Mussorgski is a Polish one-man project from a member of another well-known act, Arkona. This is the project's third album, which seems to also deal with occult, spiritual and furthermore magickal concepts. Considering the fact that the record was “recorded mixed/mastered in Church Of Chaos” I wouldn't really be all that surprised if mastermind Khorzon was indeed a chaote. Surely the lyrics, particularly those in “God Is In The Neurons” and “Sabbathum In Perpetuum” would point directly to this, with the former being very close to my particular observation of reality as well. But that's enough with the philosophical discussion, let's talk about the album. Described as a mix of industrial and black metal, I certainly see this roughly put into effect. There are creepy synths, as well as creepy riff melodies which are probably not supposed to sound as frightening as they are spatial. It just sort of comes off that way. Particularly in the track of which I said I lyrically identified with, sounding like something out of an alien film with a Theremin like effect. Yet that breaks way into the far more calmative atmospheres of “Stellar Core” of which I'm hearing a certain dreamlike effect that makes the latter track I mentioned fit in with the rest of the material. Obviously judging from the lyrics, the man had some sort of experience by which he saw a sort of ritual that he couldn't explain. I also like the fact that he mentions, “could it be some sort of alternative reality, I don't know?” which says to me that he's not going to be arrogant and vehemently claim it's somethinghe can explain as I've heard more arrogant types on the internet speak of. Instead, he simply describes what he saw and thundering blasts seems to decorate that along with what can sound like a full orchestra. Yet there is no actual orchestra described within the recording, so that shows just how great of a composer Khorzon is and how much technology has evolved. Sometimes a large and threatening cybernetic voice appears, along with a female chant, quite similar to Diamanda Galas. The metallic portion of the disc even ceases for a bit, as we become wrapped almost completely within atmosphere, something that might be a hard sell for all those but the most open-minded of listeners. Nevertheless, it is something that I enjoy. That being said, this is still a black metal album. It feels like one, it has the vibe of one and most certainly the fury.
“Key To The Universe” brings on more of an industrial tone, even though it still feels very much like black metal within it's overall vibe, opening way for some creepy Castlevania organs. Doubled with that vocal effect, it sounds positively frightening and truly monolithic. Lyrically, the song would seem to take a different avenue. I don't really think the lyrics fit with what I'm hearing here, but it doesn't really matter as it works as a whole musically and once again, demonstrates how good of a composer this guy truly is. “Implanted Consciousness” adds even more industrial electronics into the mix, as I now begin to hear a series of beeps and bloops, in addition the the voice of our future robotic overlords. Scowls still exist in the mix, but with the addition of the robotic vocal effect and the electronic elements (don't forget about the ominous synths) the music here truly fits the lyrics. It's actually quite amazing, really. The finale here is “Paradisum” which is (judging from the lyrics) as satirical as our upcoming album's title track. So obviously when dreary and hollow atmospheres back harsh verses like “you should kill yourself” and “you should kill your children” we can already tell that such a terrifying piece has nothing to do with paradise. Perhaps the paradise he's talking about is when there's not a human left to ruin anything on this globe. For the third time, Khorzon shows just how much skill he has in musical composition as all of this is programmed – brilliantly. This guy basically made the kind of record that I tried to make twice during my short-lived solo efforts and couldn't get right. Though I'm sure he's got better software and is actually playing the guitar, which makes for a much better performance than the “electric guitar” effect I had far too much fun with. In any case, definitely check it out if you're into as much experimentation with synths, metal and electronics as I am. It's not for everyone, but the people that do decide to check it out will probably be in the camp of people who really enjoy it. It's pretty much flawless from my standpoint, though I'm sure yours will differ. But I'm the boss here, so The Grim Tower highly recommends Creatio Cosmicam Beastie because it's a well-structured and magnificent experiment in black metal music. I also like it far more than his stuff in Arkona, but let's just keep that between us.
(8 Tracks, 50:00)
10/10
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