Emit - Spectre Music Of An Antiquary [Glorious North Productions ý - 2012]It’s been some six or seven years since this Uk based avant black metal, darkly experimental, and sinisterly atmospheric project last released anything new. Back in 2008/ 2009, I reviewed the two excellent collection of old material- Abortions (on Autumn Wind Productions) & The Dark Bleeding Gods (on GoatowaRex), and each of these releases showed the project brew-up a distinctive blend of free-form, lurching avant grade blacked metal, and quite damned wonkily cinematic. This new tape sees the project really pushing it’s sound even further away from blacked metal, towards a mix of slowed experimental dark rock, spiralling 'n' aged sinister synth drift, marching yet slurred synth hazed beat-scapes, and beyond. Side A of the tape features seven tracks in all, and these last between just over the minute & half, to around the five minute mark. And the tracks are fairly varied starting off with mid-paced experimental dark rock constructions, that are underfed by slurred electronic drum rhythms & distant sometime blackly croaked vocals. Moving onto much more drifting, creeping & unhinging sonic fare which goes from unease merges of slowing turning 80’ s horror film synth-scaping, onto rundown & wonky beat-scapes that are hazed by sinister synth trails, down to eerier mixers of field recordings & subtle electronic texturing. Side B is taken up by a single “Emanations From Beneath Far Hills, Beyond Far Moons”, and this 12.13 track really follows on from the slow grim decline of the first side. It’s built around a distant wavering & morbid drone scape, which is either built around filtered ‘n’ washed out synth textures, or blurred guitar texturing. Over this you get these weird selection of on/off textures- taking in stark echoing bangs, slight drags, and doomed slides; these elements are kept to the minimum & help create this unsettling underground dungeon type feeling. “Spectre Music Of An Antiquary” is most effective & bone chilling in the slow decline & stripping back of the tracks pace & layers as the tape goes on- much as if you are slipping deeper & deeper into some inescapable shadowy & off-kilter nightmare world. It’s nice to see this most creative and distinctive act active once more, and this tape nicely progresses the projects sound from it’s past sonic endeavours. Roger Batty
|