Author: PatrickG88 [The Black Box]

Tʜᴇ Bʟᴀᴄᴋ Bᴏx was created in November 2012 by PatrickG88, in order to promote, share and reference in a blog some musical albums or EP releases with also livesets or mixtapes by artists or labels from the various darker styles of Electronic music (genres about Martial, Drone, Occult & Ritual Dark Ambient, Power Electronics, Industrial, Darkwave, Witch House, EBM, IDM, Rhythmic Noise, Doom, Acid, Dark & Industrial Techno, Doomcore, Industrial Hardcore, Darkcore, Darkstep/Breakcore, Dark Psytrance …and other eerie and black soundscapes).

[Noctivagant] Umbrarum Tenebrae – Rites Of Darkness And Dismal Visions

2020, the world stalled to a halt as a new plague spread it’s black infectious veil across the globe. The great majority of souls caved in, hearts heavy with despair and frightened uncertainty. It is in the midst of these somber times that UMBRARUM TENEBRARAE emerged from the shadows. Born of solitude and oppressive gloom to bring forth a new sonic pestilence, Umbrarum Tenebrae seeks not to enlighten the heavily burdened spirits, nor comfort afflicted souls, but to haunt them into further desperation.

Umbrarum Tenebrae does not follow the traditional process of creation but willingly ventures upon new unexplored pathways of musical manifestation; through the use of Chaos Magick. Each song begins with an intent, given meaning as a word, this word is then encrypted to its most basic form and disposed unto a magic square. This initial intent is then transmuted into a Sigil which serves as focal point for every musical creation thereafter. These same worded intentions are also given a placement upon the musical staff to give a musical note. Thus, every song is born of pure chaos. Far from man’s instinctive desire to control his creations. Breaking the laws of musical composition and normality.

The result is an eerie soundtrack which builds up discomfort and evokes dreadful visions of invisible horrors and unknown doom. Somber drone wavelength are sowed as chaos seeds awaiting to spawn forth new unnatural life and then covered with layers upon layers of cryptic, ghostly sounds and irrational percussion. The whole possesses a nightmarish aura which will take the listener deep into himself, in those dark and cold recesses of the mind.
The experience is not a pleasant one. It is an exploration of the darker chambers of the unconscious, and Umbrarum Tenebrae is the guide through these haunted halls.

Label: Noctivagant
Artist: Umbrarum Tenebrae
Format: Album, 6 x file, Digital
Released: 8 May / 20 June 2020
All instruments by evillair
Recorded during winter 2020 at Dirgevows Studios St-Eustache, Quebec, Canada.
Remastered Spring 2020 for Noctivagant.

1. Path To Oblivion – 8:32
2. Liber Mortem – 4:58
3. Binding Of Skulls – 6:24
4. Chambers Of Shadows – 8:20
5. The Chaos Principle – 9:36
6. Knell Ritual – 2:08

[TRM-VA-050] Various Artists – ו

“Behold, the hope of him is in vain; shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?” ו is revealed, the 2nd letter of the name Leviathan, the core idea of the Traumatic logo, the 2nd annual various artist sampler showcasing the sonic range of the label through a fine blend of Traumatic regulars and prolific guests, available digitally and on CD.
One thing this compilation leaves no doubt about: Traumatic is about extreme music, adventurous and bold.

Hypoxic kicks off the fun with the single-handed invention of a new genre, lounge-doom, soothing darkness with lovingly reproduced vinyl crackle. Traumatic’s homegrown newcomer PLucessit brings her cinematic atmospheres, and they work with Mel Agony’s lush keys as well as with Xaero’s distortion loaded kicks. Speaking of distortion, Sacerdos Vigilia contributes one of his slower tracks as well. Raw and doomed are the featured tunes by Praevus & Cryptox and French pioneer Desolation; The Relic and Braintune ft CringeFX have some cutting-edge industrial hardcore on board; XKRi kicks some fierce acid lines, AnTraxid unpacks the rave stabs, SummA plays his filthy hardtechno and Rumbler causes general mayhem. In the end it’s up to the Scandinavian collab of RagnaRok and Shatterling to close ו on a melodic, almost dreamy note.

Sounds like quite a ride? Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

Label: Traumatic
Cat#: TRM-VA-050
Format: V/A Compilation, 13 x file, Digital
Released: 30 November 2019
Mastered by Musicmastering.nl
Artwork by Kevin Robbens
Compiled by Xaero

01. Hypoxic – Hate Me – 6:13
02. PLucessit & Mel Agony – Far Afield – 4:48
03. Praevus & Cryptox – A Light In The Dark – 5:21
04. Xaero & PLucessit – Defile – 6:28
05. Sacerdos Vigilia – Indexed Ho Urns – 5:35
06. Desolation – Kill Them All – 5:43
07. The Relic – Proxy Annihilation Program – 4:18
08. XKRi – Fallen Heaven – 5:16
09. Braintune ft. CringeFX – I’m Wandering – 5:46
10. SummA – Dissociation – 5:24
11. Rumbler – Darkchoirs – 4:32
12. AnTraxid – Cry Ov The Banshee – 6:23
13. RagnaRok & Shatterling – Over The Horizon – 5:43

[GH 138] Abattoir & Satori – Megaloschemos

Satori, continuing a project first started in the 1980’s founding member Dave Kirby brings an onslaught of industrial soundscapes, pounding drums and a dystopian vision of a world commited to destroying itself.
Comprising a mixture of harsh noise and power electronics with a harder and heavier percussive beat than before Satori enter 2018 with a collection of new songs “Dispossession” based on the physical and mental disconnect facing everyone in the modern world. A constant pervasive undercurrent of violence, the feeling of a society on the brink of a total meltdown and the fears and torments of the powerless individual.

Lorenzo Abattoir is an Italian-based noise artist and sound engineer from Torino. His work takes shape in a context of underground extreme noise music to become accessible through projects related to sound art. “The sound of chaos merging with order, where every detail and nuance seems to be carefully regulated and controlled”.

Label: Gradual Hate Records
Cat#: GH 138
Artists: Abattoir / Satori
Format: Album, 8 x file, Digital / CD
Released: 01 September 2018
All tracks composed by Lorenzo Abattoir (IT) & Dave Kirby (UK)
Except “Eschatology” composed by Dave Phillips
Artwork by Seals Of Blackening

1. The Great Vow – 6:43
2. Hesychasm – 7:10
3. Sabazius – 4:26
4. Adrastus – 6:50
5. Eschatology (Dave Phillips Mix) – 5:19
6. Hermetism – 6:57
7. Octoechos – 8:39