and dreamlike stupor, Gods Eyes ends our journey with elegant arpeggios and the usual sparse electronic elements. But if we think this is just a peaceful outro, we have to think again: stomping distortions and ogre-like vocals have their say during the slow crescendo. There is no happy ending at the end of the album, a sorrowful desperation mixed with rage is the final statement of a work of sonic art. 

Release date: December 5^th, 2019.