Djinn & Ideal Father -
White eye Nightmare Seeing
Ideal Father and the label Death In Venice are at it again, this time in good company with a true Italian death industrial-veteran, the solo project called Djinn. The album is called White Eye Nightmare Seeing, and the thing is out as a limited 30 copies cassette.
Just a quick word/intro to the projects. Djinn started around 1999 and has had several releases on Atrax Morque´s legendary cult label Slaughter Productions as well as Old Europa Cafe. Huge selection of releases to check up on (see Discogs and the Bandcamp link below!).
Ideal Father is the work of a crazy Swedish guy, the same who delivered the shocking acts of Blodskam and Kontakt Service. He is also a member of the so-called industrial (and pornographic) super-group called Mourn! He has been active since 2020.
Upon closer examination, it will be revealed for the curious few that the release/recorded material within has been inspired by a prose poem called "Les Chants de Maldoror". And then you can ask yourself where you (might) have heard the name of Maldorer before? Namely through acts like Current- 93 and Nurse With Wound, but it has also been a huge inspiration for French Symbolism, Dada, and Surrealism. Huge inspiration due to its early transgressive, violent, and absurd themes.
We start with the first track on the A-side, which is Ingresso Nell´abisso (Entrance Into the Abyss) by Djinn. There is a hum and some haunting (and distant) female vocals. A slowly-built and quite doom´ish atmospheric intro here. Kind of a Throbbing Gristle vibe here, especially with their more ambient-based material. Very desolate and very cold stuff, not your typical death-industrial or dark-ambient. I am not quite sure, but is there a highly distorted string instrument in there? Bass, guitar... something? Love the altering and surreal effects going on here, very cosmic-horror sort of feel. The great old-school industrial feel here!
The second Djinn track is called Permanenza Nell´abisso (Permanence In the Abyss). Being more of a... lighter track? Not in a sense that it´s happier than the former track! Lighter sounds, with more space within (and upwards). Still being true to the sound/aesthetic. As it turns out (so far), it´s excellent blackened ambient music with a nod or two to early industrial music. I want to have more with this act!.
We turn to the B-side with Swedish-based Ideal Father. The first track is called Över Kärr Och Avgrunder Av Oändligt Missmod (Over Swamps And Abyss of Endless Despondency). There is a highly reverbed hiss and a dense sort of layered soundscape, which makes you think back to that scene with the girl finding the room with the various sculptures made out of bones (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974). The whole affair sounds like a nightmare, one of those where your body is sleeping... but your brain isn't!
The next track is called Sanningen Om De Fjorton Dolkarnas Trohet (Truth about the Fourteen Daggers Loyalty). Has some very decent retro synth going on, with a really menacing and harsh industrial soundscape on top of it. Bone-crushing death industrial with some decent 80s synth in the background, why not?! Bloody works like a charm!
The third (and last track) Medan En Iskall Vind Visslade Genom Granarna Öppnade Skaparen Sin Port (As an icy wind whistled through the fir trees, the Creator opened His gate). Religious and spiritual layered noise blasts through the speakers, lots of sounds and recorded stuff located in the slightly rhythmic noisy soundscape. A really great and powerful piece of horrific ambient noise!
All in all, a fantastic split between two completely unique artists/acts within the death-industrial/ambient scene. Love the concept, love the sound and I love how these two acts sort of... make it work! And how does it work? For some strange reason, it makes sense that Ideal Father and Djinn have decided to make a split. And it will make sense if you give it a listen through the entire album. I only have one question... Why only 30 physical copies? I think it needs a re-issue on a CD, digipack with a booklet if you ask me!
Bandcamp (label):
Bandcamp (Djinn):
Discogs (Djinn):
Discogs (Ideal Father):