Review Summary: Perfect balance of sinister and satire.
Ψ.Χ. is an experimental black metal project from Greece that is shrouded in mystery. Their debut album,
Το Φως Το Αληθινό, is a lot to unpack musically, mythically and conceptually.
While formal distribution is limited, the album has leaked on YouTube. Listening to it without context raises the question:
are these guys for real? With some additional context, I think there is more to this than the music.
I was lucky enough to spot a copy of this album being sold online and immediately jumped on it, because I was fascinated by its backstory (or lack of backstory). When I put the CD into my drive, it came up as,"Yngwie J. Malmsteen
Odyssey Tour Rehearsals," which shows me these guys have a sense of humor and aren't taking this too seriously. This leads me to believe that there is an element of satire and self-awareness to its absurdity and twisted nature, not unlike something The Residents would do, if they decided to dabble with black metal.
This album successfully blurs the lines between sinister and satire, resulting in one of the most intriguing releases (and collectibles) I’ve come across. When I say satire, it's coming from a place of love and admiration. Think
Cabin in the Woods, not
Scary Movie.
First, let’s start with the packaging and back story. If you were going to make a satirical black metal release, you’d want to make it as underground as possible. Ψ.Χ. has done that. The members are unknown. The album is limited to 50 copies, all housed in a handmade wooden box. It was never for sale. Each copy was handed out by the band. Some copies went to the press, resulting in some initial coverage in 2016.
Next, let's focus on the production. If you were going to make a true underground black metal release, you'd want it to feel as raw as possible. The album sounds like it was recorded from a tape recorder in a garage. However, there is a certain clarity to some of the instruments, especially the bass, that make it feel like they knew how to engineer this sound. It's raw, there's clipping, there's grit and feedback, yet, it's not unlistenable like other raw black metal releases looking to achieve the same sound. These guys seem to understand production.
Now, for the music. It's certainly rooted in black metal. You have the tremolo picking and blast beats, but there's so much more to it. There are extremely melodic moments, classical influences, and moments that are straight prog rock. These are seasoned musicians. The bass playing and drumming are both fantastic. There is also some great piano and synth orchestration happening, especially during the album's final movement. The last 12 minutes or so show their true potential, if they just played dark music and dropped the black metal angle. It almost reminds me of Devil Doll.
Finally, we get to the vocals. This is going to be the most polarizing part of the album. For the most part, they are over-the-top DSBM vocals like Silencer and/or Bethlehem. This should be a dealbreaker, however, they work. The singer is fully committing to the style. It sounds like a mental breakdown set to tape. Whether or not it's sincere or satire or a mix of both, he owns it. There is also variation to the vocals, which keeps it interesting. You get the high pitched shrieks, you get some clean vocals, some lower growls, and some mid-ranged screaming, adding much needed diversity. His vocals during the last 12 minutes of the album show that he can really sing.
Overall, this is a lot. My takeaway is that this is a really well executed satirical take on black metal pulled off by a group of talented musicians who have a love for the genre, its mystery, its legends, and its underground roots.
