Layers of Skin - Your Internal World...
Layers of Skin is a new, interesting, experimental, and enigmatic duo from Greece. Combining avant-garde-driven ritual soundscapes with influences from diverse ancient cultures. This is their second album; their debut was a self-released CD-R and cassette called In The Eyes Of The Beholder pt.1. The new album has been released on E.C.T, as a limited CD-R. A fold-out inner sleeve with the CD on thick cardboard, also graphically printed. 9 tracks, over an hour of surreal thickness.
The first track is called Chinchurro Mummy. Eerie tone, ritual beatings, Tibetan deep-chantings, and some really disturbing inhuman screams from some open grave. For some reason, I´m thinking about the Aghori from India ( do a read on them!). Something truly ancient and dark is going on here.
It doesn´t get any brighter when we continue with the second track called Eating Ape Brains. We´re still in Tibet, or some place near that country. The sound of a Shamanistic cleansing of some sort, and something which sounds like a thighbone trumpet. Also, the sound of a human voice trying to sound like a jaguar, or is it a leopard? Maybe this stuff/track is related to the secret Leopard Society from West and Central Africa? They were baddies in Tarzan, by the way. Clicking sound from small apes here and there. Strangely seducing track.
We continue with brains to Taxidermy Human, which is the third track. A contact mic on a radiator of some kind, and something metallic hitting it. Some kind of wind-instrument is being used here, not sure if it´s actually made out of wood... or grass. Strange sound of feet... tapping... and weird sound of frogs... croaking. Almost getting into that Innsmouth feel, combined with the surrealism of Nurse With Wound.
With the fourth track, Mind Is The Lake, Eyes Is The Universe we travel further into surreal territory. I guess that the drugs that the shamans introduced us to at the beginning of the album... are starting to make an effect. Something is scratching a violin with a metal wire, while someone is banging on a huge single drum. On the left side of the stereo, someone is banging something hard on the ground. Might just be the sound of a toy piano and a childish female voice singing.
The fifth track is a Journey Through A Body. Metallic balls and triangles are being hit... and the sound of the wind outside is blowing like a storm. A short but highly stimulating piece.
We continue with Stardust And Rain Heal Your Heart, which is the sixth track. More of a soothing track, it works perfectly after the former track. A microscopic sound of something... slithering close to a microphone. Distant and warped drums are almost recognizable, or is it the sound of feet stamping on the ground? All of a sudden, a distorted crash of noise of metal clangs together, and then it disappears... with the eerie kind of flute in the background. That flute sound gives me that... Temple-in-the-Jungle vibe. At this point, I am totally fascinated with this release! The track is long; it has a lot more to offer. Lovely kind of live-feel to it!
The seventh track is called The Spirit Takes Shelter Through The Night. Feels like the final hour of the cleansing ritual. A looped didgeridoo, metal balls circling in a hand, violin scratching, deep chanting, and more string instruments here and there. Female spoken words as well. Highly efficient psychedelic wonders here!
The eight-track is called Enlightenment, a certain shift in style in the sound. Getting that nostalgic feeling of a brighter future, thinking of Boards of Canada here. While the melody is going on, something is going on in the background... being recorded off course. Maybe getting ready to do the last track on the album?
The ninth track (and the last track) is called Inactive Soul. Think there might be a cello in there, or just the same violin on some deeper strings. You remember those plastic tube-wind-things we would hold on our hands and spin above our heads? I think they might be in here.
Your Internal World Can Be In Peace When There Is No Darkness might just be the answer. Yes, it has its dark moments, but also the lighter ones. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but Layers of Skin doesn´t actually deliver the simple guidance to get through the tunnel. The album functions as a kind of spiritual gateway to... something which differs from listener to listener. It´s a very good album, with a lot of different ideas and moods to it. Everything sticks together here, just right as rain.
Bandcamp (label):
Discogs (label):