Djinn - Apatia
Since we have already reviewed 2 splits with Djinn and several releases from his death-industrial label Death In Venice, we must conclude that Djinn is not a stranger to Kalteldur. This time we get to review a full-length with this iconic death-industrial act from Italy. This album was released back in 2022 and was a joint release between Death In Venice and another Italian label called St.An.Da, which is a sister label to Silentes. A nifty-looking 6-panel digipack, limited to 200 copies.
The album-title Apatia simply means, the lack of feeling and emotion ( Or just a lack of interest or enthusiasm ). That explains the artistic artwork, some t-shirt-wearing guy with his head down. I like the menacing murky-looking background, inside the digipack, there is more... murky and depressing imagery, but also very beautiful. The same artistic style/concept can be found throughout the entire artwork, which in my world is a big thumbs-up.
The first track Nothing...Endless starts with the sound of an old lady talking, I don´t know what she is saying... is the language Finnish? Neither way, there is a certain... sound of hopelessness in her voice. A murky bass sound and some horrific and distorted-swirling ambient soundscapes surround the listener like life-sucking wraiths begging for your soul. Looped bone-crunching rhythms get into the morbid-themed soundtrack. So far the recorded material perfectly represents the concept-driven artwork!
The second track Attendre En Silence Part.1 has an awesome up-and-down thumping bass, some eerie highly-pitched sounds and some... haunting piano notes as well. A kind of abandoned kindergarten sort of atmosphere going on, a place where something horrific has happened without a doubt. Love the menacing industrial sounds here, almost have a psychedelic edge to it. Effective minimalism here!.
The third track Apatia, a heart-monitoring machine and a high-pitched tone. Gets me back to Throbbing Gristle´s Hamburger Lady offcourse. The track contains some spoken word lyrics/vocals, and the effects that have been used on this creepy whispering are REALLY well made! Sounds of orgasmic voices in the background, more like ghosts reaching a never-ending cycle of forbidden pleasure. The whole feeling about Apatia is very well represented here. Excellent distorted bricks of sound occasionally wake the listener up. It´s also the longest track on the album, almost 15 minutes long. The track was made together with another artist called Himukalt, which I don't know... but I have a good feeling that I must check the artist out (Bandcamp link below). The long track is an outstanding piece of ethereal-driven death-industrial with a morbid erotic touch.
The fourth track Pre Depression continues with that effective psychedelic death-industrial vibe, with excellent echoed effects on the whispered and distorted vocals here. A strong presence of Atrax Morgue influences here, just without the power-electronics elements... more ambient and soundtrack-driven. The sounds are really special, with lots of... atypical elements being added to this genre as we speak.
The fifth track Unheard Voices Part.1 adds a touch of harsh noise into the mix, not too much. The vocals are the harsh noise element, while the other elements are more in the death-industrial/ambient section. There is a certain kind of sick feeling in this track, more direct and less... ethereal.
The sixth track Attendre En Silence Part 2 goes heavy into the psychedelic minimal industrial sound, with the melancholic touch that we heard back on the second track. Some really excellent manipulated stuff going on here, almost with a cosmic-horror element to it. That high-pitched tone at the end, falling in love with it for some reason.
The rest of the album continues to deliver the same effective torture. It surprises and chills and it creates a specific mood best suited for cold cellar rooms. The whole mood is a pure death-industrial delivery, with some new elements added to it as well. The sound quality is absolutely superb, without losing its primitive (and ethereal) edge! Apatia by Djinn, is a perfect start/intro for new listeners of death-industrial. Lots of reasons to check this album out!
Bandcamp (label):
Bandcamp (Himukalt):