“As Strong As Death Is” is presented as a representation of "the abstract concept of marriage based on the biblical Song of Solomon" and was released as a double cassette on Robert & Leopold imprint and is now reissued by Backwards on a double vinyl. It's always a risk from an artist like Ryan Martin working on a similar theme with a legend like Maurizio Bianchi whose musical personality is at the core of a whole genre and could even be dominant as it's perhaps an influence of his collaborators. Focused on a religious theme, the central concern of Bianchi's work from his return in the 90's, the result is the juxtaposition of the Martin's violin and a controlled form of noise by M.B. which is divided in four parts.
The first side of this release, "Place Me As A Seal Upon Your Heart", starts with the looping notes of the violin and a menacing intense sonic background and, instead to degenerate into a noise track, evolves in the meditative territories of the first part as a sort of contraposition. "As Strong As Death Is" seems to follow the same structure of the first side but, after a static interlude, it returns to the first part of the track as in a musical circle. The third side, "Insistence On Exclusive Devotion", is a noise track which sounds even meditative in the first part until the juxtaposition of sound fulfill the audial spectrum as in the classic Bianchi's musical form. The final side, "As Unyielding As She'ol Is", starts as a follow up of this release and evolve in a meditative ambient track whose quiet resonances are interrupted by sparse noise interludes and closes this release with distant voices and a strange mystic feeling.
Almost predictably in a bunch of moments, specially in the second vinyl, this release sounds more as a proper M.B.'s release than a collaboration but, from a certain perspective, it's the real virtue of this release as it's amazing how there's a religious atmosphere that can be created with noise. Another sure pick for fans of M.B.