REVIEWS (BLUE EYES, MATERIAE ABYSSU, COLLARPS, VORTEX, EMPUSAE & MARIS ANGUIS, ALONE IN THE HOLLOW GARDEN, LETUM, KADAVER, TROUM, JAGATH, HYBRYDS)


REVIEWS

(BLUE EYES, MATERIAE ABYSSU, COLLAPS, VORTEX, EMPUSAE & MARIS ANGUIS, ALONE IN THE HOLLOW GARDEN, LETUM, KADAVER, TROUM, JAGATH, HYBRYDS)



BLUE EYES (Ger) “Bewusstsein” Cd 2025  (Dunkelheit Produktionen)


Through this album he confirms that Bernd Hermanns, under the alias Baal, works on harsh noise as an exercise in sustained mental tension where each frequency seems to push the listener towards a state of extreme vigilance. The album is composed of three extensive movements structured in blocks ranging from X1 to X12, and during its thirty-two minutes it deploys an abrasive sound mass that oscillates between dense distortion and bursts of power electronics loaded with cutting pulses, creating an extremely chaotic and suggestive atmosphere. Rawness is the raw material of a work that works with friction as a method and that turns saturation into a form of auditory thought. Through this album he confirms that Bernd Hermanns, under the alias Baal, works on harsh noise as an exercise in sustained mental tension where each frequency seems to push the listener towards a state of extreme vigilance. The album is composed of three extensive movements structured in blocks ranging from X1 to X12, and during its thirty-two minutes it deploys an abrasive sound mass that oscillates between dense distortion and bursts of power electronics loaded with cutting pulses, creating an extremely chaotic and suggestive atmosphere. Rawness is the raw material of a work that works with friction as a method and that turns saturation into a form of auditory thought. To order: 
                                                 https://www.dunkelheit-produktionen.de


 MATERIAE ABYSSU (Fin) "Aethyrinn Na Viixhrae" Digi Cd 2025 (Zazen Sounds)



Materiæ Abyssu returns in 2025 with "Aethyrinn Na Viixhrae" under the Zazen Sounds label, consolidating an identity that had already begun to be outlined in their previous work of 2023, "Drink The Poison of Satanic Catharsis", but which here takes on a more defined and concentrated form. The Finnish project articulates nine compositions that reveal an evident care in the structure and internal development of each piece, where the ambient layers expand with precision and the melodic lines emerge organically, without breaking the overall cohesion of the album. The title, taken from the Lexethræum of Altharósian mysticism, moves as a conceptual axis that orients the atmosphere towards a nocturnal and ceremonial dimension, sustained by enveloping textures and a sound construction that privileges depth over excessive accumulation. One of the central elements of this work is the use of female vocals that cross the compositions with an almost liturgical character, providing an ethereal quality that broadens the emotional spectrum without diluting the environmental density that defines the project. The percussion, measured and strategic, introduces pulsations that anchor the pieces in a ritual pulse that prevents dispersion and maintains tension throughout the entire journey. "Aethyrinn Na Viixhrae" is clearly inscribed within atmospheric ambient, but it does so from a dark and disciplined sensibility, where each element fulfills a precise function in the sound architecture, resulting in a recording that radiates a constant nocturnal majesty and a feeling of immersion that is sustained from beginning to end. 9 tracks included in this interesting album.

https://zazensoundspublishings.bandcamp.com/music


 

COLLAPS( Australia) “Until The Day I Die” 2022  (Cold Spring) 



This album is the radical nature of an Australian project based in Iceland whose identity has been forged from the direct confrontation with violence understood as a physical experience and as a structural principle. The album is made up of seven pieces that advance as chapters of a sound investigation into the body, friction and resistance, where each metallic impact and each harsh vibration seem designed to sustain a state of continuous tension. The instruments and implements derived from the morgue, fluid-marked headrests, knee pins, rocking saws and throat expanders, operate as performative objects but as real percussive tools that transfer the memory of their original function to the rhythmic architecture of the project, integrating matter, history and sound in the same compact structure. Tracks such as "Hate Is Forever" and "The Hand Of Death" expose a possessive and abrasive industrial side, built on repetitive patterns that are embedded in perception and generate a sense of constant siege, while the piece "Until The Day I Die" opens a space where nostalgic and desolate elements emerge that provide emotional depth without weakening the overall rawness of the work. Throughout the album there is a clear intention to document the wear and tear, the internal machinery and the residue that remains when civility is removed, building a mechanical environment that destabilizes the mind and forces a conscious and sustained listening. This recording is consolidated as a firm testimony within the contemporary post-industrial and is highly recommended for those looking for a direct, intense work committed to an uncompromising sound vision.

