"Notable for the lack of keyboards, samples, or computers used, this debut release for both the label and project offers emotive and bleak power drones with a dark, yet dynamic sheen applied around the edges. Parts of this remind me of Bad Sector, with some classic old school Illusion of Safety thrown in for good measure. Quite hypnotic and easy to get lost in. Recommended" Jason-Malignant Records "Transcendent Device is Michael Todd, who is also known for his work as the neoclassical ambient project Marspiter. Both began releasing material around 2004. I’d be lying if I said I was familiar with his work, but I do remember a previous release he’d done on the Belgian Bone Structure label. Although his name might not be familiar with some, Todd’s roots actually go far back into the mid-nineties electronics scene having worked with the likes of Jonathan Canaday in Deathpile as well as performing live with them. As for his work with TD, droning Dark Ambient would be a good as niche as any to place him in.“Bleak” is a pretty good way to some up this release. Lots of willowing lines of depressing synth weave their way through the tape. All of the tracks consist of very minimal sounds with heavy reverb for that spooky old church echo. The tracks are all decent lengths and don’t meander on forever like a lot of ambient stuff. And if you like that, huge cinematic sound, this will be right up your alley.For me there’s just not a lot going on sound-wise. I can appreciate the Lustmord, but stripped to the bone approach, but it fails to hold my attention for long. I thing the basic structure of the tracks are good, but they seem like half-formed ideas that need a bit more layers to really make them grab you. Maybe that was the idea, ghost-like images of a song that should have been. Either way, I’ve read the release was to reflect a very personal loss, so that could explain the very austere tone of the tracks. The tape comes housed in a 7” size polybag with pro-printed insert and a numbered card. It’s limited to 50, but as of this writing, they are still available." Plague Haus- Oct 2009- http://plaguehaus.com/ "Inspired by a personal loss, Michael Todd created this 52 minute tape of dreary, reflective atmospheres. Within its droning, mournful tones are the feelings of soul confronted with the seemingly absurd nature of life -the existential nausea of any deep thinker. Sonically, the album is composed of what I assume is heavily treated electric guitar (the label makes note of the sounds being created without computers, keyboards, or samplers... I'm not sure why though). Instead of side-long tracks, the artist has chosen to create several compositions that feel like the blurry remains of songs that are half washed away. Each song uses the same sonic pallette of soft gray guitar drones, soaked in reverb and distorted. These tones are wrapped into little cluster-like phrases that gather and release. The effect is not entirely melodic, but still not really atonal either. It's a nice mixture of soothing ambient atmosphere and slightly abrasive guitar workouts. The gloomy mood of the tape is enhanced by the enlarged cover photo of a man leaning forward and holding his head in his hands. It might be a little cliche', but I find the mixture of imagery and music highly effective. I've heard guitar based ambient music similar to this before, and my usual complaint is that it gets repetitive after a few minutes and I'm left really wanting to hear something to break up the monotony of it all. I feel this is a valid point to bring up with "The Hopelessness of Logic", but the monotony could also be seen as a conceptual choice given the subject matter of the tape. It's an interesting journey but I'm still left wanting something more when it's over". 8/10 -- Charles Franklin (18 November, 2009) http://www.digitalisindustries.com/foxyd/reviews.php?which=5037 "This release was radiating hardly describable sadness, emptiness and despair after I've examined the packaging, even without listening to the sounds. The album is related to personal tragedy and recorded not long after it. Personal touches in music always add some different feeling to a release. The author of this album - Michael Todd. His name is mentioned in a musical world since the middle of the last decade. He played live with Deathpile, opened shows for Atrax Morgue, Intrinsic Action etc. But when looking at his discography - it is not that big. This cassette - first full length release of Transcendent Device after two years hiatus. I am not acquainted with the other albums of the project, but "The Hopelessness of logic" is strange and peculliar. Absolutely grim, cold and empty release and it is quite difficult to put out thoughts in these huge reverbed spaces. Spaces, filled with drone melodies that does not evolve anywhere; they suddenly start and suddenly end; tracks that you live through only at the very moment you are listening to them and after several minutes of silence you cannot remember and repeat the melodies and consonances even in your thoughts. Only mood is left with you. One more weird thing is the length of pieces. Drone ambient tracks are usually very long and when it comes to cassettes they like to take the whole side for one track. It is different with this album. Here they are rather short. It's strange when the theme that was just starting to develop, is interrupted and we are moving to the next theme. That's like a torture, but I like it that way. You cannot enjoy these heavy lines of sounds (there are places where it seems that the source of sound for this album was a guitar) that hides and covers the pain with grim. You cannot enjoy that short wander within your thoughts. You cannot enjoy even that emptiness in this album. The construction of the album does not let you to. We are all here for a moment... Every thought, piece of visuals, track lasts just an instant in this frozen depressive field of ice. There is only one song that is a little noisier - "the walls have teeth", but that storm also continues just for a couple of minutes and sinks in despair. Whether I liked this release or not it is yet another question. When you are deep in the mood of the album, try to understand the inspirations for creating it or simply give up to be carried away by the emptiness, this cassette is perfect. And I like it that way. Absolute minimalism and opaque greyness on my eyes. Could music, taken alone, create such a strong mood? That's a different question. For now, while listening to this album I want to shrivel up and exist here. Buoy in the feeling that this emotional record gave me. Without thoughts. Without illusions."Levas TeRRoR zine http://www.terror.lt