"This “double album” from Half Film isn’t exactly new music – the trio found themselves caught up in the slowcore scene of the late-‘90s, and after bringing out <em>East Of Monument</em> in 1998 and <em>The Road To The Crater</em> in 1999, they called it a day. Hidden Shoal Recordings have taken it upon themselves to put both albums out, and it’s a gem of slow-burning, understated atmosphere.
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<em>East Of Monument</em>’s eight tracks all run into each other with slight sonic variations of tone and cadence yet all set on the same steady keel. There’s no ebb and flow here; from the brooding <em>Weather Patterns</em> to the ambling undulations of <em>Beaten By A Landslide</em>, the songs invariably remain the same. Even when they break from tradition, they don’t – <em>The Arrangement</em> holds a candle to Slint, albeit without the cathartic violent release, whilst <em>Sortition</em> threatens the quiet/loud dynamic of post-rock to no avail. Yet despite the repetition, the inherent melody is held throughout, a muted nuance held further aloft by guitarist Conor Devlin’s hushed vocals.

<em>The Road To The Crater</em> doesn’t really break from this formula, instead infusing each song with a stronger personality to stand on their own two feet whilst still intrinsically linked to each other as a whole. The soaring twang of the guitar on <em>Stepless</em>,<em> </em>the slight harmonies of <em>The Mother Of All Distance</em> and the insistent bass underlying <em>Birchwood</em> all add warmth not felt before. And in <em>Machines, Hawks And The Perfect Equation</em>, they’ve crafted a song that rivals anything that Low or Codeine were doing at the same time. A missed gem to be savoured."

- <a href="http://themusic.com.au/reviews/album/2013/01/17/half-film-east-of-monument-the-road-to-the-crater/">The Music</a>

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