https://coldspring.co.uk



VORTEX (Ger) “Acéphale” CD 2025 (Cyclic Law)



VORTEX presents "Acéphale" through Cyclic Law as a work that articulates philosophy, ritual and sound from a coherent and carefully developed construction. Inspired by the figure of the headless god conceived by Georges Bataille and linked to his magazine and secret society of the thirties, the album is set in the territory where reason loses its dominance and an energy focused on transgression, immanence and the negation of hierarchy emerges. Marcus Stiglegger, founder of the project and a constant student of Bataillean thought, channels these ideas into compositions of subtle drone, ritual percussion and atmospheres charged with psychosexual tension that unfold with patience and depth. The album opens with a melancholic piano surrounded by a French vocalization that introduces a climate of restlessness and contained hopelessness, establishing an introspective framework that prepares the listener for a sustained and reflective experience. As the album progresses, somber textures constructed from processed field recordings, well-defined basses, and rhythmic patterns emerge that follow an internal logic close to the body pulse rather than a conventional structure. "L'expérience intérieure" stands out for its dark environment crossed by metallic resonances that project an energy in constant transformation, while "Acéphale", "Le sacré" and "Wiegenlied" delve into a space where desire and dissolution coexist without clear resolution. 

David S.'s guest vocal performances expand the ceremonial dimension and reinforce the immersive nature of the work, providing a presence that dialogues with the instrumental density without overloading it. The twelve-page booklet with notes by Jack Sargeant provides philosophical context and underlines the conceptual intent of the project, integrating thought and sound into a single proposal. "Acéphale" asserts itself as a profound and carefully articulated work that summons the listener to enter the ritual of the headless god, offering a sustained experience that maintains its intensity from the first to the last moment.


https://www.cycliclaw.com


EMPUSAE & MARIS ANGUIS (Bel)/(Jap) “Onryōtan” Cd (Cryo Chamber)



"Onryōtan" emerges as a carefully traced crossover between two sonic sensibilities that, although geographically distant, converge in an affinity for the spectral and the ritual. Nicolas Van Meirhaeghe, under the name Empusae, has built for years a dark language supported by dense textures, organic pulsations and an atmosphere that always seems to border on the ceremonial, while Ryo Utasato, as Maris Anguis, brings a sensibility deeply rooted in Japanese tradition, like a living memory that infiltrates each sound layer. Released by Cryo Chamber, a label renowned for its dedication to immersive and conceptual soundscapes, the album does not limit itself to illustrating myths but tries to inhabit them from within. 

The conceptual axis revolves around Japanese folk horror, in its most archaic dimension, the one that links the supernatural with guilt, revenge and the persistence of resentment beyond death. The seven pieces function as stations on a journey where each entity invoked manifests itself through its own acoustic identity. "Kurozuka" appears as a presence hinted at by slow-breathing drones and voices that seem to emerge from a ritual cavern. "Ushi no Koku", associated with the cursed hour, introduces a rhythmic tension that seeks obsessive repetition that fuses interesting percussions and songs of a nocturnal ritual executed in secret. "Mukaebi" unfolds in sonic flashes reminiscent of fires that guide the dead, while "Eien no Yami" sinks into low frequencies that convey a sense of unfathomable depth. "Tename", the creature without eyes, is translated into a game of absences and controlled silences where perception seems to move from the visual to the tactile, as if the listener had to orient himself only through vibrations. "Chimatsuri" introduces a sacrificial dimension where the percussion acquires an almost tribal character, like the evocation of an ancient rite whose logic escapes modern morality. "Teke Teke", a disturbing figure in the urban imaginary, translates into a more urgent progression, with layers that overlap to generate a sense of inevitable persecution. 

