Cordes - Quatre-Vingt-Onze Dojens

Cordes means Strings and the album title is translated to Ninty One Deans. And a dean is someone in authority with a Christian/religious background or just someone with authority in some eduacational establishment. Or are we talking about all-time actor Harry Dean Stanton, he died at the age of 91?! Hard to say really. Maybe we should try to dissect this limited 4-track mini-album/cassette release from Sektion 1, and then try to get to the bottom of this!

The first track called Témoins (Witnesses) starts with an eerie sort of warped radio clatter and the sound of a flatline. Heavy, cold, and distorted bass drones are added while an interesting metallic dripping noise can be heard in the background (When fluid hits a metallic surface like a sink). So far we are dealing with a classic old-school death-industrial sound, in the same vein as Atrax Morgue, Maurizio Bianchi, or even early Cluster!. A very cold and depressive sound indeed. 

The second track Quatre-Vingt-Onze Donjons (Ninty-One Deans) enters into cold ritualistic electronics. Humming sounds from an abandoned mine/cellar factory, completely devoid of any kind of human activity. You can imagine the sort of sounds you get when you record something in total silence in an abandoned and haunted site and then turn up the volume to actually hear how silence really sounds. Someone actually did that in Chernobyl! A beautiful track here!

 

The third track L'æil Dans Le Næud De La Corde (Eye in the knot of the robe) being one of the most harshest and hypnotic tracks on the album. A lowkey and low-tech analog-driven throbbing piece of depressive delight. 

The fourth and last track Manipulé Par La Fosse (Manipulated by the pit) ends the delightful album in a sacrificial ritual of morbid fascination. Lovely sort of after-the-bomb sort of mood going on in here, very post-apocalyptic and very gritty and dark. Fans of Slaughter Productions would dig this, I am 100% sure!     

Is it a tribute to that cool actor (Harry Dean Stanton) or are we dealing with 91 religious-teacher deans caught in some post-apocalyptic nightmare? I don't know. All I know is that if the person behind this act has focussed on creating a very dense and dark low-tech sounding album of ritualistic intent, then he/she has succeeded perfectly! The sound is as dark, mysterious, and obscure as the act itself. If you want to hear more, then you can hear more on Cordes's official Soundcloud site (see link below!).  

Official website (label):

https://sektion1.bigcartel.com/

Soundcloud (band):

https://soundcloud.com/cordes-91

 Cities In Ruins - Athanor Of Souls

I have been around this label that has released this interesting new cassette with a new project called... Cities In Ruins. I am talking about the same label (Machine Tribe Recordings) which released that excellent album with Bonechurch, which I reviewed offcourse (see former review, google search Bonechurch + Kalteldur!). 25 copies and hand-numbered gun-metal cassettes (Be quick!). With this release, we are only dealing with about...23 minutes,3 tracks. But as you all know, a mini-ep could be as potent and good as a full-length.

The first track is called Dark Soul Of The Night, which is also the longest track (11.25 minutes). The track takes the whole of the first A-side of the cassette, while the other two tracks are on the B-side. The first thing that pops into your mind (or imagination) is that the intro sound/feel of the first track fits the mood which the cover artwork actually shows. Think about how time affects the modern achievements of man, how great buildings and great monuments will eventually crumple to... well rubble. Think about the emotions swirling inside you when you enter some grand building that once has been a thriving place for people, and all you can sense and feel are the leftovers/fingerprints of the people who once have been there. That's the exact feeling I get when I am hearing this track. Strangely haunting dark-ambient with a touch of neoclassical aesthetics. In the realm of acts like Raison d´être and Desiderii Marginis if you please. Although I would say that this track has a bit more edge to the sound than Desiderii Marginis, and more atmosphere than how Raison D´être sounds today.  

The next two tracks on the B-side are called Athanor of Souls, while the last one is an alternate version. The track starts with the sound of rusty machines in a great hall, this gets replaced by an icy, lovely, and lush synth-ambient sound. A technoid pulse is also being added, but not the dancy kind ( don't worry! ). A lovely mesmerizing, and psychedelic piece of grandiose melancholy. Very much back to the days when Peter Andersson (Raison D´être) worked around his side-project called Atomine Elektrine, with some Tangerine Dream in there as well!. Isn't that much difference between the two versions, although I do think that the alternate version has a slightly more psychedelic, beatless, and slower feel to it. Both versions are good and offer two sides of the same coin/story. Depends on which mood you are in offcourse!. 

I like it. Pretty much. Would love a full-length. I have missed that early sound which was forgotten back in the 90s, dark ambient/industrial-ambient with that berlin-school/neo-classical vibe to it. A project to keep your eye and ears on, let us hope for a full-length ok?!. 

Bandcamp (label):

https://mtrecdistro.bandcamp.com/album/athanor-of-souls