Review Summary: Divine Darkness.
The Alpha and Omega.
He who was. He who is. He who shall come.
Uncreated creator. God of gods.
The way. The truth. The life.
Existence itself.
GOD IS.
There is nothing derivative about the music on
Not Here, which feels organic and synthetic at once. It is clear from the first moments on that
Reverorum ib Malacht have a clear vision of what they want to achieve with their music. It is worship music that is focused solely on Him.
Comprised of four 10+ min tracks,
Not Here is, to me, a musical inner sanctum one enters to escape the outer darkness of this world and give all of one’s attention to the Light, which is present, yet
not here.
That is the thematic backbone of the album, the concept it explores through its meditative and enshrouding compositions – God’s transcendence, His omnipresence and utter un-worldiness. He is entirely separated from the universe in that He is the ultimate and only Holy One, sacred, set aside, incomparable, incomprehensible.
Yet He is here. Because everything is here through Him. Everything has its existence through His Grace Alone. And, in utmost humility, He came into His own in the flesh.
He was here. He is here. And He shall come.
Amen.
This is truly industrial black metal. The aggressive drum machine blast-beats are in the very forefront of the mix, with the rest of the instruments layered upon each other in the back. Harsh music for sure but meditative nonetheless. In fact, the pummeling drum machine is itself almost trance-inducing in its repetitiveness and relentlessness.
Sermon samples, lithurgic vocals, ambiance, and fuzzy bass lines mix and melt into each other behind the wall of the primitive rhythm machine.
Deus versus machina? Machina ex Deo?
Strings play a major role on
Not Here, making up a good chunk of the soundscape and often forming the base of the compositions. Such is the case on “God Is,” which to me feels like the centerpiece of the album, although technically there is no centerpiece.
Four pieces. Completeness.
Opening on a beautifully lush cello, the song represents a perfect marriage of black metal, industrial and neoclassical elements, as it seemlessly combines and intertwines them into a dark and thick fabric of sound.
A stunning bass line that slithers through the mist.
He who has ears, let him hear.
Ritualistic chants. Worship or exorcism?
Himelvaruwe comes to mind, a blackened noise project from the Netherlands that creates similar atmospheric soundscapes. Somewhere between the Throne Room and Hades. Certainly un-earthly.
Burning Wheels of Eyes. Interlocked. God’s Glory coming down.
Hallelujah.
“No Death” is the track that stands out to me the most from a stylistic standpoint, as it is much more focused on the industrial elements, as well as unexpected malevolence: Surprisingly sludgy, chuggy guitars and the unrelentingly hammering drum machine are the backbone of this track. However, there are some nicely contrasting soft vocal melodies mixed into the song, which make for a uniquely dichotomic sound.
Light and darkness are seemingly treated as non-binary on this album. One is not without the other. They melt into each other.
DIVINE:DARKNESS
Towards the end of the track, things get more chaotic, with the drums being dialed up to overwhelming speed, before the slower, sludgy guitars and the steady industrial, almost martial rhythm are brought back at the very end of the track.
The title track cranks up the industrial to eleven and utilizes distant choir-like vocals and an airy, reverberating production to create a church (or manufacturing hall) -like atmosphere, Fascinating too is the use of percussion, primarily the gong, which was also put to work in “God Is” and adds a lot of ritualistic character to the track and its mythical vibe.
Allahu Akbar.
Where is a god like you, oh Lord?
Originally published as part of a double album review at www.unstillemagazine.wordpress.com
