The Black Monolith – Thee I Invoke

From Athens, Greece comes mysterious entity The Black Monolith who according to his(?) Bandcamp bio is “a conduit for the forces that lie beyond the veil of existence. Through frequencies, we summon the primal energies that stir within the earth, invoking the spirits of the void. Each drone is a beacon for the entities that dwell in the darkness between the stars”. I'd like to believe the project was named after Black Sabbath and Amebix's Monolith, but I fear this is wishful thinking.

A new project prior releases include a number of standalone tracks and the albums Necronauts: A Cryptic Explorers unofficial soundtrack, Path of Serpents Path of The Dragon, The Transfiguration of Heart, Tales Untold By Stone, Sovereign Will, End And Beginning Are Dreams, and the Kykeon split with Insectarium. Some of The Black Monolith's output (including this one) has been put out by Slithering Black Records who I'm familiar with due to covering She The Throne/The Slumbering's fantastic split Daymares & Night Terrors. The omens are seemingly good!

'ΑΠΟ ΠΑΝΤΟC ΚΑΚΟΔΑΙΜΟΝΟC' (Away, Every Evil Spirit), lives up to the track's title, sounding like an invocation with which to ward away demons and nefarious presences. The echoey chanting reminds you of the mansion scenes within Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut albeit less sinister. An intriguing start. 'There Is No God Where I Am' embraces the all out noise of artists such as Whitehouse and Bastard Noise (the offshoot of the Hardcore/Powerviolence orientated Man is the Bastard). The title gives away the vibe The Black Monolith is attempting here, a bleak unrelenting place of abstract nothingness which in turn feels claustrophobic and hopeless. So effective is this sense of unease conjured that you feel relieved when it finally wraps up. 'Fire for Sight, Knife for Touch' bears similarities to Earth's Earth 2: Special Low Frequency Version, the album which virtually pioneered the whole Drone Doom subgenre. Its strangely serene aurally speaking, with an expansiveness that provides a startling contrast to its more suffocating predecessor, the last minute or so featuring the kind of music one would encounter on any number of late 70's/early 80's Sci-Fi movies. A personal favourite.

'Weighing the Heart' is magnificent with its dusty Morricone Americana vibe as well as nods to the ambient backdrop created by bands like SUSS, Earth (again) from their Hex; Or Printing in the Infernal Method and Neil Young's work on the Dead Man soundtrack. 'Ούτος Εστίν Όν Οι Άνεμοι Φοβούνται' (This is what the Winds are Afraid of) is the longest track at well over twelve minutes, making it the album's undisputed epic. This time its Sunn O))) who make an appearance, from around the time of the White 1 cycle and Julian Cope style Vocals coming to the fore. As a fan of that album and Cope, this number was always going to appeal. From the longest to the shortest, at just over three minutes 'Rope and Tooth' takes us down an Industrial route by way of Killing Joke's S/T 1980 debut and the sense of terror that amazing record/band evoked, two thumbs up from me.'I Am The Favor Of The Aiōn' features layer after layer of glorious Improvised Guitar feedback, if you like players such as Glenn Branca, Lee Ranaldo etc but lusted for a darker, Metallic twist, then look no further. An eerily brilliant conclusion.

For an album of this nature you have to have a finely tuned ear to hear its many subtle stylistic nuances, of which there's plenty. If you do then you're in for an absolute aural treat.