Ulaan Khol is the solo project of Steven R. Smith, a multi-instrumentalist and composer whose music seeps through the veils of drone, ambient, and experimental noise rock. The project commenced in 2007 as a sonic exploration of textured guitar work, drawing listeners into a layered, psych-infused pilgrimage. Ulaan Khol's work is characterized by its immersive soundscapes, often conjuring images of desolate landscapes and abandoned structures, which coalesce into an intense, cathartic auditory experience. Each release from the series "I" through "III" marked a progressive deepening into the cavernous realms of Smith's aural imagination, showcasing a relentless pursuit of the symbiosis between melodic fragments and the raw turbulence of distortion.

With subsequent albums like "La Catacomb," "Ending/Returning," and the visceral "Collapsing Hymns," Ulaan Khol continued to evolve, employing a more nuanced approach that advanced beyond the sheer weight of earlier works. The textures became more elaborate, the atmospheres more nuanced, and the dynamics more varied, with moments of eerie calm interspersed with frantic crescendos. Steven R. Smith's labyrinthine discography, with "Milk Thistle" as one of the later offerings, is not simply a series of releases but a continuous narrative in tones, a visceral chronicle of the artist's ceaseless experimentation and introspective journey through sound. Each record serves as a chapter in an unfolding saga, inviting the listener to surrender to the sheer might of this spellbinding sonic odyssey.