Aghast
Hexerei im Zwielicht der Finsternis
[Cold Meat Industry]
Aghast was the witch-ambient project of two Norwegian black metal women,
Nachthexe (Tania Stene who was rumoured to be the wife of Fenriz, who painted
the ”Ferdasyn” and ”Taakeferd” pictures on the Darkthrone albums and also the
covers of the latest Burzum albums) and Nebelhexe (Samoth’s wife Andrea Meyer
Haugen, appeared with her ”erotic” vocals on the first Cradle of Filth album and
is currently an active pagan-lifestyle promoter with his wiccan-feeling neo-folk
project Hagalaz’ Runedance).
”Hexerei im Zwielicht der Finsternis”, their only release, is a brutal dark-ambient record. It’s more Darkthrone and more Burzum than anything those two classics (seniles!) have done since late –94 or something. It is not as ”girl power” feministic as Diamanda Galas’ screamfests or Necro Spice Cadaveria of Opera IX. Aghast accomplished on record what ”Blair Witch” accomplished as a movie. It summons up fear from subtlety, timing and context of the elements. It builds up the atmosphere in a psychologically disturbing way, in your mind, not with any in-your-face tricks or shocks. It plays cruelly around with your attention.
Aghast should not be faced in a blatant, judgemental way, to listen to it in broad daylight and exclaim ”I’m not scared”. If one wants to get inspired by it, and yes it is a veritable well of inspiration, one must give it time and space to do it’s work. The hazy first track/intro sets the mood into a misty twilight landscape with slowly, carefully layered ambience of synthetic sounds, with a lo-fi sound quality. The second track, ”Sacrifice”, is more alive with fire and death, but always beneath the surface. Nacht’s droning voice reverbed to a ”witches-summoning-Satan” effect implores you to commit a ritual suicide for the lord of darkness… ”give him your life”; while the synths imitating strings work between the shadows of the background and the space in front of your attention, overall consistent and unbending in their mood. There is as much life in these compositions than generally there is in a rotting corpse. The third track, ”Enter the Hall of Ice”, is a slow, quiet, intense symphony of cold light and soft whispers that call you to enter the hall of… eyes??
All in all, there are eight tracks. I won’t spoil the gate-opening effect of the first listen by telling anything more about them.
© 1999 black hate
”Hexerei im Zwielicht der Finsternis”, their only release, is a brutal dark-ambient record. It’s more Darkthrone and more Burzum than anything those two classics (seniles!) have done since late –94 or something. It is not as ”girl power” feministic as Diamanda Galas’ screamfests or Necro Spice Cadaveria of Opera IX. Aghast accomplished on record what ”Blair Witch” accomplished as a movie. It summons up fear from subtlety, timing and context of the elements. It builds up the atmosphere in a psychologically disturbing way, in your mind, not with any in-your-face tricks or shocks. It plays cruelly around with your attention.
Aghast should not be faced in a blatant, judgemental way, to listen to it in broad daylight and exclaim ”I’m not scared”. If one wants to get inspired by it, and yes it is a veritable well of inspiration, one must give it time and space to do it’s work. The hazy first track/intro sets the mood into a misty twilight landscape with slowly, carefully layered ambience of synthetic sounds, with a lo-fi sound quality. The second track, ”Sacrifice”, is more alive with fire and death, but always beneath the surface. Nacht’s droning voice reverbed to a ”witches-summoning-Satan” effect implores you to commit a ritual suicide for the lord of darkness… ”give him your life”; while the synths imitating strings work between the shadows of the background and the space in front of your attention, overall consistent and unbending in their mood. There is as much life in these compositions than generally there is in a rotting corpse. The third track, ”Enter the Hall of Ice”, is a slow, quiet, intense symphony of cold light and soft whispers that call you to enter the hall of… eyes??
All in all, there are eight tracks. I won’t spoil the gate-opening effect of the first listen by telling anything more about them.
© 1999 black hate