What distinguishes "Onryōtan" is its ability to maintain coherence without falling into monotony. Empusae provides that broad and enveloping sound architecture that has characterized his career, with a meticulous spatial design where each frequency seems to be placed with surgical intention, while Maris Anguis introduces nuances that refer to scales, timbres and resonances typical of the Japanese tradition, although never in a literal or folkloric way in the tourist sense. There are no traditional instruments here exposed as cultural fetishes, but echoes and modulations that suggest a root without turning it into a cliché. The collaboration between Belgium and Japan feels like a conversation between two artists who share a fascination for the liminal, for that which exists between worlds and never ceases to rest.  

"Onryōtan" is an album that requires attention and a willingness to enter a state of mind where narrative linearity dissolves. In that sense, it is closer to a sound procession than to a collection of tracks, a transit through territories where the boundary between the human and the spectral becomes blurred. The work demonstrates that  folkloric horror can be translated into sound without resorting to obvious artifice, instead building an auditory architecture that breathes, whispers and sometimes lurks. As a collaboration, it represents a point of maturity where both composers expand their respective languages without diluting their identity. The result is cohesive, conceptually and technically sound work that confirms that the exploration of the ancestral can still offer unexplored territories when approached with respect, research and an authentic sensitivity towards the traditions that are evoked.

https://cryochamber.bandcamp.com/album/onry-tan


 

ALONE IN THE HOLLOW GARDEN (Rom) “Womb Ov Da'ath” Cd 2025 (Self-Released)



A.I.T.H.G has established itself within the European esoteric circuit as an entity that pierces internal areas where sound acts as an instrument of psychic confrontation. And with the 4 songs released on "Womb Ov Da'ath", which was released independently in 2025 and sold out in its physical format, it confirms that radical orientation by deliberately placing itself in the symbolic territory of the Qliphotic Abyss. The idea of a womb associated with Da'ath, the hidden sefirah that articulates knowledge and fracture in the Tree of Life, introduces a reading where darkness is a transformative matrix. The work is made up of four extensive pieces that function as ritual acts because what emerges is a mutable sound architecture, in which harsh drones, low pulsations and textural layers in constant displacement create a sensation of continuous descent. The sounds of plates, singing bowls, fild recordings and the vast dynamic elements transform the whole album in a masterpiece to all those of us looking for ritual compositions to enter deep states of trance. The number eleven runs through the concept as a hidden axis. In the tradition of the Tarot of Thoth, the atu XI, Lust, presents Babalon riding the Beast, a symbol of power, excess and transmutation. At the same time, eleven has been linked to Da'ath as a crossing threshold, as a breaking point of the static equilibrium. A.I.T.H.G translates that symbolism into sound through tensions that are never comfortably resolved. The low frequencies expand to the limit of the physical, while upper layers vibrate with an almost organic quality, as if something were brewing within the sound matter. "Womb Ov Da'ath" is an album that demands an introspective disposition and where each piece seems to unfold like a spiral where the listener is drawn into a silent conversation with that which normally remains repressed. The rawness of the production maintain the rough texture, avoid excessive neatness, allow the sound to retain its edge. This choice intensifies the experience, turning it into an exercise in exposure to the formless. 

The visual component amplifies the symbolic dimension of the work. The cover, conceived as a linoleum print, works as a subjective diagram of the abyss itself that suggests internal trajectories. The inclusion of an artistic print derived from an ink-drawn version of "Babalon and the Beast", in black and vermilion, reinforces the connection with Thelemic iconography and with the idea of erotic energy as a force of transformation. A.I.T.H.G maintains a line that recalls certain currents of ritual industrial and the most introspective dark ambient, although it avoids explicit references. There are no external narratives or obvious descriptive landscapes. What is perceived is an internal flow, a kind of breathing of the void that expands and contracts. The transitions between sections are gradual, as if each fragment were part of a single alchemical process. The sensation of presence arises from the insistent repetition of patterns that slowly erode, from reverberations that seem to extend beyond the audible, and from a dynamic that alternates density and suspension. This quality makes listening become an almost bodily experience, where sound acts on perception rather than on immediate emotion.  "Womb Ov Da'ath" is a work that settles on the border between music and rite, between structure and dissolution, inviting us to cross the threshold that separates the surface of sound from its darkest core.


 https://aloneinthehollowgarden.bandcamp.com/album/womb-ov-daath

 

 

LETUM (Swe) “Distant Dead Stars” CD 2024 (Cryo Chamber)



LẼTUM, the Swedish project associated with the Cryo Chamber catalog, returns in 2024 with “Distant Dead Stars”, a work that does not simply seek to expand the territory of dark ambient but to push it towards a denser, more gravitational zone, where sound seems to compress under its own weight until it becomes spectral matter. Released on October 15, 2024, the album is articulated in seven extensive compositions that function as stations on a cosmic journey of no return, a journey that does not point towards the light but towards the thermal residue of what once burned. 

