A Story of Rats

A Story of Rats is the experimental drone/ambient project of sound and visual artist Garek K. Druss, who also helms mixed media ensemble Saint Genet and plays synth in Portland, OR blackened/doomed metal band Atriarch. Vastness & The Inverse also features performances by Andrew Crawshaw (Terminal Fuzz Terror) and D. Salo (Saint Genet). Composed of two ethereal, alienating tracks, Vastness & The Inverse draws upon everything from occult rock to industrial feedback for sonic inspiration. "Her Teeth Are Nil" begins as a staid, almost stately synth-driven offering before breaking down into electronic feedback and fuzz, then rising from those electrical ashes with crackling, acidic vocals and huge, doom-laden riffs that rise and fall like massive waves. "Huldrefolk" is subtler, layering textures on top of one another like sheets of sparks and gauze, building gradually into a huge, repetitive structure. Vastness & The Inverse has all the sucking power of a maelstrom while retaining a ghostly, haunted sense of dignity.