As with any Locrian release, I'm always extremely excited to hear anything new these guys are planning to drop. I was especially excited to hear about this collaborative release with Mammifer. My mind ran wild with the possibilities of what this could be. I was extremely thrilled with the outcome.
The album starts off with a drone call on In Fulminic Blaze. The track very quickly engulfs you in what I can only call a tribal-esque beat. You are quickly drawn into a distant world and held there to relish in it's beauty. The track becomes harder hitting toward the end with a very authoritative electric guitar and constant pounding of the drums. This is a truly droned out affair. Wonderful and eerie, an amazing opening track.
Next up, the title track, Bless Them That Curse You. Starting off with some sort of whacked out, tempo shifting sound, again your attention is immediately pulled in. A constant chiming phrase, then layer upon layer of alternating repeated phrases join in. Nothing to do but let your mind wander and take it all in and revel in the beauty of the repetitiveness of these gorgeous phrases. Another occasional layer is added in to keep things interesting, building and building, then expertly taken away and stripped back to basics.
Corpus Luteum starts with a repeating piano phrase, and again, layers are added on, mostly other piano sections as well as another stringed instrument I cannot readily identify. Things start off rather pretty here, but turn more melancholy rather quickly. You are thrust into a world of sadness and longing, where nothing seems quite right. As the track moves on, it continues to take darker turns. You're definitely left with a disturbing feeling from this one. Things on this record just get stranger from here.
Second Burial is laden with bizarre sounds from some tortured world. I imagine creatures existing in some horrible place, with sharp objects falling out of the sky. This track is just straight up ugly. I mean that in the best possible way. It's like the soundtrack to the most fucked up horror film you've ever seen. Your skin crawls while taking it all in. Masterfully created by two extremely able parties.
Lechatelierite starts off simply with a very interesting piano line, complete with strange background noise. Very melancholy in its feel, and also very sparse. The sounds lead you to feel like it's a giving up of sorts. After everything you just went through with the other tracks, this track is your come down for reflection, so to speak.
The final track Metis/Aramanthine/The Emperor I will not go into detail about as it's a nearly 20 minute affair. I'll leave that one for you to discover on your own. There's an extra added bonus on this track though that is not on any other track on the record. Vocals. Enjoy.
This is an absolutely essential record if you're into drone/experimental music. This record far exceeded my expectations, and they were already very high, if that tells you anything. The album will be released via Profound Lore on CD on March 6th. Vinyl will be available from Sige/Utech Records on Feb 27th. Cassettes will be released from Sige/Land of Decay Records.
Written by Todd
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