If you are unfamiliar with Wilt, it is the work of Illinois-based artist James Keeler, who is also the man behind the Organic Conversations label, along with several other projects. Wilt has often been described as "dark noise," and his Bandcamp bio describes it as "Earthen Textures x Depression Ambient x Scarecrow Electronics" and refer to themselves as "Masters of Depression and Decay." I have been listening to Wilt for a long time now, and one thing that I enjoy about his work is his uncanny ability to create atmosphere and emotion, while skirting the line between dark ambient and noise (and often crossing over into both). The label states that "'Crypt Gloom' is Part Three in a trilogy inspired by the poetry of Percy Bysshe Shelley, an early 19th Century English poet who risked "political and religious libel" for his atheist/materialist philosophical views in his time. Part One of WILT's trilogy is "A Deep Reflecting Gloom" and Part Two is "Crypt Hymns", both released on cassette by Self Abuse Records." I had previously reviewed "A Deep Reflecting Gloom" and "Crypt Hymns," and really enjoyed them, so let's see where Wilt takes us this time.

"An Opera of Failures" opens the disc with a slow, simple synth line that is at times interrupted with clattering metal, like someone is throwing around garbage cans in the alleyway behind the building. The solemnity of the synth line and the chaotic bits provide an entry point to show how the rest of the disc will go. Indeed, solemnity is the name of the game here, but you already figured that out with a disc named "Crypt Gloom," right? "The Worm That Gnaws" keeps this slow, plodding synth work going, but once we come to "A Council of Demons (Frozen Abyss Mix)," we seem to actually enter the crypt with windblown atmosphere and snippets of noise that keep it all interesting. "Cave and Ruin (Saducismus Triumphatus Mix)" returns us to the simple synth line with subdued noisy atmosphere, but where "Opera of Failures" was mostly synth with bits of noise, this one is mostly quiet noise with bits of synth. This is by no means wall of noise harsh noise. Rather, this is noise used strategically as a way to build tension through dissonance. "The Burden of Gravitational Constants" Keeps the funeral dirge marching on until we come to three mixes of "Hybrid Dreams." The first of these is "A City of Stark Desolation Mix," which opens with what sounds like a grandfather clock tolling out the hours and some crackling, rumbling noise wells up. Toward the end, the grandfather clock becomes increasingly ominous and jarring. "Ash Mix" ditches the clock motif to focus on the heavy bass drone and crackling static. Once again, the noise elements are subdued, but the bass drone is much more intense than in previous tracks. Where previous tracks were much more sparse, in this mix Wilt builds layers on layers to give a sense of weight to the track. These are the sounds of a radio tuned between stations during an earthquake. By now, you are probably wondering where all of the noise is. "Metamorphosis Mix" has you covered. This is chaotic and rumbling noise with voice that has been distorted beyond all recognition buried deep in the mix. Still, like the rest of the album this is not wall of noise, but rather crafted with some breathing room. As such, the three mixes serve as a kind of crescendo through the tracks, increasing in heaviness and noisiness. "Ash Stained Lamps" dials it back a bit, striking a fine balance between cicada-like buzzing static, tectonic rumbling, and droning synth atmosphere. We end with the longest track on the disc, "Among the Moss with Hollow Harmony," which weighs in at 21:25. If the previous tracks were the funeral dirges and the calamites that brought them forth, this is the dull pain of the still living who must move forward without their now departed loved ones. This is rumbling, static infused noise with bits of clanking metal and droning machinery. But as with the rest of the album, there are no sudden movements here. The track moves fluidly, giving it an almost peaceful, hypnotic feel.

If you have heard some of the noisier output of Wilt, this will seem quite tame in comparison, nor is this as complex as some of his other works. But this is not due to some kind of laziness. Rather, Keeler being the designer that he is (yes, that is his day job) realizes that sometimes less is more and that simplicity can sometimes be the correct answer. When I reviewed "A Deep Reflecting Gloom," I described it as "Not calm enough to be dark ambient, and not noisy enough to be noise," and this falls into the same category. If the line between categories is what you are looking for, you will find it here.