As a member of REVEREND BIZARRE, Albert Witchfinder (that may not be his real name) became somewhat a modern doom legend regarded with the same reverence as ELECTRIC WIZARD (who incidentally released a split with them containing Bizarre's final material) and with a loyal cult following. Since the band called it quits in 2007, alongside his new band, THE PURITAN, Witchfinder's main priority is now OPIUM WARLORDS. For their sophomore album "We Meditate Under The Pussy In The Sky", WItchfinder strikes out alone, entasking himself with all instrumentation and his own personal interpretation of what doom is.
Kicking off with the jarring, angular feedback of the cryptically titled "Sxi-Meru", Albert WItchfinder seems to immediately set out to prove that this is no mere REVEREND BIZARRE MK2. There's barely a trace of doom in the minimal ambience on offer and "Sxi-Meru" is kept surprisingly brief for the drone genre. Next, "Slippy" introduces menacing horror b-movie organ and military drumming seeming to herald the presence of a darker force at work before going off at a wild tangent with demonic vocals and an equally sinister, frantic fairground riff punctuated by disarming sections of decidedly calmer drone and pretty, melodic guitar playing that EARTH would be proud of. Throughout "Slippy", the listener is kept on edge with frequent twists and turns proving that, while he mayno longer be a reverend, Witchfinder is as bizarre as ever. While the rest of the album is sans-lyrics, the contrast only serves to highlight the diversity on display across the five tracks that comprise "We Meditate Under The Pussy In The Sky"- part MAYHEM, part MR BUNGLE, part SUNN O))), all mental! Next, "Lament For The Builders Of Khara Khoto" is somewhat more subdued but no less menacing with the first hint of heavier-than-thou doom riffing taking the fore. Guttural screams and chanting ornament the oppressive feedback while a subtle melody weaved through creates a ray of light in the darkness. "This Wind Is A Gift From A Distant Friend" provides no such respite with a slow guitar and rums drone-doom assault in the vein of BURNING WITCH before morphing into something more akin to post-metal. Final track, "Satan Knew My Secret Heart" pulls of a similar trick but, rather than having a volta in the piece, here post-metal and doom are merged seamlessly throughout giving the track a mournful, almost repentant vibe. By the time "Satan Knew My Secret Heart" abruptly cuts out, you feel spent form the cathartic, beguiling and brilliant journey that is "We Meditate Under The Pussy In The Sky". Albert Witchfinder has had the courage to step out on his own and it's a risk that has paid off manifold. (8/10)
"We Meditate Under The Pussy In The Sky" is out now through Svart
In an age where one only needs to log into Twitter to find out what their favourite band had for dinner and a celebrity wearing a dress they've worn before constitutes news, it's nice to see that some people still like to keep a little mystique. A supergroup of sorts, though one would presume they'd reject such a tag, ENSEMBLE PEARL is a quartet consisting of Stephen O'Malley (SUNN O))), KTL, BURNING WITCH etc.), Atsuo and Michio Kurihara (both of BORIS) and William Herzog joined, this time around, by Eyvind Kang and Timba Harris. Information like this, though, is secondary to the music, a breathtaking mixture of ambient and drone with influences ranging from "Hex"-era EARTH to early TANGERINE DREAM via LINK WRAY. Originally composed for the play "This Is How You Will Dissapear", the six tracks that comprise "Ensemble Pearl" have grown into something much grander than just a soundtrack on record.
Foreboding mantras slowly build up with minimal atmospheres in place of the oppressive feedback of SUNN O))). Also amongst the droning riffs, one can discern a world music influence similar to the transcendental doom of latter-day OM and lush ambient passages. "Ghost Parade" opens proceedings with a three chord drone subtly metamorphosing over time while a myriad of other effects float across the sound spectrum. Following this, "Painting On A Corpse" twins a CULT OF LUNA-esque mantra with more swirling effects underpinned by a constant, insistent drum pattern before climaxing with searing noise and sonic experimentation that MERZBOW would be proud of. All the while though, that same guitar and drum drone continues, occasionally speeding up, seemingly getting closer and closer before fading away. Sweet respite. Next comes the gentle rise and fall of "Wray" with beautiful evocative keys and strings unaccompanied by guitar or percussion before "Island Epiphany" reintroduces the drones, noise and drumming. A tangible sense of dread cuts through the beauty of the strings and keys but even at its densest, everything feels like it has its own space. Rather than rushing to the finishing line, parts are given full opportunity to develop to their natural conclusions, running the gamut from beauty to horror and from thrill to melancholy to fear. "Giant" takes ENSEMBLE PEARL's knack for creating an emotional rollercoaster over the course of one track even further with one sustained note forming the centrepiece for the most part while the constantly shifting backdrop radically alters the overall mood of the piece. Proceedings conclude with the 20 minutes of "Sexy Angle" complete with dub vibes and angular, off-kilter violin.
Put simply, "Ensemble Pearl" is an earth-shattering collaboration between geniuses unrivalled in the field of drone and their debut album as ENSEMBLE PEARL is another stunning high point in their respective careers. (9/10)
"Ensemble Pearl" is out now through Drag City
