Grey-saturated minimalism and the cutting unease of darkness are the order of the day on Conquest, the new release from 303 Committee. Through the course of 43 minutes of noisy drone, artist Ryan Huber continually drops the weight on his listener, pressing down into the psyche. There are only brief respites, and I’m counting the space between tracks. There’s hopelessness here in droves–just the beginning of “Damascene” is enough to make you question your own existence. As always, Huber is all about texture and density. The sounds here pulse and grate (hello, beginning of “Adironam”) and gnaw (“Proselyte,” with its unpleasantly insectile murmurings) and rip and just keep closing in on you. Certainly not light listening. It will take an appreciation of deep noise, raw minimalism and sonic viscera to enjoy Conquest. 303 Committee takes no prisoners.

Note: Not sure how to get ahold of this release. The 303 Committee Bandcamp page says it’s not set up yet, though it’s there. Inam Records has a link on Discogs, but I’m not comfortable linking to an open marketplace like that. Google away if you’re interested.