Monday, August 15, 2016

Black Earth - Diagrams Of A Hidden Order (2016)

Forgive me, but I have listened to this twenty minute ritual piece around three times now and it just seems to go in one ear and out the other. I have no idea why, but I just cannot commit it to memory. From the information that I have here, Black Earth is a Spanish three-piece composed of Alejandro Durán, Miguel A. García and Alejandro Tedín who all work together to do everything from tape loops to sampling, synths, voice, guitar and bass. There are also five other musicians in guest spots where drumming, additional voice and several other elements are added. While that is all well and good, I feel as though I am trapped in the middle of a whirlwind with hordes of whispering demons as well as a smattering of guitar riffs here and there. All three pieces seem to flow right into each other, making it a seamless piece that literally feels like a cold, demonic wind of unknown origin. It definitely makes me feel like I am in a “place” but I wouldn't describe that place as being very pleasant. Perhaps there might be some influence from doom or even black metal here, but that all depends on the listener and for the most part I can only hear the howling of ferocious winds and reverberating synths. Whatever the lyrical content is here, I can only guess, or imagine – it's truly occult in the “hidden” sense that I have no idea what it is, or to whether or not it even truly exists in an audible form. It is highly possible that some of these Spanish magicians I may have run into on various occult groups throughout social media, as like minds enjoy revelling in varied occult concepts as well as endless hours of debate (which I've forgone out of boredom – yes, it is possible to get bored with argument) though I cannot say for sure.

I will say that there is an interesting piece towards the end of the disc's second track, “Upon Labyrinths Of Broken Mirrors” which incorporates a tiny bit of what reminds me of Metroid's creepy industrial fare, albeit only for a few seconds before it goes back into the howling whirlwinds again. The disc as a whole is certainly creepy, but not varianced enough to make for a good soundtrack for a film or possibly even for sections of a horror game. If it were to do such a thing though, that game would most likely have to be in some industrialized future world. Perhaps something like the System Shock remake, even though I found some of those retro designs not quite so frightening as they might have been in the nineties. Diagrams Of A Hidden Order is most certainly hidden within a flurry of sound effects that don't seem to hold any real substance, and I feel that something is missing here – caught inside the storm. As I've said, I listened to this record three times (I'm almost done with the fourth) and there just isn't much that sticks out for me. Only slight bits of intrigue can be found here and there, but it just feels like an appetizer for something with a little more depth to come in the future. I highly respect the vibe behind this sort of thing, but I feel that the storm merely passes by and leaves you with several questions in the aftermath. I'm not really sure what I just listened to, or if I even listened to it at all. I'm not even sure if I could understand this one with another three or four listens. I gave it my all, but am afraid that I just have to give up on this one. Best of luck to these guys in the future.

(3 Tracks, 18:00)

6/10

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