The Haxan Cloak - Excavation
Critic Score
Based on 18 reviews
2013 Ratings: #22 / 1115
User Score
Based on 271 ratings
2013 Rank: #94
Liked by 21 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

90
Tiny Mix Tapes

The Haxan Cloak is in a dialogue with contemporary dubstep, and with Excavation, he proves that he has much to add to the conversation.

90
musicOMH

This is an album that seeks to explore a shifting in spiritual planes, and the music reflects this by twisting its source material into something entirely other.

90
SPIN

Ultimately, what makes Excavation such an awesome and absorbing listen is precisely its indifference to the listener. There are no half-measures, no fallbacks, no guideposts.

90
Beats Per Minute

Excavation is vivid and physical, each moment meticulously and purposefully crafted. Honestly, the record’s moment to moment geography is jaw dropping.

87
Pitchfork

Excavation gains power from gathering a little dust for a while, becoming a dark treat to occasionally sink into. It's not a place in which to seek refuge from life's ills, but rather one in which you can satisfy a perverse need to draw them in closer.

80
The Needle Drop
The Haxan Cloak's new, sophomore album is possibly one of the scariest sonic experiences you'll have all year.
80
Consequence of Sound

Listening to Excavation is a profoundly visceral experience. 

80
AllMusic

It's undeniable that the album takes his gift for channeling dread in subtler, more complex directions and deserves to be listened to under headphones in total darkness.

70
DIY

This album, for a short time, will make you question your sanity and the world around you.

70
Drowned in Sound

This is not for dancing your limbs off in a field of fluorescently-dressed new friends. It’s more suitable for being tied to a wooden chair in an abandoned meat locker with a damp sack over your head by a gangster who’s just harvested your kidneys.

UltimateLifeFrm
85

I found this album when browsing through RYM for dark / disturbing albums as part of my planned routine for October, where I'll be hearing an album a day that fits among those categories, so there's a teaser for what's to come next month.

So here we have Excavation, a mixture of dark ambient, drone & industrial. That's already an early sign that I'm in for a scary experience, and that's exactly what I got.

Over the course of 51 minutes, The Haxan Cloak takes the listener through a dark ... read more

maryfreegirl
85

nice spooky vibe, it sounded like a stock action/thriller movie soundtrack sometimes mainly cause of those thumps lmao (not a negative just funny), it managed to create tension anyways so 👍

ElisPlaylist
97

SPOOKY MONTH 2023 EP #12
An intensely bleak, desolate, claustrophobic and dread-inducing experience. Even listening to this in broad daylight makes me feel like something's coming up behind me.
No wonder this guy was asked to do the soundtrack for Midsommar!

ElisPlaylist
97

SPOOKY MONTH 2023 EP #12
An intensely bleak, desolate, claustrophobic and dread-inducing experience. Even listening to this in broad daylight makes me feel like something's coming up behind me.
No wonder this guy was asked to do the soundtrack for Midsommar!

PoisonBow
60

HALLOWEEN HORRORS 2023 #5/13

I wasn't at all familiar with The Haxan Cloak as a project going into this, only had read a few reviews on here, but this is a pretty cool and extremely well-produced horror backdrop. Honestly, if you told me there was production from this guy on Visions of Bodies Being Burned, I would believe you. It's very minimalist, but everything sounds crisp, spacious, and dark. Some super eerie moments like the sudden scream going into "Miste", and also somewhat ... read more

JackUwU
96

This album is super cool and deserves more recognition! Go and listen to it, it is awesome!

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Added on: March 22, 2013