__ __ 15
_______ _/ /____ ________ _____/ /_
/ __/ _ `/ __/ _ `/ __/ _ `/ __/ __/
\__/\_,_/\__/\_,_/_/ \_,_/\__/\__/
p r e s e n t s
Darkspace-Dark_Space_III_I-CD-FLAC-2014-CATARACT
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
ARTIST : Darkspace STOREDATE : 00-00-2014
ALBUM : Dark Space III I RIPDATE : 10-14-2015
YEAR : 2014 RUNTIME : 64:19 min
GENRE : Black Metal LANGUAGE : English
LABEL : Avantgarde Music GRABBER : EAC Secure
SOURCE : CDDA ENCODER : FLAC 1.2.1
QUALITY : 890 kbps Avg 44.1kHz 2 channels SIZE : 429.8MB
URL : http://is.gd/1yrgxv TRACKS : 3 Files
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
01 Dark 4.18 27:24
02 Dark 4.19 18:31
03 Dark 4.20 18:24
┌──────────┘
64:19 min
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ │
│ When black metal bands speak of coldness, they usually refer to │
│ unforgiving Scandinavian winters, constructing them as both │
│ majestic, icy kingdoms and as permafrost hells. Immortal set their │
│ infamous videos in Arctic environments and branded themselves as │
│ "Blizzard Beasts", while the guitar tones of influential second-wave │
│ bands like Darkthrone and Satyricon resembled the winds of harsh │
│ winter storms; Imperial Crystalline Entombment took this obsession │
│ to its most absurd extreme, cloaking themselves entirely in white │
│ and envisioning a new Ice Age with their sole album Apocalyptic End │
│ in White. │
│ │
│ Swiss trio Darkspace are concerned with a different coldness, though │
│ specifically, the void and expansive unknown of the universe. Since │
│ their first (and only) demo in 2002, Dark Space -I, they've created │
│ and nurtured a style of black metal heavily indebted to dark │
│ ambient, both in the punishing drone of their riffs and in the │
│ minimal, chasmic soundscapes. Darkspaceùcomprised of Wroth and │
│ Zhaaral on guitars and vocals, and Zorgh on bass and vocalsùapply │
│ corpsepaint to their faces like fellow traditionalists, but their │
│ appearance is slick and menacing, as if H.R. Giger was their │
│ creative consultant. TheyÆre a futuristic black metal group thatÆs │
│ interested in the heavens, but not necessarily divinity. Dark Space │
│ III I is their latest album six years after Dark Space III, and the │
│ new record represents an apt continuation of their signature style, │
│ cementing them as one of the most daring and underrated names in │
│ black metal. │
│ │
│ III I is divided into three long chunks, leading off with the │
│ 27-minute-plus behemoth 'Dark 4.18'. Glitchy spurts crack the veneer │
│ of the Lustmord-like drone, resembling space debris whizzing by. │
│ Pulsating drums enter just before a distant lead pattern, and then │
│ the real punishment, the oppressive, almost speedcore-like rhythms, │
│ set in. The drum machine gives 'Dark 4.18' a mechanical blast that │
│ almost borders on EBM, which connects the dots between black metal │
│ and electronic music, genres that embrace repetition as a means to │
│ an end. ôDark 4.18ö is not dance music, mind youùthe blasting is │
│ relentless, with guitars howling in pain to the stars above. No band │
│ captures cosmic indifference better. │
│ │
│ One of Darkspace's strengths is that they incorporate familiar metal │
│ elements and, through their galactic lens, render them foreign. They │
│ can't help but be influenced by the mid-paced mastery of fellow │
│ Swiss resident and current Triptykon/ex-Celtic Frost frontman Tom G. │
│ Warrior, which is plenty evident on Dark 4.19. The main riff is a │
│ groove held hostage, almost too catchy for its own good; it almost │
│ threatens the concentration that III I demands of the listener. │
│ There's tapping solos far removed from instructional video wankery, │
│ trailing towards parts unknownùrare flickers of light, with no │
│ flash. Wroth is also the man behind Paysage dÆHiver (where he │
│ records under 'Wintherr'), a project that focuses exclusively on the │
│ frostbitten side of black metal; here, he mutates one form of │
│ coldness into another, seamlessly. │
│ │
│ Dark 4.20 finds Darkspace taking a meaner turn in their │
│ disorientation. The groove riffs sound choppier, and the blasting │
│ only grows more cacophonic as the song progresses. There are faint │
│ screams and growls throughout, which highlight Darkspace's tendency │
│ to de-emphasize vocals on III I. All three members are screaming │
│ into space, but thatÆs a lot of area to cover, and that helplessness │
│ is essential to Darkspace's vision. At full speed, the guitars │
│ create a choral effect that's louder and more capable of │
│ communicating a sense of terror than any human voice could. It all │
│ ends with another low-rumbling hum, the nearly-quiet discomfort the │
│ album began with. There's no comedown here-the battery stops, its │
│ oxygen stripped. │
│ │
│ III I is not an album of convenience. Music this pitch-black demands │
│ a state of isolation, from light and from people, to be fully │
│ appreciated. This is an album that takes the listener through a │
│ seemingly endless mirror of our anxieties about what constitutes │
│ beyondùbeyond life, the Earth, the sun swallowing us, and our │
│ conceptions of black metal. III I asks a lot from its listeners, and │
│ it delivers one of the year's best black metal albums in return. │
│ │
│ -www.Pitchfork.com │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
CATARACT: CLOUDING YOUR VISION
TEAM CATARACT SALUTES
86D - DeVOiD - NBFLAC