From the first minutes a particular quality is perceived in the sound construction of LẼTUM. It is an auditory architecture that breathes slowly, as if each frequency were under the pressure of an invisible force. Drones evolve with almost astronomical patience, without rushing, allowing the listener to progressively sink into a gravitational field where the notion of time is diluted. There is a constant sensation of expansion and contraction, as if the void itself is beating. In the album's sound practice, the dead stars represent energetic vestiges that still emit signals since their extinction. That idea translates into textures that seem to come from remote places, filtered by a cold and dark immensity. The low frequencies sustain a continuous voltage, while the dissonant elements emerge as interferences reminiscent of distant collisions or fractures in matter. Each of the seven pieces displays its own identity without breaking the coherence of the whole. There are moments where the soundscape becomes almost ritualistic, with low pulses that evoke a cosmic liturgy performed in forgotten ruins. In other passages, the structure fragments into noise shocks that pass through the atmosphere like remnants of a stellar explosion. These outbursts are not excessive or arbitrary; They function as reminders that emptiness is not static, but dynamic, violent in its very essence. 

The production maintains Cryo Chamber's signature aesthetic, with a clarity that allows each layer to be distinguished without sacrificing overall density. The bass dominates the space, but always accompanied by more subtle textures that generate three-dimensional depth. The feeling is that of being suspended in an environment without clear physical references, where the above and below lose meaning. A notable aspect of the album is its ability to induce intense introspective states. The controlled repetition of motifs and the slow mutation of the drones create an almost hypnotic experience. The mind begins to construct images of desolate landscapes, collapsed structures under dull skies, temples eroded by forces that do not belong to the human realm. In this sense, the work dialogues with imaginaries of space cults and civilizations that orbit around their own disappearance. The sense of cosmic dread remains constant, though it never falls into easy drama. There are no crescendos designed to impress, but a progressive deterioration, a slow erosion that feels more real than any explosion of sound. The idea of collapse is not presented as a sudden event, but as an inevitable process. That aesthetic choice reinforces the album's identity as a meditation on stellar decay and human insignificance in the face of timescales that surpass us. 

In emotional terms, "Distant Dead Stars" is set in a territory where beauty and desolation coexist without contradiction. There are moments of a dark, almost contemplative serenity, followed by bursts of noise that remind us that calm is always temporary. That tension between stillness and controlled rupture keeps the listener's attention from beginning to end. Each track deepens the descent, as if passing through successive layers of darkness until reaching a core where there is no matter left, only residual vibration. All in all, "Distant Dead Stars" is an experience of prolonged exposure to immensity, a sonic reminder that even stars end up becoming cold debris that continue to send signals since their extinction. Recommended for those seeking dark environments, haunting drones, and visions of dystopian cults suspended in the blackness of space, this work cements LẼTUM as a consistent force within the Cryo Chamber catalog and as a persistent explorer of the most remote territories of sound.

https://cryochamber.bandcamp.com/album/distant-dead-stars

 


KADAVER (Isr) “Dancing All The Way To The Pit” Cd 2023 (Hiisi Productions)



Kadaver released in 2023 "Dancing All The Way To The Pit", an album that is a sonic excavation into the most disturbing corners of noise and dissonance. From the first second each track seems constructed to challenge the listener's stability, as if the sound itself has become an object of confrontation, disturbing in its composition and visceral in its impact. One of the most striking aspects of the album is the way Kadaver manipulates the idea of dissonance. Here, dissonance is a deliberate compositional device. Some passages feel like they're struggling to stay on their feet, with layers of static, noise thumps, and distorted pulses that seem to emerge from broken mechanisms rather than conventional instruments. This quality makes listening non-passive and forces you to maintain an active, almost physical presence in front of the sound. There are no moments of clear rest, only transitions between different forms of tension and density. The album's production sustains this confrontational aesthetic without sacrificing a certain clarity in the presentation of its elements. Some sections extend into low sounds that press perception, others multiply in slashing bursts that look like streams of energy.  

