SATURN FORM ESSENCE / ANHEDONIA "Cydonia"
Drone Space Ambient from Ukraine and Russia.
Amazing split dedicated to Mars.
Limited only 119 copies.


The name "Cydonia" has a multitude of references across both cultural and earth-science bases.

For
instance: Cydonia was the goddess of heroic endeavour in Greek
mythology; is a location in Crete; is a monotypic genus of flowering
plants in family Rosaceae, containing only the fruit tree Cydonia
oblonga (quince); and is a main belt asteroid (1106 Cydonia). It's also
turns out to be a popular subject in music, being the title of a 2001
album by The Orb; a song by British rock band Muse (Knights of Cydonia)
and in 'Hunting and Gathering (Cydonia)' by Sunn O))) from 2009, and
also included in a a song by British symphonic black metal band,
Bal-Sagoth Beneath the Crimson Vaults of Cydonia (2006).

Perhaps
more familiarly, however, Cydonia is known as a famous region of the
planet Mars - the so-called 'Face on Mars' In this latter context it has
attracted both scientific and popular interest. The name originally
referred to the albedo feature (distinctively coloured area) that was
visible from Earthbound telescopes. The area borders plains of Acidalia
Planitia and the Arabia Terra highlands and includes the Mars regions:
"Cydonia Mensae", an area of flat-topped mesa-like features, "Cydonia
Colles", a region of small hills or knobs, and "Cydonia Labyrinthus", a
complex of intersecting valleys.

As with other albedo
features on Mars, the name Cydonia was drawn from classical antiquity,
in this case from Kydonia, a historic polis (or "city-state") on the
island of Crete. Cydonia contains the infamous "face on Mars" feature —
located about half-way between Arandas Crater and Bamberg Crater.

The
face is featured on the cover artwork for this release, and to some is
evidence of intelligent design and thus proof of life beyond Earth. To
others, it is a chance formation of rock and not a question of design
but interpretation into a familiar pattern by the eye and brain. The
"face on Mars" (about 1.5 kilometers - one mile - across), has had
special notoriety in Western culture since it was imaged in 1976,
because it looks, well... like a face.

When it was
first imaged, and into the 21st century, the "Face" is near universally
accepted to be an optical illusion, an example of pareidolia. After
analysis of the higher resolution Mars Global Surveyor data NASA stated
that "a detailed analysis of multiple images of this feature reveals a
natural looking Martian hill whose illusory face-like appearance depends
on the viewing angle and angle of illumination". Similar optical
illusions can be found in the geology of Earth; examples include the Old
Man of the Mountain, the Pedra da Gávea, the Old Man of Hoy and the
Badlands Guardian. Conversely, the Cydonia facial pareidolia inspired
individuals and organizations interested in extraterrestrial
intelligence and visitations to Earth, and the images were published in
this context in 1977.

Some commentators, most notably
Richard C. Hoagland, believe the "Face" to be evidence of a long-lost
Martian civilization along with other features they believe are present,
such as apparent pyramids, which they argue are part of a ruined city.
Sceptics point out that there are other faces on Mars, often much
clearer, but their images do not elicit the same level of study. An
example is the Galle Crater, which can show a rendition of a smiley, or a
profile of Kermit the Frog and the ESA "skull" formation, which is a
few kilometres south of the "Face".

Such musings over
galactic mysteries are the perfect way to spend your time whilst
drifting through space listening to the combined tracks of Saturn Form
Essence and Anhedonia (the latters name defined, by the way, as "the
inability to experience pleasure from activities formerly found
enjoyable, e.g. hobbies, exercise, social interaction or sexual
activity"). To clarify further, this is the Russian 'drone space
ambient' Anhedonia, not the Swedish Black Metal band or the Mexican Doom
Metal band. Alas, there are so many pigeon-holes in metal nowadays, it
must be said...

The first challenge to overcome with
this release is to determine which side is which:the tape is blank, and
my copy came part wound through with no indication of which side is A or
B, let alone which band corresponds with it! A random rewind and press
of play sooon reveals the unmistakeable tones of Saturn Form Essence,
with both tracks accentuated by the general drone and general ambience
of a trip through the heavens, speeding at the rate of a trapped fly
passing slowly through a block of amber.

Anhedonia's
songs are a little more varied, to the extent of using samples of
narrative from (presumably) film scores: not an experience that proves
unlistenable by any margin, but not my personal preference in this
context.

Should you wish to play tribute to the red
planet, Mars, then the purchase and aural consumption of this particular
tape would set you far down the path of righteousness....