Entry 440 - Ben Frost - Threshold of Faith

 

With a title like Threshold of Faith I knew I was in for an interesting listen at very least. Ben Frost has created not only interesting, it has completely consumed me and my curiosity for the past few days.... I've never really heard anything like this before and I'm enthralled.

The operative word for Thresholds of Faith is saturation... specifically over-saturation.  The soundscapes found within this rather short album are saturated to all hell, and by doing so Mr. Frost has created an album that takes simple things like melodies and chords and distorts and morphs them into these massive sweeping swaths of tumultuous sound that overload the senses in the best way possible.

I keep using these vague adjectives because I really don't know how to describe what is going on in this album. It's so simple yet some completely enveloping at the same time. Ben takes the simplest of melodies and distorts the ever living fuck out of them and turns the gain up to 11 and then releases that as the song. So in many ways the album is completely enhanced by the production, if it was not handled in the way that it is I would be listening to a minimalist ambient album... not a bad thing, but it's something I've heard a ton of in the past.

Threshold of Faith feels like someone who is coming to terms with a higher power. Everything is overwhelming, everything is otherworldly, everything is entirely too much... and that's the reason I can't stop listening to it. This is such a unique entry into my musical catalogue, of all the weird shit I've heard over my years, Ben Frost has given me something truly new. I owe him a debt of gratitude