"Dancing All The Way To The Pit" unfolds a range that goes beyond the simply aggressive. The prevailing sensation is that of a continual questioning: what does it mean to confront sound when it has been stripped of familiarity? That question beats in the dislocated rhythms, in the unpredictable blows and in the way in which the work avoids any recognizable structure. The result is listening that does not accommodate, that constantly forces us to readjust expectations, reconfigure attention and remain alert. From a structural perspective, the order of the tracks seems designed to guide the listener through different phases of sound exposure. The first themes tend to establish the bases of tension, the media amplify and diversify that tension, and the finals explore how that dissonant energy can be transformed into a form of intense introspection. This album is clearly located within the hard core of noise and power electronics, but it does so without repeating itself, avoiding falling into already known formulas. Kadaver risks expanding his own language through layers that function as both dense sets of sound energy and psychological scenarios where the listener finds himself immersed in an unforgiving and absorbing atmosphere. "Dancing All The Way To The Pit" is an intense, demanding and deeply structured work. For those who move within the extreme noise scene, this album is a displacement towards rougher and more complex areas of that soundscape, a work that redefines forcefulness without renouncing internal coherence, and that confirms Kadaver as a creator willing to explore the limits of sound perception with rigor and audacity.

https://kadaver.bandcamp.com


TROUM(Ger) “ EmphasYs” Cd (Cyclic Law)



For more than three decades, TROUM has worked in a very particular area of ambient and drone music, a region where sound is like an interior space, like a matter that breathes, expands, and modifies the listener's perception. In "EmphasYs," the German duo once again demonstrates why they continue to be an essential reference within European immersive music, due to the quality of the sound design and for the patience, depth, and coherence with which they have built a completely recognizable artistic identity. This album feels like a deep exposure of ambient textures that gradually opens an oneiric journey of enormous emotional and sensory density. From the first minute, EmphasYs proposes a slow, concentrated, and almost ritualistic listening, in which each layer seems to unfold from a hidden center. One of the most interesting concepts of the album is precisely in its origin, the idea of building each piece around a single instrument as the gravitational core of an entire acoustic universe and taking it beyond its usual identity until it becomes a source of resonance, color, vibration, and atmosphere. The electric guitar, the cello, the accordion, the didgeridoo, the acoustic guitar, the zither, and the saxophone appear as transformed materials, like sound bodies that dissolve within drones, mists, and suspended pulsations. That transformation is one of the greatest virtues of the album, because it gives it conceptual unity without sacrificing mystery or emotional depth. 

"Sepia," the first track, opens the album in an excellent way. It has a magical, surreal quality that functions as a gateway, as if TROUM decided to start with a sort of threshold opening. The song that lets the listener slowly sink into an atmosphere charged with intuition, shadow, and memory. There is something very delicate about its development, but at the same time something profoundly strange, as if the sound is trying to recall an earlier form of the world. "Silver-grey" deepens that descent with a truly suggestive and powerful piece. Here there are throbbing drones that seem surrounded by infinite emptiness, and that sense of borderless spaciousness is one of the strongest experiences on the album. “Ur-Blau” introduces another very interesting tone within the journey of the album. The way it handles the internal time of the track is remarkable, because it is supported by a very precise management of sound events. The metallic beats, almost like cymbals suspended in the distance, add depth and tension without breaking the hypnotic continuity of the album. "Schwarzgrün" is, without a doubt, one of the highest points of the album. The dense cello sounds, surrounded by the rawness of drones and an absorbing atmosphere, produce an almost abysmal sensation.  

