Death is one of those classic bits of inspiration that most artists touch on in one way or another eventually. On his latest CD, Passing Through the Outer Gate, Mystified offers his musical interpretation of a personal moribund journey–his own. As part of the “Eulogy Series” from First Fallen Star, artists are invited to create a vision of their own death and…well, whatever they feel comes after. Passing… skirts the edges of the thematic grimness at hand, focusing more on the drama of crossing over in a blend of almost-dark ambient and thundering neo-classical constructs. Unfortunately, it comes off just a bit uneven to me and, at times, even a touch forced. It could be that I’ve come to expect more subtlety from Mystified and this heavier hand leaves me wanting more of that approach, but I was never able to get comfortable with this disc despite a number of listens. There are certainly moments and passages where I found myself engaged in Mystified’s ideas, but it was never a sustained interest. Samples are available at the label and, as always, I recommend readers check those out to see if Passing… is more their style.

Available from First Fallen Star.