Kult Masek - 2018
After a long day, you need something very minimal for your brain (and ears!). You also need something that is very interesting and unique, otherwise, you will just fall asleep. I kept looking for this and that and then I came up with this. A project hailing from Prague who has already (since 2017) made several releases (2 albums, 1 EP and 1 split release). Three of these releases have been made available on cassette, and this one simply called 2018 can be purchased as a cassette via the Bandcamp site.
So whoever said that there wasn´t such a thing like dungeon-drone. Whoever said that Mortiis and his fans weren´t able to enjoy themselves on soft mattresses and in a sleeping bag being inside a moist and cold limestone cavern with this stuff coming out from hidden speakers?... A 2 track mini-album, almost 20 minutes in total. First track called A-side and the second track called B-side, simple!
First track A-side starts with an organ that gets mixed up with a hypnotic and shimmering angelic string-like drone. Just imagine that you are floating through a beautiful limestone cavern, flesh and crispy cold air with sounds of tiny drops of water falling from stalagmites hitting a pool of water. The kind of peace one can find in caves like that is completely absolute. Later on, a liquid-like synth-drone just makes it clear that yes... you are in fact floating on air in complete darkness. Not the kind of darkness that seems frightening!. Occasional crystal-like and frosty drops of sound stimulate your brain as well. A track with a lot of warmth and coldness at the same time, perfectly balanced between these two elements. Are we in an underwater cavern?!
Next track B-side enters a more... murky kind of cave. The kind of cave which should be respected (because no one else has discovered it yet!). Deep and slightly distorted bass-drone bids you welcome into unknown territories. A mesmerizing church-like mood enters the heaviness of the bass while a static alarm-like looped-sound keeps you awake. These sorts of caves might be those you could find in arctic landscapes. Being breathtaking beautiful inside, but also very dangerous as well. The track offers a more melancholic side to the album, which (again) makes the album perfectly balanced between a pleasant side and a not-so-pleasant side.
Fans of Brian Eno will love it, fans of Ulver´s drone EPs will also love it. I am not sure how hardcore dungeon synth would feel about this cave, because the goblins and the kobolds are completely absent! But again, it´s drone music when its good and what it is well made. Worth your time after a long and stressful day!
Bandcamp (Band):