Album: AETERICA
Artist: Darkstokhausen
Label: Hamfuggi Records
Catalogue no: N/A
Tracklist:
- Obertura
- Destierro
- Coral de
intención y danza
- Gnosis
- Cierre
The Spanish
Hamfuggi label is a newcomer to the scene (being only a month old) but already
their roster of nine releases shows some impressive potential (I reviewed
Apocalypse Sounds’ Promised Land
recently). This one was made available to the world last month (and is one of
their first issues), so a review is still very much valid. However, having said
that, while I won’t be reviewing all
the material from their back catalogue over the next few weeks, I will be doing a few write-ups on some
representative releases just to give readers a general idea of what the label’s
general philosophy is.
Darkstokhausen is Ariel
Jesus Milillo, originally from Rosario, Argentina, who is quite an eclectic
character, judging by his biography at least – musician, sculptor, adventurer,
writer, mystic, self-taught gnoseologist, occultist, and ordained Orthodox
Bishop of the Eastern Orthodox Church (currently non-practising). He studied
music at the National School of Music in Rosario and then, at age 20, moved to
Barcelona, and cites as his influences free atonalism, Italian Futurist, and
post-war avant-gardism. However, don’t be fooled by all the above – it might
sound rarefied but what we get on AETERICA,
given its obvious occult influences, is five tracks of drone and deeply occult
atmospherics. (In the press pack there are reams of background information,
albeit in Spanish [I can’t speak the language but I get the general gist of it
nevertheless], including a 54-page booklet called Nazarayana: El Camino Hacia del Barjah [Nazarayana: The Road to
Barjah] which goes into some depth about his esoteric studies, following his studies
into Jesus’ teachings before St. Paul changed them and invented Christianity.)
But what does all
this amount to in terms of AETERICA
the album? I won’t pretend to have read the book (because I can’t) but I will
take the general mystical tenor in which it’s been composed and base my review
around that. In other words, does this work as a standalone piece, or is the
background absolutely necessary to ‘understanding’ what’s going on here?
The short answer
would be no: even if you ignore the foundational beliefs upon which this is
based, this suite of drone ambient compositions is still well worth a listen.
And the drones contained within are deep and spacious, reverberating endlessly
and penetrating whatever centres in the brain that induce states of spiritual
euphoria. It’s also a sparse album, in that there are a lot of spaces between
the oscillating waves, allowing the mind to explore and the listener/psychonaut
to experience these five tracks on a deeper, more manifest level. And, believe
it or not, one can feel an apparent
depth of intention and meaning pouring out from every one of these pieces.
‘Obertura’
(‘Opener’ or ‘Overture’) wastes no time in establishing its occultic intentions
with a distant oscillation providing a backdrop for a drone that feels almost
sentient, a plane of rasping sound that appears to be communicating something.
Other flavours of drone stab in from time to time, in both the high and low
registers, injecting counterpoints and exclamations. Here is, then, the prima materia, the base element that
requires transformation and refinement, an element mired in matter that needs
to rise above itself in order to move on. ‘Destierro’ (‘Exile’) is just that, a
separation from the base matter of material existence and earthly interaction,
a necessary prerequisite before one can perform the transfiguration of the
spiritual self. Staccato grunts and drones, echoing and repeating, presage the
act of dividing the spiritual essence from matter, so that the operations can
begin. This is the preparatory period, the cleansing and purification, so that
the aspirant is adjudged to be suitable in the eyes of Godhead. A reverberant
intonation makes the aspirant’s case, and sets the stage for the next act.
‘Coral intención y
danza’ (‘Coral of Intent and Dance’ – forgive me if this translation is wide of
the mark) announces the start of the ritual – here is the beginning of a new
life for the adherent, a sloughing away of the old and the embrace of the new.
Treated vocals fly high while another voice entreats, and a drone flutters
around both above and below them. Next, if the petitioner is successful and
works at his labours, comes ‘Gnosis’, the knowledge of the spiritual mysteries.
It’s a long and arduous journey, beset with dangers both real and apparent, all
of which must be overcome and understood before the key is presented and the
lock opened. Even when enlightenment is finally achieved, there is still much
to learn – an aspect of the Work that must be fully appreciated and absorbed.
Once the
operations are finished with, the ritual must be closed, to call back the
spiritual body into the real world again. AETERICA
ends with ‘Cierre’ (‘Closure’), the slow withdrawal from the upper realms
of pure essence and back into the quagmire of matter. Once more an oscillating
drone buzzes in, breaking up and granulating as the spiritual essence gradually
becomes less refined and coarser until at some point it disappears altogether,
and the undifferentiated matter of this plane takes over. The adherent may have
come back, but he’s brought a glimpse of the higher levels with him, and it has
changed him.
An abstruse
esoteric exegesis to be sure, one that needs careful study if you want to get
the most out of it, but such in-depth study is not necessary as the underlying
currents and connections flow freely here and can be physically felt, even if
they’re not fully understood. One can approach it from the standpoint of the
initiated or just come at it as an exercise in just appreciating the music.
Either way, it reflects what many believe to be true of Scripture: there’s a
superficial aspect, intended for those in the profane outer, and an occult
facet, intended for the select few in the sacred Inner precincts. In both
instances, immense satisfaction can be had.
Available as a
digital download from Hamfuggi’s Bandcamp page:
Psymon Marshall 2019.
1 comment:
Wonderful writing of one of our most beloved releases. Thanks so much!!
Post a Comment