drone / dark ambient / ritual
Belgian ambient guru Ashtoreth is one of the most prolific acts in today's ritual ambient music. Several people know him as gentle and friendly Peter but his transformation into the mystic entity that is Ashtoreth is quite often mindboggling. One moment you're enjoying a nice conversation and a glass of beer with him, the next moment he grabs you by the soul and transports you to worlds and dimensions unknown. I think that is pretty fascinating. While his solo works are dark ambient gemstones, his collaborations have become unique sonic journeys in which both Ashtoreth and his respective collaborator seem to rise above themselves.
And that is definitely the case on 'Throne of Astrŏarchē', his collaboration album with New Zealand`s one-woman ritual ambient/dark folk act for Chthonic worship and meditation Chthonia. These four tracks do not restrict themselves to the borders of this planet, not even the reality we think we live in. Opener 'Asir' mainly drives on ritual vocal performances, creating a dark and eerie atmosphere. Throat singing, whispering, chanting; all purely human voices creating something which is not earthbound, that is a stunning accomplishment if you ask me.
But then comes 'Nehalennia', the longest and most narrative piece of music on the album. This is a sonic journey second to none. It's nearly impossible to properly describe this dark ambient anthem without travelling to places unknown. Deep, pulsating drones support Chthonia's ritual voice in one of the most captivating ways I've ever heard. You can feel this music pierce your consciousness, face your demons and battle your ego. Meditation music for the dark minded, that would be a perfect line to describe it.
You know, I'm not going to write much about the other two tracks. I think those paragraphs would just become a repetition of the things I already mentioned, of words like "Ritual, Out of this world, meditation", along with a number of "brilliants" and "perfects". If you need a solid dark ambient album you can either grab a Lustmord CD or this epic masterpiece. Heck, I've heard artists rise above themselves before but I've never heard artists lifting the listener above him/herself but that is exactly what happens here.
'Throne of Astrŏarchē' is a perfect dark ambient/ritual ambient album. Period!
Serge
And that is definitely the case on 'Throne of Astrŏarchē', his collaboration album with New Zealand`s one-woman ritual ambient/dark folk act for Chthonic worship and meditation Chthonia. These four tracks do not restrict themselves to the borders of this planet, not even the reality we think we live in. Opener 'Asir' mainly drives on ritual vocal performances, creating a dark and eerie atmosphere. Throat singing, whispering, chanting; all purely human voices creating something which is not earthbound, that is a stunning accomplishment if you ask me.
But then comes 'Nehalennia', the longest and most narrative piece of music on the album. This is a sonic journey second to none. It's nearly impossible to properly describe this dark ambient anthem without travelling to places unknown. Deep, pulsating drones support Chthonia's ritual voice in one of the most captivating ways I've ever heard. You can feel this music pierce your consciousness, face your demons and battle your ego. Meditation music for the dark minded, that would be a perfect line to describe it.
You know, I'm not going to write much about the other two tracks. I think those paragraphs would just become a repetition of the things I already mentioned, of words like "Ritual, Out of this world, meditation", along with a number of "brilliants" and "perfects". If you need a solid dark ambient album you can either grab a Lustmord CD or this epic masterpiece. Heck, I've heard artists rise above themselves before but I've never heard artists lifting the listener above him/herself but that is exactly what happens here.
'Throne of Astrŏarchē' is a perfect dark ambient/ritual ambient album. Period!
Serge