With "Arktisk Bla" and "Oxblood Red," the album maintains that line of dense and deep exploration and shows a very well-structured dynamic facet. What is admirable about these pieces is how each element finds its place without breaking the overall continuity of the album. TROUM knows very well when to expand a texture, when to let a drone breathe, when to introduce a timbral variation, and when to allow the sound to remain suspended. That compositional intelligence means that the album never becomes flat, even when working with long tempos and subtle materials. Finally, "Bursztyn" closes the album with a very organic sense of conclusion. After over an hour of hypnotic ambience, TROUM chooses a conclusion that is in line with the work's internal logic rather than a grandiose one. The album ends as an immersive experience of this type should end, with a slow dissolution, as if the music continued to exist outside the physical format and continued to vibrate in the listener's memory. One of the most valuable aspects of "EmphasYs" is that it manages to condense the essence of TROUM without sounding like a repetition of past formulas. Here we perceive a work born of patience, constant revision, and a very serious relationship with sound as living matter. The fact that this project has taken more than a decade to reach its final form feels like part of its maturation. Each track gives the impression of having been calmly distilled until it finds its true center of gravity. It is also worth mentioning the almost synesthetic character of the album, since each instrument produces a texture and its own emotional tonality, an interior color, and a specific temperature. That is why "EmphasYs" works so well as a complete experience, because it presents states; sometimes they look like dense fluids, sometimes luminous atmospheres, and sometimes an airy and iridescent matter that changes shape without losing consistency. That almost tactile quality of the sound makes the album something bigger than an ambient drone exercise; it makes it a complete perceptual experience. 

"EmphasYs" is a solid, refined, and deeply absorbing work, where TROUM reaffirms its artistic vision with admirable clarity. Each piece functions as a resonance studio, and each instrument opens up its own space within a perfectly integrated whole. Another gem in the Cyclic Law catalog and a really valuable edition for those who follow the evolution of the most serious, hypnotic, and visionary ambient drone to emerge from Germany. 

 

https://www.cycliclaw.com


JAGATH( Rus) “Svapna” CD 2022 (Cold Spring)



Among the most creative and truly unique projects to emerge from Russia in recent years, Jagath occupies a place of its own thanks to a vision that turns physical space, ruin, corroded metal, the resonance of abandoned structures and the ritual pulse of found objects into a form of sound language that is deeply immersive,  strange and absorbing. In "Svapna", published by Cold Spring, the project once again demonstrates that its strength is born from a very precise understanding of sound as spiritual architecture, as a bodily experience and as a descent into a zone in which trance, memory and matter seem to mix until their borders are erased. 

This album, composed of four extensive and carefully constructed pieces, unfolds as an initiatory journey in which each track opens a different threshold and leads the listener towards an inner landscape loaded with deep reverberations, organic percussions, spectral voices and textures that seem to emerge directly from an industrial sanctuary buried under time. Jagath works here with an admirable sensitivity to detail, as everything is geared towards sustaining a constant atmospheric tension that gives the disc an almost physical presence, as if every resonance, every metallic blow and every vibration had been invoked within an enclosed chamber where the air itself retains echoes of ancient rites. "Prabodham (Exhortation)" opens the album with an immediate and very well-measured solemnity, tracing from the first minute the territory that will be explored later through abysmal field recordings, dense percussions and a sense of underground vastness that extends from beginning to end. The piece does not seek an abrupt entrance, but a progressive awakening, a kind of slow summoning in which the space begins to speak for itself while the listener is dragged into a dimension where reverb is not a simple effect, but the true backbone of the track. The way in which Jagath organizes the blows, the voids and the breaths of the sound reveals a great compositional intelligence, because the theme grows without losing the mystery and manages to establish from the beginning an everlasting, dense and ceremonial atmosphere. 

With "Svapna (Dream)", the album enters fully into its most hypnotic and most suggestive core, developing a dreamlike state that is not presented as an ethereal or nebulous dream, but as a deep immersion within a closed, wet, resonant and almost psychocorporal structure, where the sound seems to move around the listener's body as if he were trapped inside a tunnel or a huge industrial tank. Here Jagath achieves one of the most intense moments of the album, because the layers of sound feel alive, enveloping and strangely tactile, while deep voices and almost subliminal apparitions emerge and disappear at different points along the way, generating a sense of ritual presence that never falls into cliché. It is a piece that is inhabited, and that is precisely why it leaves such a strong impression. 

"Uyayana (Separation)" opens another dimension within the album and shifts the experience to a more emotional, more expansive and more dissolute zone, as if the trance reached in the first two tracks finally led to a fracture of ordinary perception. Here the astral field seems to unfold before the listener with a contained intensity, and the music acquires an almost visionary quality thanks to the combination of dense drones, low pulsations and timbres that evoke ancient instruments, like a sitar deformed by the reverberation of space and by the wear and tear of time. There is also a current of heat and combustion in the piece, a sensation of flames breathing in the distance, which shapes the entire track and gives it a particularly powerful emotional depth. Jagath demonstrates at this point that she knows how to work with darkness and trance, in a form of rough and spectral beauty that manifests slowly and leaves a lasting mark. 

