Devil´s Breath - Abandoned By Humans,
Adopted By Wolves
The second time we get to review dark-ambient/tribal act Devil´s Breath, and this album is their fifth one. Also released on Zazen Sounds like the former album. Also released as an elegant and beautiful slimline digipack. Album artwork featuring human skulls and a wolf's head, and inside, we find a dark forest and information about the album's concept. Here goes:
Abandoned By Humans, Adopted By Wolves is the fifth album from Devil's Breath, and the second released on Zazen Sounds.
Abandoned by Humans, Adopted by Wolves is inspired by the sense of feeling disillusioned by the human species—a disillusionment reactive to humanity's behavior towards its own race, towards the animal and plant kingdoms, and towards the Earth, which is its habitat.
Wolves are symbolic of what humans do not represent. This permanent state of disillusionment of the human species leads to the desire, the need, and the enthusiasm of withdrawing into isolation, deep into forests among the wolves.
And on this album, we have only one track, which is almost 1 hour long. So without further ado, let us jump straight into it!
Deep chopped-up drones and gentle, distorted machine rumblings. A heavenly synth sound from above penetrates the darkness and also gives the beginning an epic, ritualistic touch. Further on, we get bangings on huge and small chimes, radiators, and gongs, while the mood intensifies with a strange humming of a pulsating laser drill. I do like the sound of it, the way that sound travels through a dense and dark forest. Something strange and magical, hearing the echoed sound of metal inside a forest. You do get that feeling that you are alone, but not really.
After 12 minutes, there is a metallic ringing of small metal rings, and icy crystalline sounds piercing the overall hypnotic soundscape. At this point, it does feel like I'm getting sucked into this. More ritualistic percussion lightens the intensity.
A sensation of small underground explosions or the shifting of the earth, a cold wind? Sound of angels? And that thick drilling sound, grinding through solid stone. Almost losing my sense of time here!. At around 40 minutes, harsh noise and angelic touches clash together in a sense of ecstasy.
There is (kind of) a sort of slow melody in there, and you get the feeling of being a participant in some sort of cleansing ritual. Everything is gently done, but the sound throbs and drills through your senses. It´s an adventurous, dark journey on a single track, a long story on a single page. Fans of Vidna Obmanna and Controlled Bleeding would dig this album!
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