Malkuth - The World Dissolves And Reveals Sitra Achra 9:04
Gamaliel - Corrupted Sanctuary Of Fire 5:47
Gnarled Roots Suspend The Ruined Temple 7:45
Path Of Samekh 3:43
Thagirion - Mired In A River Of Drowned Bodies 8:26
Path Of Zamradiel 3:34
Satariel - Field Of Apocryphal Monuments 7:55
Excising The Last Vestiges Of Ahamkara 6:11
[CLOSING] 0:36
I ’m not quite sure of where to place Worms Of The Earth’s recent releases
in terms of dark ambient history. Yes, Dan Barrett’s last few releases
have been a far cry from the band’s early power noise sound, and he’s
been using the Venal Flesh
side-project to keep a hand in a more aggressive style while exploring
tribal industrial and dark ambient under his main moniker with albums
like Anāgāmi and Azal’ucel. But as new release Sitra Achra
shows, Worms Of The Earth eschew most of the more common formal
approaches to dark ambient composition, or, to be blunt, long and slowly
shifting or developing tracks. Check the first couple minutes of
opening track “Malkuth” for an example: we quickly cycle between plucked
strings, industrial gates sliding shut, snippets of mezzo-soprano voice
too brief to fully catch, breathy samples, and slithering pads. Any of
these component parts might appear in dark ambient as we conventionally
use the term, but having them all bloom and circle about within a mix so
rapidly produces a uniquely psychedelic effect. In Slaughter Natives
might be the handiest comparison to make, but even on slower and more
grinding tracks like “Thagirion” Barrett seems to be striking upon a
florid mix of sound design and composition all his own, capable of
casting the mind off in a myriad of directions distinct from even those
Swedish legends. With the previous two WotE releases Barrett
successfully experimented with finding a new voice and spirit for the
project, but in consolidating that journey with Sitra Achra he
has legitimately established himself as a producer in the broader dark
music fields (leaving aside specific sub-genres) who simply cannot be
overlooked.
LINK