The closing with "Unmada (Obsession)" returns the listener from that astral opening to a more terrestrial, wilder and more intensely ritualistic region, although no less disturbing. The piece is dominated by insistent percussions, voices that seem to summon ancient forces and an archaic energy that advances with an almost tribal firmness but always filtered by the industrial and cavernous sensibility that defines the sound of the project. Jagath chooses to close the journey with a vibrating tension, as if the trance is not quite over and is only shapeshifting to settle into a deeper layer of consciousness. That decision makes the end of the album especially effective, because it leaves the listener suspended in a sense of obsession and persistence, as if the ritual is still active even after the record stops. 

The most admirable thing about Svapna is that it manages to be experimental without losing cohesion, dark without falling into predictable formulas and ritual without resorting to superficial gestures. The result is an album that feels ancient and contemporary at the same time, physical and spectral, brutal and refined, and that confirms Jagath as one of the most innovative proposals within ritual and industrial ambient today. 

"Svapna" is, in short, a highly recommended work for those who follow projects such as Halo Manash and Arktau Eos, but also for any listener who is looking for a work capable of turning sound into a threshold, ruin into an instrument and listening to it into an experience of descent, contemplation and strange revelation.

JAGATH

https://jagath.bandcamp.com/music


HYBRYDS(Bel) “In the Wake of the Witch” Double Cd 2024 (Zoharum)



Within the long trajectory of ritual industrial and shamanic sound art, the Belgian project HYBRYDS occupies a singular place, having developed for decades a language where music, anthropology, trance practice, and sonic ritual converge into a unified experience rather than a conventional album structure. In the Wake of the Witch, released in 2024 as a double CD through Zoharum, stands as one of the most ambitious and immersive works in their discography, offering more than two hours of dense sonic exploration that functions less as a collection of tracks and more as a continuous ceremonial environment unfolding across multiple symbolic layers. The album consists of 21 compositions, divided between two discs, and throughout its duration it maintains a remarkably cohesive atmosphere built upon tribal percussion, hypnotic rhythmic cycles, field recordings, and evocative vocal elements that blur the boundaries between invocation, storytelling, and trance induction. From the opening moments it becomes clear that HYBRYDS are not simply constructing songs but orchestrating a ritual landscape in which the listener becomes a participant rather than an observer. 

The first CD, composed of nine pieces, establishes the conceptual and atmospheric foundation of the album, presenting a series of compositions that evolve through gradual rhythmic development and layered sonic textures. Each track contributes to a larger ceremonial progression where percussion acts as the central structural axis around which voices, drones, and environmental sounds rotate. One of the most striking moments arrives with “Ritual for Pazuzu,” a composition that exemplifies HYBRYDS’ mastery of ritual percussion and atmospheric tension. The track unfolds through a sequence of rhythmic patterns that slowly intensify, creating a hypnotic pulse that feels both archaic and ominous. Beneath these percussive structures lies a dark ambient layer that gradually thickens the atmosphere, evoking the presence of ancient Mesopotamian mythologies and the darker currents of exorcistic tradition. Another highlight, “Lebor Gabala Érenn,” continues this exploration through an intriguing combination of rhythmic motifs and vocal textures that evoke distant mythological landscapes. The percussion maintains a steady ritual cadence while deep atmospheric layers surround the listener, creating a sonic environment that feels almost archaeological in nature, as if fragments of ancient ceremonial practices were being reconstructed through sound. HYBRYDS have always demonstrated an extraordinary ability to integrate voices into their compositions without reducing them to simple lyrical elements, and this skill becomes particularly evident in “Grande Est La Mort.” The piece begins with a melancholic piano passage that introduces a tone of solemn contemplation, accompanied by female voices in French that slowly guide the listener toward a symbolic encounter with mortality. As the composition evolves, rhythmic percussion emerges with increasing intensity, transforming the initial introspection into something closer to a ritual procession toward the realm of death. 

