Opening with the haunting and beautiful "The Hallowing of the North," Capra Hircus unfolds into a lush, sprawling dawn that feels both earthly and ethereal. Foggy like early morning on the moors, the shimmering and oscillating drones stack together, amplifying the highs and lows to created an even vaster image in one's mind. Like a portal opening up to give a glimpse at an alternate dimension, the duality of Capra Hircus sets forth; what is real and what is imagined? Like the nature of dreams, experiencing them is physically real, but the imagery and scenes contained are part of the imagination, despite how entrenched in our minds they can become. Taking the oscillating highs, "Cup & Ring" adds in bell like synth tones to bring in an almost horror film aesthetic, with noisier drones swimming from back to front in a disorienting tide, pulling the listener in many directions. This insecurity of location adds unease and certainly changes the vibe from the opener, making the listener question the above duality even further. The central and beefiest track, "How Pan Healed the Christ," begins soft and warbling. As is the main droning approach, the oscillations define how the song will pull at and interact with the listener. "Pan" utilizes higher frequency waves playing against lower, slower ones to build interference, creating an interesting effect inside the mind. Floating and flying in an underground chamber, this song at times plays like the birds eye view to a ritual, one clouded in mystery, with its movements obscured though even more gauzy fog. With its extended runtime, "Pan" definitely serves to hypnotize and its place as keystone on the album is well intentioned. "One More Leaf" plays as the foil to "Cup & Ring," both with similar tones, sounds, and effects, as well as proximity to "How Pan Healed the Christ." These two are also the shortest pieces and work as bridges between the worlds imagined and experienced. Saving the darkest for last, "The Hearts of All Men Dwell in the Same Wilderness" closes out Capra Hircus in ritualistic fashion, with its ringing reverbs, low, dark, grimness, and strong, purposeful drones. Quite a long way from "Hallowing," the journey TenHornedBeast sends the listener on over these five tracks shows how well thought out and constructed Capra Hircus is.

 

Written with a very solid premise, Capra Hircus sees its thesis matched by an engaging structure and evocative instrumentation. Much like the duality of imagination and real life, this one mixes up darkness and light, comfort and unease, and gives the listener quite a set of songs to digest. There is a lot of restraint shown, too, with each song staying in its lane, and that adds greatly to the overall album. Capra Hircus is an excellent piece of ambient that flies where it needs to, says what it wants to say, and still allows everyone in earshot to have their own experience.