TRACK REVIEWS

15 Degrees Below Zero
Catholic Hallway (Demo)

Posted: Wednesday, April 25, 2007
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor

As the second of two demos released on their MySpace page, 15 Degrees Below Zero track the evolution of their upcoming follow up to Under a Morphine Sky. It's difficult to describe the band's sound without resorting to metaphor, but with sounds such as this, nothing could be more appropriate. "Catholic Hallway" is a much more interesting affair than "Sunday Drive," for while it is also driven by a monotonous drone, there is a greater emphasis on space and density. The plucking, reverberating guitar that underlies the main portion of the track creates an expansive feel, with just enough of a hint of a bass line, grounding the track in some sense of music. Some very subtle squeaks of static noise lie just beneath the surface of the track, like rats or insects scurrying in the walls and on the floors. Sounds echo in and out of the mix, like shards of light revealing smoky apparitions, not unlike what one might expect in a church corridor. As the track comes to a close, the drone fades out into a scratchy bed of static ambience, as if coming to an opening at the end of the hallway. If 15 Degrees Below Zero can stay on this lurid and intriguing path, then their next album may yet be one of their best.