Among the strongest moments of the first disc is “In My Darkest Hour,” a track distinguished by its deeply enigmatic atmosphere and dynamic structural evolution. The piece integrates field recordings, distant voices, and subtle environmental sounds such as birds into a layered soundscape where the boundary between natural environment and ritual chamber becomes blurred. The percussion remains the central driving force, but the surrounding textures constantly shift, creating an experience that feels alive and unpredictable. Throughout the entire first disc HYBRYDS demonstrate an exceptional sense of pacing, allowing each composition to breathe and expand without rushing toward climactic resolution. The result is a listening experience that feels immersive and ceremonial rather than narrative or linear.  

If the first disc can be interpreted as an invocation and descent into the ritual field, the second CD, containing twelve compositions, functions almost as a transformation or emergence phase within the broader ceremonial arc of the album. The disc opens with “The Rebirth to Ranessie,” a composition that immediately establishes a powerful rhythmic foundation through tribal percussion and distant voices that appear to emerge from a vast sonic void. The track builds gradually, allowing its rhythmic core to resonate while surrounding drones and vocal fragments create the sensation of entering an altered state of consciousness. Another remarkable piece, “That Shepherd, Who First Taught the Chosen Seed,” introduces a different tonal dimension through chant-like vocal passages that evoke a ritual atmosphere reminiscent of Asian ceremonial traditions. The percussion remains central, but the addition of layered vocal textures transforms the composition into something that feels almost liturgical in its intensity. Across the second disc HYBRYDS continue to explore variations of their ritual language while maintaining the same atmospheric depth established earlier. Some tracks emphasize rhythmic trance structures, while others move toward more ambient or instrumental territories, allowing moments of quiet contemplation to punctuate the overall intensity of the album. Two pieces that particularly stand out are “Invocation of Pazuzu” and “Be Mine.” Both tracks demonstrate HYBRYDS’ ability to create powerful ritual atmospheres through minimal yet carefully arranged sonic elements. The percussion is again central, but the surrounding drones and vocal layers introduce an emotional dimension that oscillates between darkness and ecstatic intensity. Interestingly, the second disc also includes several instrumental compositions that revisit sonic motifs introduced earlier in the album, creating subtle thematic echoes that reinforce the sense of unity between the two discs. Rather than feeling repetitive, these moments function as ritual recurrences, similar to how certain gestures or chants are repeated within ceremonial traditions to reinforce symbolic meaning. 

Throughout the work one encounters references to shamanic practices, witchcraft traditions, mythological archetypes, and sacrificial symbolism, all woven together through a sonic language that remains deeply immersive and authentic. The album constructs a new ritual context where ancient symbols are reinterpreted through modern sound design. Voices appear throughout the album as manifestations of different archetypal identities, goddesses, prophets, spirits, and human participants within the ritual field. At times these voices feel intimate and human, while at other moments they seem distant and almost spectral. A particularly unusual element mentioned in the album’s concept is the inclusion of a field recording of the demon Pazuzu, reportedly captured during an exorcism performed by the Catholic Church. Whether interpreted literally or symbolically, this inclusion contributes to the album’s overarching atmosphere of spiritual confrontation and ritual transformation. From a purely sonic perspective, the production of the album is exceptional. The percussion is recorded with impressive clarity and presence, allowing each rhythmic layer to remain distinct even when multiple elements are interacting simultaneously. The ambient textures are carefully balanced, never overwhelming the rhythmic foundation but instead enhancing its hypnotic qualities. The overall mix emphasizes spatial depth, creating the sensation of being inside a ritual chamber where sounds move and reverberate through unseen architectural spaces. This approach reinforces the immersive nature of the album and allows the listener to experience it almost physically rather than merely intellectually. 

“In the Wake of the Witch” is a ritual environment captured in sound, a two-hour journey through mythological symbolism, trance rhythms, and evocative vocal presences. HYBRYDS demonstrate once again why they remain one of the most respected projects within the ritual industrial and shamanic ambient landscape. Their ability to maintain authenticity while expanding their sonic vocabulary is remarkable, and this release confirms that their artistic vision continues to evolve without abandoning the core elements that defined their earlier work. For listeners interested in ritual sound art, tribal ambient, or deeply immersive ceremonial music, this double CD represents one of the most compelling releases of the year. More than an album, “In the Wake of the Witch” feels like an extended rite of passage, an invitation to enter a sonic temple where percussion, voices, and myth converge into a single hypnotic experience.


https://hybrydsmusic.bandcamp.com/

https://alchembria.pl/en/58-zoharum-releases

 

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