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Old Silver Key is a collaboration between members of Alcest and Drudkh, and, no surprise, it's a dreary contest of atmospheric Black Metal that tries to find a middle ground between the two bands. For the most part, Tales Of Wanderings feels like outtakes from Handful Of Stars, with a saccharine clean vocal that continuously prods it towards indie/post-rock territory. The appealing concept is based on the loss of childhood, with tracks such as "Nineteen Winters Far Away From Home" and the epic "About Which An Old House Dreams" aptly conjuring its subject through a yearning sense of melody, but there's no doubt this kind of thing takes tact and subtlety to pull off, perceptions that Old Silver Key never exercise. It's upsetting because "What Once Was And Will Never Happen Again" starts the album so beautifully, and "Burnt Letters" shows, with a strong structure, just how great this material could be.

But alas, Tales Of Wanderings feels rushed, killing its chances, and coupled with a production featuring clean, almost commercial-sounding guitars and drums that blast away unmixed, my time spent with this album mostly consisted of thoughts about it ending.