Review by Felix on August 20, 2023.

I bought this work because of its perfect artwork and its inspiring name. Wandering from A to B for many days is always a mind-stimulating imagination. Things get even better if you look in the booklet. Zero information, but great stylish pictures from nature. So far, so excellent. The rest is total rubbish.

Honestly speaking, I cannot tell you what kind of music this is. I just can tell you what it is not. First of all, it is almost no metal, because it is free from aggression, dynamic, rebellion and any form of fiery. Okay, the title track kicks off the album with a wannabe-hypnotic, very thin guitar line and the cardboard snare is supported by the double bass. To this, the solo artist croaks an esoteric text demonically. The slow-moving number drags on and on and on – how long can seven minutes be? It feels like an hour. By the way, the production is a bad joke. Words like brittle, powerless and non-organic describe it fittingly.

The other titles also meander unimaginatively and without any surprising details along the Southwest Passage. When Sin Nanna wanders as he composes, he never arrives. Nothing happens, everything is grey, minimalist and deadly boring. Breaks seem to be an absolutely unknown thing in the cosmos of the musician. Perhaps this is depressive metal, but my understanding of this niche is a different one. I thought the artists perform sad and desperate sounds that give the listener a somehow good feeling. But Mr. Sin Nanna plays anaemic tone sequences (“Human Extinction”, is this a promise in view of this acoustic waste?) which make me depressed. That is not what the inventor intended, if I am not mistaken. Simply terrible.

In very rare moments, there are little signs of solid music, for example a lonesome riff with the potential for more. But basically all the titles rush by without making any significant impact. Instead, I have trouble keeping my eyes open. Unfortunately, the "melodies", which rarely get beyond an embryonic state, are also deplorable. Bitterman, where are you when you are really needed? Aggravating the situation, the longer the album lasts, the more present the keyboards become. Naturally without making the songs better or creating an emotional ambient feeling, but giving them an unintended comical touch. The synthetic closer speaks volumes... I’m done. The best thing I can say about “Southwest Passage” is that it seems to polarize, just take a look at the two previous ratings. Anyway, I just can recommend that you stay well clear of this garbage.

Rating: 0.9 out of 10