It’s generally German Army’s MO to travel to some inspiring, non-USA spot, get a feel for the local vibe, bottle that up, come on back to Pomona, CA, & infuse it with their own brand of cyclical noise, so “Year of Solitude” is quite the departure. Instead, it sounds pretty much like each person spent a year locked up in separate Hoosier storm cellars, huffing black mold & communing with the half-frozen moans of lead water pipes and hollow knocks & internal explosions of coal-burning furnaces. It’s grimier, heavier, more industrial*.
There are still a few Eastern-tinged themes visiting a handful of tracks, but all in all, this release stays solidly just short of spooky, certainly ominous, & most definitely top-quality GeAr output.
—Jacob An Kittenplan
*straight up “Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse” vibes up in here!