It’s “all wrong” or “all evil” as far as TodoMal, a duo from Castilla-La Mancha in Spain are concerned. Living in a region famed for Don Quixote “a placid and depressing desolate wasteland” and one described as being in ‘uninhabited rural Spain,’ must have rubbed off on the pair that are Wildman and Mile. Buñuel’s ‘Simon of the Desert’ is another film to take inspiration from this somewhat desolate, arid landscape and I can’t personally shift visions of José Ramón Larraz’ stifling ‘Coming Of Sin’ now each time I have dipped into this album.

So, what sort of music does this translate to on this debut album? Well think of wide vistas and a cinematic feeling of the expansive environment. Wrap that in a canvas of clean and melancholic doom and you are part way there. Hopefully I am not going to come across as an ignorant presumptuous critic here which is exactly what an Ultracrepidarian is but I feel the music here is very much designed to take the listener on a journey. It will after a few listens to get orientated, reach out and touch you and let’s make this quite clear it does so in a gentle and unhurried fashion. Do not go looking for extremity here, this is a very mellow voyage.

From the opening acoustic guitar work that is ‘Prelude’ we flow into ‘Wraith’ and the spectres that haunt this place come home to roost. It may well be quite slow but the riffs are furrowed out of heft and weight as they plod in and the melody expands and takes over. Vocals are incredibly expressive and coast over the top, for some reason they remind a little of The Mission singer Wayne Hussey as they float in a similar style to the band’s work around their ‘Grains Of Sand’ era. Guitar weeps and although there is sorrow here it is also not a sound that does not have a feeling of hope about it too. A touch of psychedelia textures the start of ‘The Growing Pain’ and it is no surprise to see the busiest man in music Greg Chandler has mastered this at Priory and has brough the sound to life in his distinct style. Slow-burning though it is the heartfelt music and harmony here is gorgeous and caresses the very soul. Some Gothic organ work brings solemnity and a baroque feel, one hopes the Blind Dead are not galloping into town, the whole thing has a slow-motion effect about it. Despite title ‘Horror Vacui’ is not exactly a tale of terror but has a very Floydian drift about it before the duo unleash a secret weapon in the form of guest vocalist Teodora Gosheva whose touch is absolutely sublime and perfectly compliments the soft musical focus in ways that fans of transitional Anathema work will no doubt find themselves bewitched by.

Perhaps ‘Gods F****** In The Sky’ (and they self-censor) alludes to watching clouds form and take shape. It’s a good match to the dreamy song and there are subtle progressive and gothic touches as it delicately passes overhead, drawing you in quite magically. Counterpoising heavy slow chugging riffs and a near beatific vocal harmony the title track is grandiosely mesmerising and it feels like the duo have crafted something massive out of what is essentially quite subtle. Considering the album is a succinct 38-minutes by closer ‘Born Of The Earth’ it feels like we have been on quite the epic listening experience before we return to the dust once more. They even throw the album’s one and only fast passage to conclude an emotionally packed piece of music, one well worth embarking on a trip to this somewhat strange and mystical place.

(8/10 Pete Woods)

https://www.facebook.com/todomalofficial

https://thevinyldivision.bandcamp.com/album/ultracrepidarian