Enigmatic Maryland residents Death Chants are a relatively new group, but already their homegrown space folk ramblings have drawn some well-deserved attention. Nemo Bidtrup over at Time-lag HQ has seen the light and has released two stunning CD-Rs of Death Chants material and a cassette has been unearthed by Belgium?s Sloow Tapes. The self-released Ether Works series of cassettes (there are 2 as of now) are akin to the hazy dream world previously explored by Darla Records? Bliss Out series, where bands would explore the ethereal side of their musical cosmology. This particular cassette is the first in the series and is definitely anchored in the stratosphere. The A side features a few supple organs laying down a billowy, melodic drone; the B side is closer in spirit to the group?s self-titled Time-lag release, with acoustic guitar and bells augmenting the organ drone. Death chants seem to succeed at exploring the cosmic side of folk music, and are definitely a group to keep an eye on. I definitely recommend snatching up anything you can get your hands on by these guys. 8/10 -- Bryon Hayes (21 August, 2006)